Primitive Technology: A Survivalist's Guide to Building Tools, Shelters, and More in the Wild

There's topics this book doesn't cover that the author DOES cover in his channel. For example, you can light a fire at night, and then you can rummage through the ashes to find iron beads. This is due to some chemical reaction between the heat, sap, and wood, creating iron. So, he could have talked about making a pottery jar with water and wood ash, to store iron beads. You need to understand. Iron, when heated, in a forge and beaten with a hammer, becomes steel. So you'd have to melt it down first and let it cool. Then you'll have enough to make a knife, chisel, or tomahawk (if you have enough beads for a tomahawk).Anyhow. Regardless, the illustrations in this book are good. I'm happy with the purchase, I'm just sad that not all of his material was covered.One thing that the book does cover, that his channel rarely does, is a few traps, mainly for fish... but... you would think he would have covered a wider variety of snares and such.There's better survivalist books, but this is really accessable. A very bare bones esseentials... it would be nice for people to know how to make their own tools. At least that way they could live comfortably in a preindustrial sort of way.

“Primitive technology is the practice of making tools, structures, textiles, and clothing using only natural materials found in the wild.” (Page 11) In 2015 a man named John Plant from Australia started a YouTube channel dedicated to using primitive technology to pursue his hobby of using primitive techniques to create structures and tools like we used to do. As of June 15, 2021, John has amassed 10.4 million subscribers and has over 960 million views. In this book he details all of his instructions and thought process when creating the projects, he has done for his YouTube videos. In this review, I will be discussing my personal experiences with this book, my overall thoughts on the book, and whether or not I would recommend this book for others. My experience with this book stems back to summer 2018 when I was just a bored, freshly graduated student out of high school. During this time, I would pass the time watching YouTube videos and going on hiking trails. I happen to stumble upon this YouTube channel trying to find a tutorial on how to start a fire. From then on I was intrigued by how this guy used primitive tools, that he made himself, to make structures and other key items for survival. He made so many different things using the items from the earth to create such useful tools as hammers, digging sticks, an ax, bow drill, sling, baskets, huts, and so much more. Using this book, I was able to create things I didn’t think would be possible for me. For example, in my class, I am teaching my classmates how to make a spear from a stick, a rock, and a fire following the instructions from the book. “To make the spear, use a hand ax or Celt ax to cut a sapling that is 1/3 to 3/4 inch (1 to 2 cm) thick. Start a fire and burn one end of the spear; sharpen it to a point by scraping the char off on a rock.” (Page 55). The book also shows diagrams and pictures, so it would be easier to follow along and complete the projects. That however is made even easier to follow if you watch the videos at the same time. As for my opinion of the book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I really enjoyed how simple it was and how easy it is to follow. If you read the book and watch the videos simultaneously, it is like you are in a class watching a demonstration. I also really liked that the author did not use any animal products in the making of his projects whatsoever. “One particularly vexing obstacle I had to deal with involved animal products. Because of the legal restrictions on hunting in Australia, I had to come up with alternatives for bone and leather, which was especially difficult for some projects.” (Page 11). My favorite part of the book was the diagrams if I am honest. I can follow instructions easily but having the diagrams and the photos of the actual result truly helps with the whole process of recreating the projects Plant did. Another thing I liked from the book is the fact that this guy really enjoys the work he does. This man does not truly have any sort of qualifications for teaching the subject matter but has so much experience in using primitive technology that one would not notice. This man literally showed off his hobby to the world and just ran with it and that in itself amazes me. The thing about this book that I do not particularly like is the way the materials are explained. In the book, he does not specify what kind of plants he uses for tools. Another thing I did not like about the book was the location. The man hails from Australia and uses Australian plants and items from the wild that are usually not found elsewhere, granted he was vague about the materials used so you could MacGyver your way through the project easily with his instructions but with whatever you have instead of the foliage native to Australia. Like for example, if I were to find myself in an area without trees, I would not be able to do a lot of the projects within the book. The only thing I would change about the book would be adding some more diagrams to the more advanced tools and projects to make them easier. Otherwise, everything was well thought out and easy to understand. For this book, I would highly recommend it for those who are fans of John Plant and those interested in the hobby of primitive technology. I would also recommend this book for those who enjoy the outdoors. I would not recommend this book for hardcore survivalists however, the reasoning is the projects within the book, that they would find the project to be tedious and not very viable for survival since they have modern tools. Overall, this book was such a wonderful read. I had so much fun recreating some of the projects within the book, granted it took some trial and error it was not always perfect. This book would be such a great gift for those who love the outdoors and do not want to use animal products. The book is not without faults however, some of the instructions were very blunt and had no further explanation, along with the fact that the book makes much more sense when you are playing the video at the same time. I would rate this book 8 out of 10 stars, I would buy this book again if I needed another copy and I would definitely get one for friends who would enjoy the outdoors

At its most basic this is a subtitled Primitive Technologies video in paper form. Turn on the subtitles and you'll get an actual description and some additional information of what's happening. Which means that other than some nifty little illustrations, longer descriptions, and a organized format there's very little new information that can't be obtained from the PT Youtube channel. Which is why I recommend you go for the hard copy. Because if you have an electronic device to read the ebook you'll most likely you'll be able to watch the corresponding Youtube video. Having something demonstrated to you in video form will also be easier to understand as this book has plenty of pretty pictures, basic illustrations, and descriptions there are no diagrams or depictions of any finished part such as where any holes are supposed to go or what exact shape should be created.This is not a Survival Guide but something closer to Primitive Technologies merch, something fun to buy while supporting the creator. It's also very loose with its instructions but that's okay, even though it's its big downside, thought not any fault of its creators. While the very basic descriptions of where exactly to get the materials may get annoying, it's somewhat inevitable. Publishing for a global audience does mean that material information must be generic, although this does force people to be creative and make do with what they have, a skill that will be invaluable not only in the field but in life in general.As long as you remember that this is a very general guide to primitive creations and not an in-depth manual most of its faults can be more or less forgiven. I would still recommend that anyone who wants some actually useful information watch the PT youtube videos as they are much more useful.Many other guides assume that you will have some modern tool before you enter the survival situation. A knife, a kit, or even a fully fueled and loaded ATV. While a survival situation itself is not ideal, being prepared is certainly not a bad thing. This book however, assumes you have nothing. Not even the clothes on your back that you can tear apart and use for a firestarter or cordage. Nothing, other than what you have already built with your hands earlier in the book.For the amateur or casual survivalist/prepper this information will definitely be interesting. While I would absolutely not recommend deliberately surviving with nothing just because you have read a few survival guides it still teaches some valuable information that one would be well to know. Of course this will depend greatly on the type of situation you find yourself. In a personal or non-civilization collapsing emergency your absolute priority above all else, is signaling for help. Spending precious hours making a kiln will not be a productive use of your time and there more fitting guides elsewhere. I would still recommend reading this guide because knowing how to make the basic stone tools is still useful.For even the more seasoned this book will still have some surprises. How many guides will teach a person to construct a loom to more efficiently weave together cordage? Or a water-powered hammer to crush wheat into flour? While I have no doubt that the experienced survivalists will last for years in the field with what they have and nothing more, there are certain skills and knowledge that will make that experience slightly more bearable. Which brings me to my next point.Where this knowledge truly shines is in the long term, years after even your trusty, hardy knife has long since broken or its blade sharpened so many times it's barely a nub. After all your modern tools and weapons are long gone. From dust to dust, everything will eventually break. But there is a constant supply of rocks, wood, and as long as you survive, the skills and knowledge of at least one human.Once upon a time we had a rock. We smashed things with the rock. We tied the rock to a stick to smash things better. Then we made the rock out of hardened steel, stuck it on a massive boring vehicle and started tearing holes into mountains. Eventually we forgot about the rock. Why bother remembering them? We fly so high up that we can't even see the humble rock. But no matter what happens, no matter what the catastrophe, the rock will always be there and you should know how to use it.Anyways this book is great for a weekend activity with the kids. Rocks and sticks are everywhere and a controlled fire is nothing to fear. Respect greatly, certainly. But not feared irrationally. Just remember to read up on your local laws before making any excursions and keep an extinguisher handy because starting a massive forest fire will not assist your survival any. Whether you're burned alive, in jail, or paying a massive fine that will leave you with no money to buy this book, make sure you stay safe and legal.All in all this book will be an excellent supplement to the survival knowledge you already have. I eagerly await the sequels Primitive Technologies II: The Iron Age and Terraforming Mars With John Plant.

Absolutely love the book. I've been a follower of his YouTube page for years, and I finally added his book to my library. 100% satisfied!!

Great info for beginners and advanced users

This book shows how humans built upon the knowledge of our ancestors. From stone tools and clay to bricks & mortar to forges and iron. Helpful for engaging teenager with hands on anthropology basics.

o livro é de alta qualidade (em todos os sentidos). tem conteudo suficiente para diversas situaçoes (sobreviver). recebi e li no mesmo dia (quase nao gosto de bushcraft kkk). o conteudo é tao bom que nao consegui desviar a atençao. tambem gostei das paginas serem de papel grosso. vai durar muito tempo.

excellent book :: must have

Definitivamente no conocía prácticamente ninguna de las técnicas que aparecen en este libro. Está bien descrito paso a paso y con buenas ilustraciones.

I was going to complain that the author - an Australian - listed imperial measurements before metric. Then I realised it was a book about Primitive Technology.

全部英語なので勉強がてら読んでますなかなか読み応えのある書物です