98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive

Unless something is wrong with you, your goal when thrust into a survival situation is to get out of it as fast as you can. That is the premise of this book. You won't find detailed instructions on building and using a fire bow. You won't find recomendations on the biggest, baddest knife. The one used in the book has about a 4 inch blade and retails for less than $20. You will find practicle suggestions for fire. You will also find suggestions on assembling a survival kit that's thorough but not enormous. There is scientific discussion on the human body's reaction to the environment. All of this is presented in a humorous style. The book focuses on preparation for a survival situation and how to get out of it. Not learning flint knapping, snare building, dead falls, etc. I found the book informative and easy to read. Those offended by the few cartoon characters should get a life.

It's about time I pick up a book that has more than a list of survival skills. In fact, this book doesn't make any attempt to teach you how to trap animals or construct log furniture in the wilderness. Instead, you learn how to idetify potential survival situations and avoid getting into them if possible. If you do, backcountry knowledge will be helpful but it will be even better if you know how to take care of the basics such as controling fear and focusing on keeping your body at a comfy 98.6 degrees. I absolutely loved this book. There is discussion of psychology, biology, and physiology, all in a basic easy to understand format. Lundin's writing style is as if he were there talking to you. One of my personal favorites of the book is the chapter on survival kits, complete with color photographs. I thought I had a pretty good kit but after reading this, I need to make a few changes. If you spend any time in the world, anywhere, I recommend this book. If you want to know how to build monster solar stills, trap wild animals, and spear fish, look elsewhere. This book rocks!

Excellent book on survival. I am glad someone finally divides "SURVIVAL" from "Wilderness Living Skills" I would venture to say that most people that provide bad reviews of this book are looking for texts in Wilderness Living Skills. There are other books for that. I use 98.6 for a text book in our Search and Rescue Team training. In reality most victims succumb to hypothermia in survival situations other than trying to catch fish with a shoe string and a safety pin. It is reality at its best, presented in a humorous fashion.

Ted Fisher, Vermilion County Search and Rescue

Prior to embarking on a rugged solo day hike in AZ's Superstition Wilderness, I read this book cover to cover. (I'm a middle-aged, East Coast trail hiker who hasn't hiked recently, so survival was a major consideration.) My desert day hike turned into an overnight stay on a canyon ledge far from the trailhead. Thanks to Cody Lundin's book, I maintained a "party on" attitude, was fully prepared (both with equipment and mentally), and spent a fabulous night watching the stars. The right attitude is everything! Enjoyed the humor and common sense approach of his writing. His examples stick with you when you need them. Great tips on putting together a practical, personal survival kit that will work anywhere. There's now one in my pack and one in my car. Lots of useful information on how to overcome fear and keep your head.

This book works for many reasons:

1. Unlike alot of wilderness survival books that are cut and paste jobs from military manuals, Cody's book is funny, entertaining, and highly readable while remaining on topic-hence the info conveyed will stay with you.
But don't be fooled by the gonzo approach. Cody knows what he's talking about. The first few chapters about maintaining core body temperature should probably be read more than once.

2. Cody covers the base essentials: wear proper clothing, maintain core body temperature, and prepare for the 72-hour survival window. Learning how to snare a deer, while fun, with your boot string probably won't come into play during most wilderness survival ordeals. (I did actually learn how to do this at a survival course in Virginia.)
And here's the statistical bottomline of Cody's overall philosophy: if you aren't located in the first 72 hours, your chance of survival and rescue drops to 3%. Of course this doesn't mean you give up, but that's the statistical reality.

3. Cody devotes a substantial part of the book on how to build a personal survival kit. I really like his approach: the kit should be portable and cheap; hence, you can build several, test them beforehand, easily replace items, and become intimately familiar with them. No need to buy a $120 Doug Ritter Survival Knife or $150 Delta Life Capsule unless you have money to burn or are a survival gear junkie like me.

4. And let me say one last thing...military manuals written about survival should be taken with a grain of salt; in a survival situation, your goal should be to stay loud and visible until found; in the military, even in a survival situation, our goal is to remain invisible and undetected until rescued; usually with the aid of radio and satellite.