Collapse Ready: Wilderness Survival is the definitive, American‑focused survival field manual for grid‑down, post‑collapse conditions. Adapted from US Army FM 21‑76 and rewritten for civilian capability, this guide teaches the skills, mindset, and fieldcraft required to survive in forests, mountains, deserts, swamps, coasts, and post‑SHTF urban environments.

This volume draws directly from the manuscript:

“The will to survive is the single most important factor in any survival situation.” “Shelter is not a comfort issue — it is the first tactical priority in nearly every American survival scenario.”

Across 14 chapters and 12 technical illustrations, you’ll learn the core survival disciplines that keep you alive when infrastructure collapses and help is not coming.

What You’ll Learn

Survival Psychology & Mindset

The SURVIVAL acronym explained with real-world application
Stress responses and how to override them
The Rule of Threes and collapse‑specific time horizons
Real‑world case studies from grid failures, hurricanes, and infrastructure attacks

Shelter Construction

Site selection principles
Debris hut construction (with diagrams)
Lean‑to shelters, tarp shelters, and emergency improvisations

“A properly built debris hut maintains 15–20 degrees of warmth above ambient temperature…”

Firecraft

Tinder, kindling, and fuel architecture
Modern ignition methods
Primitive bow‑drill fire starting

Water Procurement & Purification

Finding water in U.S. environments
Improvised filtration
Solar still construction

Food Procurement

Universal Edibility Test
Edible plants by U.S. region
Trapping (wire snare, figure‑4 deadfall)
Improvised fishing

Navigation Without Electronics

Map reading
Compass fundamentals
Celestial navigation

Movement, Evasion & Concealment

Route planning
Camouflage basics
Silent movement techniques

Wilderness Medicine

MARCH protocol
Tourniquet use
Wound packing
Improvised splinting

Special Environments

Cold weather survival
Desert survival
Coastal survival
Post‑SHTF urban survival

Appendices

Edible plants of North America
Dangerous plants & animals
Survival kit checklist
Essential knots
Signal reference guide

Who This Book Is For

Preppers & collapse‑aware families
Hunters, hikers, and outdoorsmen
Bug‑out planners
Homesteaders and off‑grid builders
Anyone who wants a real, American survival manual that works when everything else fails

This is Book 8 of the Collapse Ready Household Series — your wilderness survival doctrine for the world after normal ends.

When Systems Fail, We Don’t.

tom sweet survival

Collapse Ready: Wilderness Survival