The Field Manual
How people have kept water, warmth, light, food and each other going through hardship, across every continent and era, with every method checked against what is known today. Each topic gives you three layers: the way it’s done, the official line from agencies such as CDC, EPA and FEMA, and a plain verdict where the two disagree.
- Instant download link by email after checkout
- Day edition to print (Letter + A4) and Night edition for your phone
- 30-day refund, no hoops
Inside: 14 parts, 65 pages
- Water: how much you need, rain, the water already in your home, finding and clearing water, boiling, sunlight (SODIS), bleach, filters, storing it
- Food: the fridge clock, a pantry that needs no power, zeer pots, root cellars, drying, salting, fermenting, cooking without power
- Power and light, heat and cooling (the one-warm-room method, frozen pipes), fire (flint and steel, fire pistons, friction), shelter
- Sanitation: the bag-in-toilet method, the two-bucket toilet, handwashing, garbage
- First aid: severe bleeding, CPR, burns, wounds, cold and heat injuries, carbon monoxide, oral rehydration, splints
- Communication when the grid and internet are down, and navigation and signals without GPS
- Mind, spirit and community: the panic myth, steadying the body, children, helping someone in shock, mutual aid
- The kits: a two-week home kit, a go-bag per person, a car kit, people with extra needs, and keeping them alive
- Use what you have, and disaster playbooks for power and water outages, earthquake, wildfire, hurricane and flood, winter storm, heat wave, tornado, pandemic, cyber outage, chemical release
Editions
- Day edition to print, US Letter and A4, sized to print at 100%, with tick-box checklists and a family plan card to fill in
- Night edition for your phone: glowing text on black, readable in a blackout with the brightness all the way down
Every method is cited where it appears. Want it printed and mailed? Get the printed edition.
General information, not medical, legal or engineering advice. In an emergency, follow local officials and call 911.
Questions about The Field Manual
What’s inside The Field Manual?
65 pages in 14 parts: water, food, power and light, heat and cooling, fire, shelter, sanitation, first aid, communication, navigation and signals, mind, spirit and community, the kits, use what you have, and disaster playbooks. Each topic gives the way it’s done, the official line from agencies such as CDC, EPA and FEMA, and a plain verdict where the two disagree.
What formats does it come in?
Two PDF editions: a Day edition to print on US Letter and A4, sized to print at 100%, with tick-box checklists and a family plan card to fill in; and a Night edition for your phone, glowing text on black, readable in a blackout with the brightness all the way down.
How does delivery work?
It’s an instant download. Your download link arrives by email right after checkout and is also on your order confirmation page.
Does it work without internet?
Yes. Once downloaded, the PDFs open on your phone or computer with no signal. Print the Day edition at home or at any print shop, or get the printed edition mailed to you.
Where does the advice come from?
Public-safety agencies such as FEMA (Ready.gov), CDC, EPA, the National Weather Service, USGS and the Red Cross, plus peer-reviewed research, cited where each method appears. General preparedness information, not medical advice. In an emergency, follow local officials and call 911.
Can I get a refund?
Yes. Digital downloads: contact us within 30 days of purchase for a full refund. Drives and printed editions: return them within 30 days of delivery for a full refund of the item price; contact us first and we’ll send you the return address.
Related survival guides
The free, sourced one-page version of each emergency, on this site.