Prepper Book Festival 13: Prepper’s Guide to Knots

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As someone who spent over twenty years boating in the waters of Puget Sound and the Salish Sea. I understand the importance of tying good, strong knots. I also know from experience that knot craft goes way beyond the actual process of tying a knot.  Choosing the best cordage for the job (natural or synthetic), and taking care of your ropes is as important as knot-tying technique.

In Scott Finazzo’s  Prepper’s Guide to Knots, you will not only learn techniques for tying knots in a survival situation but also how to keep your rope in good repair so it does not let you down when you need it.

Prepper’s Guide to Knots: The 100 Most Useful Tying Techniques for Surviving any Disaster provides instructions for 100 of the most useful knots out there.  There are step by step pictures for each of the knots and equally important, a description of when each knot should be used and for what purpose.  There are even a few well-known knots included with the caveat not to use the knot. Ever.

The author, Scott Finazzo, knows his stuff.  He has been a firefighter for over twenty years as well as an educator to other emergency responder teams, including CERT.  He is here today for his second book festival interview, and of course, to give away three copies of his book to lucky readers.

Enjoy the interview then be sure to check in below to learn about the giveaway.

An Interview with Scott Finazzo, Author of Prepper Knots

Given your background, knowledge, and experience, what do you feel are the three most important survival or prepping skills?

I think for the sake of not sounding like a broken record, I will take basic survival water, food, and shelter procurement off the table. In my experience, the three most important skills are the ability to remain calm under stress, the capacity to improvise, mental and emotional strength.

Remaining calm is essential. Rudyard Kipling made a reference to keeping your head about you when all others are losing theirs. It is can truly be the difference between life and death. You must be able to think and act rationally for the best possible outcome in a dire situation.

Secondly, in any survival situation, improvisation is required. You will be forced to make due with your wits, experience, supplies, and the hand you are dealt.

And finally, any kind of disaster, whether it is large scale or an individual disaster, will be mentally and emotionally taxing. You must be able to remain focused and keep your head about you to endure.

What would you purchase if you only had $500 to spend on preparedness supplies?

I would spend the $500 on essential things and multi-use items. Get the most bang for my buck, so to speak.

The money should be spent on a basic supply of water and food, but just as important, is the means to procure clean water and food. I would purchase a way to purify water and probably a few good knives of varying sizes. The means to start and maintain fire is important and, of course, first aid supplies.

Do you feel totally prepared and if not, what prep area concerns you the most?

Yes, between my training and the supplies I’ve accumulated over time, I feel pretty well prepared. But I do think it is important to keep up on new techniques and products.

My biggest concern, as a father, is my sons. I want to ensure they can be safe and self-sufficient, but it can be a challenge to keep them interested, so I just try to motivate by example.

To what extent does your family participate in your personal preparedness efforts?

My two older sons are away at college, so their preparedness is primarily focused around what to eat for dinner any given day.

I think just by our activities, they have picked up a lot. Our hobbies include preparation and response procedures for outdoor activities: camping trips, hiking, sailing, etc. In my mind, many of the same principles apply, but are fun, rather than doom and gloom.

What work of fiction do you feel gives the best portrayal of what could happen in real life?

5. I’m not much of a zombie apocalypse kind of guy. I think natural disasters are the most likely type of scenario, followed by maybe an EMP situation. I like The Pulse series and the Darkness After series, both by Scott B. Williams.

If there was a disruptive event and you had to evacuate, what non-fiction books or reference manuals would you take with you?

That is a question I ask before I write each book. I would pack light—a few specific books on survival and first aid. I like to think that the four preparation and response books I’ve written would meet specific needs.

The SAS Survival Guide is well written and really inclusive of most situations. I also think the National Geographic Survival Complete Survival Manual covers a lot of bases and could be beneficial in a variety of situations.

Do you have anything else, such as an announcement, message, personal experience, that you would like to share with the readers on Backdoor Survival?

As I mentioned before, a few years ago, some co-workers and I built sea kayaks and took them to the Virgin Islands to explore.

It took a lot of planning and improvisation when we were there and I learned a lot of important lessons in preparation and survival. The book is a fun and humorous look at a significant undertaking that was a revelation in many ways.

The Giveaway

Scott and his publisher, Ulysses Press, have reserved three copies of his book in this newest Book Festival Giveaway.

A special word about the giveaway question/comment:  Please read the question and respond accordingly, even it the answer is “I don’t know”.  This week’s question is:

What topic-specific book or books would you like to see in the next Prepper Book Festival?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The deadline is 6:00 PM MST Tuesday with the winners notified by email and announced on the Rafflecopter in the article.  Please note that the winners must claim their book within 48 hours or an alternate will be selected.

Note:  Due to customs requirements, this giveaway is only open to individuals with a mailing address in the United States.

The Final Word

Each week as I open up a new book, I feel like a kid in high school preparing a book report that I hope my teachers will like.  As an over-achiever, I always wanted an A, and most of the time was successful.  The same applies to these book festival reviews.  Choosing just the right authors and just the right books to share with preppers is sometimes a crap-shoot.  Luckily, I have acquired a second sense but only after having to kiss a few frogs (not always a pleasant experience).

As prepping has evolved into a lifestyle, I see more value in topic-specific books such as Scott’s Prepper’s Guide to Knots than in general “How to Prep” books.  Do you agree?

For more information about the rest of the books in this latest book festival, visit Prepper Book Festival #13: Books to Help You Prepare.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye

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Spotlight:  Prepper’s Guide to Knots: The 100 Most Useful Tying Techniques for Surviving any Disaster

When catastrophe strikes and modern technologies fail, rope work skills will become as essential for survival as they were for centuries past. The variety of knots taught in this book are guaranteed to hold against even the toughest forces, ensuring that an emergency doesn’t turn into a disaster. When your life, home, and property are hanging by a thread, these powerful knots are too strong to break:

• Create sturdy shelter with a HARNESS BEND
• Preserve sacks of grain with a BAG KNOT
• Move fallen trees with a BOWLINE
• Transport injured persons with a MUNTER HITCH
• Secure your home against intruders with a ZEPPELIN BEND

Prepper’s Guide to Knots features clear, step-by-step instructions on tying each knot. It also provides information on selecting the right type of rope, the history of rope work and the specific benefits of each knot.

Third Edition:  The SURVIVAL MEDICINE Handbook

A frequent question I get on Backdoor Survival has to do with healthcare matters when there is no doctor around. This is the definite source of survival medical information for all Prepper’s and is my go-to bible for survival medicine.