The Rugged Life

The Modern Guide to Self-Reliance: A Survival and Homesteading Guide

By: Clint Emerson

Narrated by: Clint Emerson

Become self-reliant, live off the land, and be prepared for the unexpected in this modern guide to self-sufficiency and homesteading from New York Times bestselling author, retired Navy SEAL, and survival skills expert Clint Emerson.

“Add The Rugged Life by former Navy SEAL Clint Emerson to your library today and get on the path to independence and self-sufficiency.”—Jack Carr, Navy SEAL Sniper and #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Devil’s Hand

Clint Emerson is the go-to expert for surviving the first minutes, hours, and days of a crisis. Now, in The Rugged Life, he works with modern homesteading experts to show you how to thrive over the long-term—for months, years, or even a lifetime—by being prepared and self-sufficient.

You can live the Rugged Life completely off-the-grid by farming your own food and using the waste from your toilet for compost. Or, you can live it by adding solar panels to your suburban home and keeping chickens and bees in your backyard. You can even live the Rugged Life in a city by simply gathering the salad for tonight’s dinner from your windowsill garden. Each of these homesteading and prepper long-term survival skills stand on their own, and taken together, they can help you design the independent life you want for yourself and your family.

• Be your own homesteader: Make your own shampoo and face creams; pickle and ferment food; make natural bug spray and cleaning products; smoke meat; tan a hide
• Be your own protector: Create a last-resort emergency plan; gather medicinal plants; protect against dangerous animals and threats; understand survival first aid
• Be your own provider: Hunt for game; make a gillnet; set snares; forage for wild foods; build a rabbit hutch; ice fish; butcher a pig; keep bees
• Be your own builder: Retrofit a van; set up solar, micohydro, and geothermal power; create a water catchment and filtration system; build a shipping container home
• Be your own farmer: Grow a victory garden; build a greenhouse; waffle garden to save space and resources; build a root cellar; can, dry, and store crops; operate a tractor

With hundreds of step-by-step, illustrated, self-sustaining skills and projects, The Rugged Life is for everyone who feels they can use more adventure, freedom, and choice in their life—everyone ready to get out of their comfort zone and try new, hard, profoundly rewarding things.

*Includes a downloadable PDF of illustrations from the book

Critic reviews

“The Rugged Life is not for everyone. But if you think you are up to the challenge of living a more self-sufficient lifestyle, this book is a great place to start.”—Bill Rapier, retired Navy SEAL, founder of American Tactical Shooting Instruction, and self-reliance expert

“The Rugged Life is essential reading for anyone wanting to get in touch with nature and live a life that’s a little more healthy, sustainable, and free. Drawing on his expertise as a retired SEAL, Clint Emerson meets aspiring homesteaders where they are and empowers them to succeed in their particular circumstances, whether that means going completely off the grid or raising a few chickens in the backyard.”—Mike Ritland, New York Times bestselling author and host of the Mike Drop podcast

“The past two years have reminded us that society is fragile. As citizens it is our responsibility to be as self-reliant as possible. Add The Rugged Life by former Navy SEAL Clint Emerson to your library today and get on the path to independence and self-sufficiency. It’s on my shelf. Make sure it’s on yours!”—Jack Carr, Navy SEAL Sniper and #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Devil’s Hand

Great advice and sound guidance

This book is a wonderful primer for those who are considering homesteading and becoming more self reliant.
Clint lays out a way of looking at the process. It provides a unique view that includes several levels of commitment.
Detailed description of “how to” are a helpful reference for beginner and those with more experience.

Great material, below average recording

Great material. Clint has a good voice, and is easy to understand, but the rate of speech and editing of this recording is below average. Too much splicing together of sentences.

Choppy reading

Clint’s narration was a bit choppy, like he was reading medication instructions to a grandparent.

Gives a Better Baseline

Gives you knowledge to dive in and succeed. Prepares you to research and think differently.

Great information.

This book isn't exactly what was expecting, that being said it is full of great information for someone who is looking to be more or completely self sufficient. I do think I will have to pick up a copy in paperback when it becomes available.