The full title is Trail Safe: Averting Threatening Human Behavior in the Outdoors. There are four points to recommend it:
1) It’s a practice manual on applying principles of personal defense to outdoors situations. In that, I think it’s unique.
2) In addition, it’s a well-written argument that self-defense in the outdoors is appropriate.
3) As an argument, it is direct, unapologetic, and logically leads the reader step by step to its conclusion, but because it is written in a conversational style it is nonthreatening and accessible to everyone — including environmentalist tree-hugger types.
4) It’s available for free online! Right here!
I had a really hard time finding a paper copy; I suppose Wilderness Press is not going to be printing any more now that the book’s hosted online for free. In print it’s 176 pages; Bane’s breezy conversational style makes it a very quick read. Lots of good nuggets in those pages, too.
As a practice manual, it lies somewhere between Cooper’s Principles of Personal Defense pamphlet and Massad Ayoob’s The Truth About Self-Protection in terms of the amount of detail presented. Much of what’s discussed may be old hat to the readers of this site, although it’s an excellent refresher. Accordingly, I think this book’s greatest value for our purposes may be as the book that you slyly suggest to non-gun-owners or leftist tree-huggers of your acquaintance. Point out this link to them before their next camping trip or hike.
Next thing you know, they may come to ask you about buying a gun for self-defense. Time for another happy dance!