Personally, I think the Lord Of the Rings trilogy portrays survival skills splendidly. Samwise packs pots and pans, a splendid elfin rope and survival cake and utilised a practical pack pony ( who in all likelyhood would have stove in the rib cages of the Ringwraith's horses.) Tolkien related Sam was based on the common,yoeman soldiers of England he met in the trenches of W W 1.