There's a vast difference between the Scout Handbook and the Scout Fieldbook. As jamesraykenny pointed out, the Handbook covers all aspects of Scouting but doesn't go into a lot of depth. The Fieldbook is only about outdoor activities. He also made the great recommended of dropping by your local Scout Store. If you do, make sure that you check out the Wilderness Survival merit badge handbook. It covers everything that is required for the Wilderness Survival merit badge and is usually only a couple of bucks.
If you're interested in seeing what the requirements for the WS merit badge are here's a
link to a site that has them as well as a few other links (I'm surprised that ETS isn't one of them).
OK, I agree with most of that list, but #13: "Explain why it usually is not wise to eat edible wild plants or wildlife in a wilderness survival situation."
?????
I guess it depends on what they are calling a survival situation, but anywhere that is COLD is going to require you to eat, if you are in it for more than a day...
I had some issues with #8: "Show that you can find and improvise a natural shelter minimizing the damage to the environment." until I read #9: "Spend a night in your shelter."
I do not think that "minimizing the damage to the environment" is of ANY concern in a real survival situation... But because they are actually having to DO it, it may be OK, because the task will actually be harder than normal...
You SHOULD tell them that if their life is in danger, to forget about minimizing the damage to the environment, and make the best shelter they can in the QUICKEST time they can!
The rest of the list is very good, and I would bet that a lot of people that get out of survival classes cannot do some of them... Like #6: "Show that you can start fires using three methods other than matches.", or #11: "Show three ways to treat water found in the outdoors to prepare it for drinking."
It is the SHOW combined with the THREE in those that is rather 'hardcore'...
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