[ck_1]

Tonight at Borders I ran into a guy looking for a good outdoor "how-to" book...we were actually both looking for Fletcher's Complete Walker IV (none were available)....I suggested the NOLS WildernessGuide or Freedom of the Hills as excellent source/reference books.

What would you have recommended as the "best" outdoor/hiking/backpacking/camping how to book?

[olesma]

You know - I've never read an outdoor/backpacking/hiking book before. Got all my learning from direct experience and from talking to other people. I've skimmed a few - but never actually read any. I barely read trail guides. I have lots of other reading (through school mostly) that keeps me occupied.

[MaryPhyl]

Me too, I never read books but I have friends that took up hiking in recent years and they learned ever so quickly what it took me forever to pick up. From online discussions about the merits of different books I think one should read several because opinions differ widely. Dry country hiking is very different from wetter places. I think asking on a forum is likely to get you pretty goood answers to specific questions but books can be good for seasoned folks as well as beginners--I am constantly learning new stuff.

[BoyNhisDog]

Colin, when we were up in Canada, we used a Snowpeak Stove. Well, as you know, you cannot carry fuel on a commercial aircraft even in your checked bags so we looked up a source in New York but when we got there, they had none. I found that I could get an MSR cartridge to work fine but it took a little time to figure it out. Later I saw the Complete Walker IV and he said pretty much what I have found. The snowpeak is my favorite stove but the fuel is hard to find. He listed quite a few cartridges that he got to work with it. That is one of the advantages of these kinds of books. Nothing beats experience but knowledge can be gained a bit faster in some cases by reading what others have found and their opinions.

[montezumawell]

This topic made us wonder waht is going on in the world of "dummies" and "idiots" books with regard to camping, etc. Natch, Amazon is the place to go to check on such stuff. Along with the obligatory "camping for Dummies," here are all the relevant titles:

101 Essential Tips: Hiking by Hugh McManners
Camping Made Easy : A Manual for Beginners With Tips for the Experienced by Michael Rutter
The Kids Campfire Book by Jane Drake, et al
The Backpacker's Handbook, 2nd Edition by Chris Townsend
Camping's Top Secrets: A Lexicon of Camping Tips Only the Experts Know by Cliff Jacobson
Basic Essentials: Camping, 2nd Edition (Basic Essentials) by Cliff Jacobson
A Guide to Happy Family Camping: A Little Help to Get Started Camping With Kids by Tammerie Spires
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Camping & Hiking (2nd Edition) by Michael Mouland
Cooking in the Outdoors (Basic Essentials) by Cliff Jacobson (Preface), Cliff Moen (Illustrator)

Here is a review of the Camping for Dummies that we lifted off of the Amazon page:

A Great Beginers Guide, June 24, 2001
Reviewer: A reader from Washington, D.C. United States
I have been camping and hiking for about 15 years so this book provided me with a lot of information I already know. However, I could have really used it as a long time ago. It provides a lot of helpful information for anyone who is still camping as a small hobby or anyone who wants to give it a try. It also serves as a nice reference guide/reminder to those of us who consider camping one of the main elements of our lives. But the hardcore campers out there really don't need it. I only gave it a three star rating because I've read other Dummies books on subjects I have extensive knowledge of and still learned a lot.

Hope this helps.

J&S

[Daryl]

I find most of the stuff I'm looking for on the net. But always make sure you find the same thing said in a couple places before you believe it. Just because someone put it on a web page doesn't mean it's true.

[BoyNhisDog]

Just because someone put it on a web page doesn't mean it's true.

My first grade teacher told us: "Just because you read it somewhere does not make it true." Nothing has changed has it? You pays your money and takes your chances.

[olesma]

Just because someone put it on a web page doesn't mean it's true.

My first grade teacher told us: "Just because you read it somewhere does not make it true." Nothing has changed has it? You pays your money and takes your chances.

Somebody needs to explain this to my mother. She insists that she read something somewhere years ago that it is a federal law that all speedometers in cars sold in the US are set to be 10 MPH fast. No amount of logic or argument will convince her that she is wrong, cause, by golly - she READ IT IN A NEWSPAPER!!!!!!!! Therefore it must be true. I've asked her to find the article - but she never has.

Sorry - sore spot there. I'll shut up now.

[MaryPhyl]

Olesma--you ought to send that one in to that guy at the Arizona Repulsive that answers stupid questions--then you could show her in the newspaper

[evenstarx3]

Olesma,I believe federal law states that new car speedometers can be off by no more than ten percent; I wonder if that's what your mother read and just mis-read it?

[Randy]

Here's my two cents worth:

"Backpacking One Step at a Time" by Harvey Manning
"Complete Walker" by Colin Fletcher, latest edition
"Wilderness Medicine" by Dr. Thomas Forgey, latest edition, (the pharmaceuticals keep changing)
"Be Expert with Map and Compass", Bjorn Kjellstrom
John Annerino's Sierra Club handbook on Hiking the Canyon
"Running Wild, Through the Grand Canyon on the Ancient Path" also by John Annerino (he's one freaky dude, but probably one of the two best cutting edge wilderness survival experts in the southwest.)
"Hiking the Southwest" Sierra Club Handbook by Dave Ganci (He's the other one....if out of print, buy it on Ebay, Amazon or at Guidon Books in Scottsdale, great, great book with numerous Az, NM and west Texas hikes)

-R

[Wiz]

No amount of logic or argument will convince her that she is wrong, cause, by golly - she READ IT IN A NEWSPAPER!!!!!!!! Therefore it must be true.

Olesma:
Shame on you for doubting your mother. Everyone knows that Mom wouldn't tell you something that wasn't true!

PS: That is just the cutest kid!

[ck_1]

Here's my two cents worth:

"Backpacking One Step at a Time" by Harvey Manning
"Complete Walker" by Colin Fletcher, latest edition
"Wilderness Medicine" by Dr. Thomas Forgey, latest edition, (the pharmaceuticals keep changing)
"Be Expert with Map and Compass", Bjorn Kjellstrom
John Annerino's Sierra Club handbook on Hiking the Canyon
"Running Wild, Through the Grand Canyon on the Ancient Path" also by John Annerino (he's one freaky dude, but probably one of the two best cutting edge wilderness survival experts in the southwest.)
"Hiking the Southwest" Sierra Club Handbook by Dave Ganci (He's the other one....if out of print, buy it on Ebay, Amazon or at Guidon Books in Scottsdale, great, great book with numerous Az, NM and west Texas hikes)

-R

Randy I think you and I share a bookshelve...I've got all but two of those. Running Wild was indeed an interesting read...I'd concur on the freaky dude...the whole Indian spirit runner thing...interesting read though.

I found Hiking the Southwest at bookmans a few months ago...like 5 bucks.