The Backpacker's Handbook, 4th Edition
Language: English
Pages: 480
ISBN: 007175489X
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
What you need to know before you hit the trails
Whether you are backpacking for the first time or a veteran follower of the trails, this enormously practical guide includes everything you need to know, from essential techniques such as map and compass work to the skills needed for more remote wilderness journeys. The Backpacker's Handbook also gives you the latest information on gear. You'll find the last word on:
- How to choose packs and footwear―and make sure they fit
- What clothing to take on the trail
- Tents, tarps, stoves, water purifiers, and other gear
- GPS, cell phones, and other electronic devices
- And much more
Reviews from previous editions
"The most up-to-date and comprehensive guide to equipment and technique available anywhere."
--Backpack (UK)
"A clear and comprehensive primer on backpacking gear. Townsend's knowledge is immense."
--Sierra
"Belongs in every bookcase dealing with outdoor topics. . . . Chockablock full of useful, practical, commonsense info. . . . If you tramp the outdoors, get this book."
―Maine Sportsman
"For those thinking of taking a backpack journey, The Backpacker's Handbook is required reading."
―Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
kerosene 5 min. MSR SimmerLite* Coleman fuel 8.5 2, 45 Optimus Nova Coleman fuel 15 4, 4 kerosene 3, 47 Optimus Svea 123R Coleman fuel 19 6 min. Coleman Apex II Coleman fuel 18.5 3, 50 Coleman Feather 442 Dual-Fuel Coleman fuel 24 2, 55 Coleman Multi-Fuel Coleman fuel 18.5 4, 10 Primus OmniFuel butane/propane cartridge 19 2 min. Coleman fuel 8, 10 kerosene 7, 54 CANISTER STOVES Coleman Xtreme Powermax cartridge 10.5 1, 30 Coleman Outlander F1 Ultralight
the least know where the sun should be. expensive ones usually aren’t. The best way to minimize inaccuracies is to avoid temperature Learning More variations by keeping the altimeter at the same temperature as the outside air. For quick refer- There are many helpful books for those who want ence, you can wear a wrist altimeter on the out- to learn more about navigational techniques. The side of your jacket. classic is Be Expert with Map and Compass by Björn The altimeter I currently
Canada’s Great Divide Trail. Cal- Nash, Roderick Frazier. Wilderness and the American gary AB: Rocky Mountain Books, 2000. Mind. 4th ed. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001. Macfarlane, Robert. Mountains of the Mind. New York: Newby, Eric. A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush. Oakland: Pantheon, 2003. Lonely Planet, 1999. Manning, Harvey. Backpacking, One Step at a Time. 4th O’Bannon, Allen. Allen and Mike’s Really Cool Backcoun- ed. New York: Vintage, 1985. try Ski Book: Traveling and
Camping Skills for a Matthiesen, Peter. The Snow Leopard. New York: Pen- Winter Environment. Helena MT: Falcon, 1996. guin, 1996. ———. Allen and Mike’s Really Cool Backpackin’ Book. McGivney, Annette. Leave No Trace: A Guide to the New Helena MT: Falcon, 2001. Wilderness Ethic. 2nd ed. Seattle: Mountaineers, 2003. O’Bannon, Allen, and Mike Clelland. Allen and Mike’s McNeish, Cameron. The Wilderness World of Cameron Really Cool Telemark Tips: 109 Amazing Tips to McNeish: Essays from
should be accessible, and it helps to know where from earlier models). The replacement pack everything is. broke two weeks before the end of the trek, and I I normally use a packbag with side or rear pock- had to nurse it to the finish, bandaged with tape. ets and, with heavy loads, a lid pocket, so my pack- Perhaps I’m unlucky or particularly hard on ing system is based on this design. I don’t like packs, but for future lengthy ventures I plan to anything on the outside except winter