Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Beyond Backpacking: Ray Jardines Guide to Lightweight Hiking by Ray Jardine ISBN: 0-9632359-3-1 Publisher: Adventure Lore Pr Pub. Date: July, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.44 (43 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Buy it, read it, keep it
Comment: You may not like Ray Jardine when you are finished reading this book. Or you may love him. In either case, regardless of your backpacking experience, you should read this book, or at least parts of it. By using many (not all) of Jardine's suggestions, I have stripped pounds off my back, without sacrificing comfort. I have also stripped ounces.
I have been wilderness backpacking for about ten years. Using many of Jardine's recommendations, this year I have hiked parts of the Inca Trail (Machu Pichu, Peru), the Continental Divide Trail, and the Appalachian Trail (234 miles barefoot, and counting). My opinion is -- nothing I did to prepare was as valuable as reading, and thinking about, this book. And never has my backpacking been so enjoyable.
One additional comment. I found Jardine irritating at times. His emphasis is so much on speed (miles per day) that I'm tempted to ask -- if all you're interested in is getting to the end of the trail as quickly as possible, why don't you hitchhike? He also doesn't seem to enjoy the people he meets while hiking, which rubs me the wrong way. But, setting these (mild) criticisms aside, this book deserves to be in the reference section of your personal library.
Rating: 5
Summary: This is the most comprehensive backpacking book
Comment: This is the most complete book on backpacking. I would recommend it for both beginners and experienced backpackers. Before reading this book a few years ago, my wife and I were novices who thought that backpacking would be too difficult for us. This book has made backpacking much easier, safer, and more enjoyable for us. BB has a lot of information that is missing in the other backpacking books such as: stretching excercises, campsite selection ideas that will keep you warmer and safer and drier, knot tying, blister prevention, hiking enjoyment, sewing your own equipment. Ray Jardine pays a lot of attention to safety, as well.
This book shows that you don't need expensive equipment to begin summer backpacking. This book has led us towards a simplified hiking style, saved us thousands of dollars in equipment, helped us shed many pounds from our backpacks, and increased our safety in the wilderness. I would recommend this book to anyone.
Rating: 4
Summary: Great book, but
Comment: Jardine expertly conveys a wealth of information on how to lose pounds from your pack, keep food from bears and generally enjoy your time in the backcountry. I'd go so far as to say, I likely would not have completed my PCT throughhike without this book.
Though most of the book is condensed wisdom, some of Jardine's suggestions struck me as dubious. For example:
1)Suggesting people will get used to giardia is irresponsible. Some may, some may not. Sitting on a porcelain throne is no way to spend your hike.
2)Quilts are cold and drafty. The bottoms of sleeping bags, where the insulation is compressed, do provide a function: they keep the cold air out.
3)Taking your own silverware to a restaurant is dubious. There are many ways to get digestive tract illness, dirty silverware at a restaurant is just one and not the most likely.
4)People taking help from trail angels are not parasites. (Though people expecting help from trail angels may be.)
5)Many people need to eat for comfort as well as nutrition. I don't recommend Ray's trail menu unless you are not fond of eating.
6)Recommending stealth camping as a tactic to avoid bears was also irresponsible. Many people do not take bear canisters, get nervous when bears stalk their camp and then try hanging their food, which the bears happily eat. This is driving the Rangers nuts as bears increasingly become habituated to people food, making the bears potentially dangerous.
7)Do not count on vibrational harmony keeping mosquitoes away. Odds are, most bugs haven't read Jardine's book and don't know you are in vibrational harmony with them. Use DEET.
Still anyone hiking should benefit from this book. Just don't let Mr. Jardine do all the thinking for you.
 |
Title: The Ultralight Backpacker : The Complete Guide to Simplicity and Comfort on the Trail by Ryel Kestenbaum ISBN: 0071368280 Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press Pub. Date: 26 June, 2001 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
 |
Title: The Complete Walker IV by Chip Rawlins, Collin Fletcher ISBN: 0375703233 Publisher: Knopf Pub. Date: 30 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
 |
Title: The Ray-Way Tarp Book: How to Make a Tarp and Net-Tent, and Use Them in the Wilds by Ray Jardine ISBN: 0963235958 Publisher: Adventurelore Press Pub. Date: June, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
 |
Title: The Advanced Backpacker: A Handbook of Year Round, Long-Distance Hiking by Chris Townsend ISBN: 0071357564 Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press Pub. Date: 22 August, 2000 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
 |
Title: The Backpacker's Handbook, 2nd Edition by Chris Townsend ISBN: 0070653151 Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press Pub. Date: 01 November, 1996 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
