Camping's Top Secrets, 3rd: A Lexicon of Camping Tips Only the Experts Know (Falcon Guides Camping) (Paperback)

by Cliff Jacobson (Author) "Here's a slick way to make a light, portable anchor for fishing in a canoe..." (more)
Key Phrases: power cinch, trail stove, expert campers, Eureka Timberline, Boy Scout, Cooke Custom Sewing (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Camping’s Top Secrets goes beyond the scope of traditional camping books, revealing hundreds of field-tested tips to enhance your next outdoor adventure. With clear descriptions organized alphabetically for quick reference, this guide by veteran camping consultant Cliff Jacobson divulges the best-kept secrets of the experts.
Get insider tips on:

forecasting the weather
rigging a canoe or boat
treating drinking water
using tents and other types of shelters
dealing with animal and insect encounters
cooking and cookware
treating common ailments
using maps and GPS units
camping with kids
choosing camping clothes, boots, sleeping bags, and gear
and much more!

About the Author

Cliff Jacobson is one of North America's most respected outdoors writers and wilderness canoe guides. He is an outdoors skills instructor and a professional outfitter and guide, a canoeing and camping consultant, and the author of more than a dozen top-selling books on canoeing and camping. Cliff recently retired from teaching middle school environmental science and now splits his time between canoeing and camping, and sharing his love for the sport by writing and teaching about it. In 2003 the American Canoe Association presented Cliff with the Legends of Paddling Award and inducted him into the ACA Hall of Fame.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Falcon; 3rd edition (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762740175
• ISBN-13: 978-0762740178
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #43,824 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good but similar to his other books, December 26, 2006

By	John Britely "Closet Libertarian" (Virginia, United States) - See all my reviews

I really like this book and I gave it 5 stars because it has some really great ideas that are worth a ton (they made camping more fun). However, there is some filler and this is very similar to his other books. This is definitely a book that could be shared amoung friends (try or write down a few ideas and pass it on).

His best ideas (which are also coved in his other books) are:

1. Using a ground cloth inside the tent.
2. Basic Rope work and knots (he keeps it very simple which is good)
3. Use of a tarp (and how to modify it).
4. Waterproof packing (garbage bag inside the nylon stuff sack)
5. Make your own sheath.
6. Bring a sponge for cleaning your tent.
7. How to get dry wood and start a fire.

Each of these gets a page or more. There are lots of other tid bits but most did not strike me as worth the space.

His other book, Basic Camping, is more of a book to read while this was more of a alphabetical reference or list of ideas. Both are good but if I had to get only one it would be Basic Camping.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Breadth but Has a bit of Overkill, March 17, 2007

By	Howard C. Craig (Poway, Ca United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a very well done work. This book is not that big, but the breath it covers is pretty amazing.

That being said, there are times he goes pretty far overboard. He has a section about tents you can make and he talks a little being a boy scout in the 50's. This section may have had relevance then, but it doesn't now, so don't include it.

A good counter point to this book is the very fine work by Michael Rutter called Camping Made Easy.