Customer Reviews

The Outward Bound Backpacker's Handbook

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Outward Bound does a great job with these books. We were beginners when we bought it, but still look through it's pages on occasion. Small enough to stuff into a pack without weighing it down, a very good and informative read.

The book read like a lecture from a preacher, with references to the second coming of christ, and noah's ark. About 75% of the book was very preachy, spouting his unrealistic views on morals. Nearly HALF the book was about packing out trash, picking up other peoples' trash as you hike, including human feces and toilet paper.

This book seems very dated, even though the copyright isn't that old, from 1999. The author is old, explaining most of his experience from the sixties and seventies. This book is like an overview of what you should know, without going into any details. The weak attempts at humor were not well done, making me cringe with ever poor joke.

The paper stock is similar to newspaper print, with a few grey scale drawings, which were just as useless as the book.

The author is against all forms of fire, touting backpacking stoves instead. There is no information on fire starting, or tying knots. He says to tie a string around a rock, but doesn't tell you how. His bear bag hanging technique was useless.

Unfortunately, I ordered two books from this author, and I lament the arrival of the other book I ordered. This book is good for one thing. Kindling for a CAMPFIRE!