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The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide: Tools and Techniques to Hit the Trail [Paperback]

Andrew Skurka
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)

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Book Description

February 21, 2012
Supreme long-distance hiker Andrew Skurka shares his hard-earned knowledge in this essential guide to backpacking gear and skills. Described by National Geographic as “one of the best traveled and fastest hikers on the planet,” and named “Adventurer of the Year” by Outside and “Person of the Year” by Backpacker, Skurka recounts what he’s learned from more than 30,000 miles of long-distance adventures, most recently a 4,700-mile 6-month loop around Alaska and Canada’s Yukon.

Whether you’re a first-time backpacker, an occasional weekend warrior or a seasoned long-distance trekker, you’ll love this guide. Learn exactly what you need to carry – both on your back and between your ears – for all seasons and circumstances through a show-and-tell of clothing, footwear, backpacks, shelter and sleep systems, and more, as well as through detailed articles on foot care, campsite selection and hiking efficiency. Skurka’s practical and priceless recommendations give you all the tools and techniques you’ll need to hit the trail.

Frequently Bought Together

The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide: Tools and Techniques to Hit the Trail + Ultralight Backpackin' Tips: 153 Amazing & Inexpensive Tips for Extremely Lightweight Camping + Trail Food: Drying and Cooking Food for Backpacking and Paddling
Price for all three: $31.34

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Andrew] Skurka, Outside magazine's 2010 'Adventurer of the Year,' packs his comprehensive guide with practical information about the best clothing, footwear, trekking poles, backpacks, sleeping bags, knives, shelter systems, and cooking gear that will help you plan your next trip."
--Scouting Magazine

About the Author

A graduate of Duke University, ANDREW SKURKA is a sponsored long-distance backpacker, paid speaker, and writer. He has hiked 25,000-plus miles since 2002, most recently on a 4,700-mile loop around Alaska and the Yukon. Named "Adventurer of the Year" by National Geographic Adventure (describing him as "a Gen Y version of Thoreau") and "Person of the Year" by Backpacker Magazine, he was also featured in Outside and Men's Journal. Skurka has appeared in numerous newspapers and television broadcasts. 

Product Details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: National Geographic (February 21, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1426209207
  • ISBN-13: 978-1426209208
  • Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.5 x 9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Book is well organized, well written & easy to read! vanillabeans  |  19 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
45 of 47 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Useful March 28, 2012
Format:Paperback
My first backpacking trip was a hike to a trail shelter in Shenandoah National Park in the early seventies. My brother and I carried frame-less canvas backpacks with webbing shoulder straps that my dad padded with upholstery foam. I don't recall the sleeping bags or much else about the gear we used because my brother and I were much more interested in the creek near the shelter.

Dad poured over Colin Fletcher's new book The Complete Walker and so did I. We studied his techniques and emulated them. We wrote away for catalogs and made a few pilgrimages to Vienna Virginia from our home in Fall's Church to a backpacking and camping gear shop (what was the name of that place?) to buy what we could afford and that wasn't much.

Forty years later we are inundated with a torrential stream of gear and advice making the `right' choice of either nearly impossible. Colin Fletcher's simple gospel has fractured into dogmatic schisms, each with their holy book, magazine or website. Now there are backpackers, lightweight backpackers, ultralight backpackers and many flavors in between. I've read many backpacking books, tons of articles and blog posts and have grown tired of their often circular logic, rehashed advice and wondered if advertising dollars skewed their opinions.

Andrew Skurka's new book The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide will change the way how we sling a pack on our backs and hoof it into the wild just as Fletcher's Complete Walker once did. Fletcher's first books recorded his monumental treks (The Thousand Mile Summer and The Man Who Walked Through Time) and these expeditions resulted in The Complete Walker. Skurka's stunning 30,000 miles of trekking over the past decade have resulted in The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide. His writing is as focused, practical and essential as his twenty pound pack - there's nothing in it you don't need.

Skurka's writing may lack Fletcher's prosaic warmth but it's a great counterpoint to a lot of outdoor how-to books that, in their attempt at warmth, become cloying and unfocused.

The first section of the book asks and answers the questions that many don't think to ask until they are out on the trail with too much and/or too little gear, blistered feet, and soaking wet with no hope of getting dry; why am I doing this? Skurka uses his first real backpacking experience (a through hike of the Appalachian trail!) to explain what you are getting yourself into. He offers direction and advice that, if heeded, will save readers a great deal of discomfort.

An extensive analysis of the construction, function and use of gear follows. Skurka explains why and how things ought to work in a way that makes choosing gear relatively painless. While he does mention of specific models and manufacturers he goes well beyond the model number. The final section of the book offers gear lists for several different environments.

If you don't think this sounds like anything new in one way you are right; there isn't much new information in the guide because you don't really need new information. When the Complete Walker was published forty plus years ago there were only a handful of books on the subject; now the amount of information out there can bring your trip planning and gear research to a standstill of indecision.

In this age of limitless information I value expert advice and observation presented between the covers a book. Those covers ward off distractions and focus our attention on information that really matters.

The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide is my new go-to resource for backpacking gear information: it's truly useful.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A New Benchmark March 6, 2012
Format:Paperback
I read, last year on Andrew Skurka's webpage, that he was attempting to write an update to Colin Fletcher's "The Complete Walker". I was surprised at the audaciousness of his goal, but now I have read his new book and I feel that he has succeeded in setting a new benchmark for the first time since Fletcher. Whether a beginner or an experienced hiker, Skurka's new book should be the next hiking-related purchase that anyone makes. It can save you years of trial-and-error and thousands of dollars in less-than-optimum gear purchase decisions.

"The Ultimate Hiker's Gearguide" succinctly relates the current state-of-the-art in hiking gear and skills. Although he is not bound by it, Skurka is definitely a student of the "ultralight" school of hiking. Started 25-30 years ago by Ray Jardine (who is still active and still sells kits to make his excellent equipment designs; [link deleted by Amazon]), the history and current state of this movement is well documented in a recent series of seven essays by Ron Moak ([link deleted by Amazon-- see the website for Six Moons Designs]). For those who wish to continue the "old school" (I am about half and half, myself), Fletcher and others are still available, and the outdoor industry is still selling heavy boots, double-walled tents, and zippered sleeping bags.
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30 of 37 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Reads like stereo instructions. February 23, 2012
By Justin
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
First off it is a fantastic book for those just getting into backpacking. It is packed (pun intended) with information. In fact, I now know more about goose down vs synthetic fill than I may have ever wanted to.

Overall, reading this book cover to cover is tedious. Andrew's first hand accounts are few and far between, but when they do occur are like a breath of fresh air. His "Skurka's Picks" are the highlight of the book. Everything else just reads like techno babble for the uninitiated. I was really hoping for more of his insight not indepth fabric specs that most of those with atleast some gear experience are already aware of.

Also, it is very short for an "ultimate" guide, less than 300 pages. If it was more entertaining I would have finished it in a few hours. I purchased the Kindle Fire version and I wonder if the book was even looked at by an editor. There are many errors in the text and the format doesn't seem very professionally done.

For ten bucks I would still make the purchase again, there is a lot to learn here depending on your skill level. My expectations were just too high.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for anybody new to lightweight backpacking
Great advise from a reliable author. I loved the directions for a homemade stove, this book will save you a lot of weight innocuous pack.
Published 18 hours ago by Adam Hayes
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
Very well written. All of the information provided has helped me to chose the proper gear. I would recommend to anyone whose wants to better their experience outdoors.
Published 8 days ago by pete
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read, very informative
Excellent book, even for someone who doesn't make long treks but just day hikes like me. It was very useful on what you do or do not need
Published 15 days ago by Joseph Mercer
5.0 out of 5 stars Not just a gear guide.
This book goes way beyond it title as a gear guide. This is everything you need to know about any form of hiking in great detail really informative easy for a beginer to understand... Read more
Published 16 days ago by unionyagow
5.0 out of 5 stars great book to compare styles of hiking
I have listened to the author while he completed some of his earlier ultimate hikes. Loved the backpacking light pod cast so I thought the book would be good... it was very good.
Published 23 days ago by Jason A. Ballard
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelent! Found more than I expected.
Bought the book more to test myself but eventually found much more useful advice than expected. Would recommend to beginners but even more to the seasoned backpackers. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Freezer
4.0 out of 5 stars Guide is geared toward hikers, NOT campers
The author of this book is great -- he's straight-forward, has a decent sense of humor and humility, and he explains the difference between hikers such as himself and campers (such... Read more
Published 1 month ago by dead_left_knife_guy
3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Resource!
The book is definately a good resource. While the author spends a great deal of time claiming that he does not advertise particular items, and only mentions them as... Read more
Published 1 month ago by JBG621
4.0 out of 5 stars good book
Informative. Good insight from a hard core hiker. Nice listing of equipment and how to go about planning for a hike.
Published 1 month ago by Mike
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Contains lots of useful information, and gear recommendations. I was very easy to read, not just boring lists. I learned alot about the science behind the gear.
Published 1 month ago by Jason
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