Customer Reviews

Trail Life: Ray Jardine's Lightweight Backpacking

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I found out Ray Jardine was publishing a new edition of Beyond Backpacking I went to his web site and ordered a copy immediately (it not yet being in stores at the time). Beyond Backpacking having gone out of print quite some time ago, I was eager to read this book so many backpackers talk about. Perhaps the anticipation caused me to have expectations that were a bit too high. Don't get me wrong, it is a good book, with some great ideas and information, I was just expecting, well...more.

Trail Life is an updated version of Beyond Backpacking which is an updated version of Pacific Coast Trail Hiker's Handbook. I'm not sure why Mr. Jardine thinks it is a good idea to keep changing the title. As far as I can tell it is more or less the same content somewhat edited and updated. Overall I like the book, or at least I like Ray Jardine. As a backpacker It is hard not to respect this man who has hiked over 25,000 miles and help to change backpacking in some fundamental ways, Mr. Jardine having been one of the `pioneers' of light weight backpacking.
Trail Life can be enjoyed by anyone who loves to hike and backpack, but I would be hesitant to recommend this book to beginners. Primarily because the book appears to be an all inclusive `everything you wanted to know about backpacking' kind of backpacker's bible - but it's not. There are many sections discussing gear or skills where Mr. Jardine leaves out several pertinent pieces of information. For example; there is a thirteen page chapter on water discussing dehydration, purification, etc. Included are a few paragraphs on boiling and using iodine. Nothing on chlorine dioxide products (e.g. Aquamira) or ultraviolet pens (e.g. SteriPEN). This type of omission makes it obvious this book was not updated enough.

Mr. Jardine appears to have quite a bit of distain for outdoor equipment manufacturers (perhaps for capitalism in general). He recommends we make our own gear and clothes - which is a good way to go at times, but he goes much farther. He feels that if we do buy commercially made clothes we should sew patches over the logos rather than be `walking billboards'. His contempt for commercial manufacture's causes him to spurn practically all their products - so the book gives no useful advice on what gear to buy in regards to cloths, tents, packs, bags - we should make it all ourselves.

On the more positive side, Mr. Jardine does give some great advice about hiking itself. He includes a wonderful chapter on "Trail Shock" discussing how he and Jenny (his wife) have experienced in most journeys the point early on in a trip where you muscles start to ach or get stiff and you begin to feel like you should quit. It is reassuring to know this happens to everyone from time to time. His chapters on mileage, resupplies, hiking partners, hiking enjoyment and many other chapters are filled with tips from his experiences. I wish the book was filled with more of this. I'm sure after the many trips he has walked there is much more insight into the hiking experience Mr. Jardine could share with us. I hope he writes a NEW book someday - leaving out his views about gear and how to sew, and share with us more of what trail life really can be like.
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Ray Jardine does it again with his updated guide to lightweight backpacking. This book is pretty definitive. Whether you are interested in trying backpacking or have years of experience, Jardine has useful information. Almost every facet of backpacking is covered from shelter and sleeping gear to clothing and innovative ways of staying dry. Jardine also emphasizes that the most expensive gear is usually not the best solution. He also discusses DIY projects for outdoor gear. If you want to start backpacking or if you'd like to find ways to reduce your packweight while increasing your mileage, this is the source.

As new to UL Backpacking I wanted to read what many consider to be the orginal source. Almost 400 pages detail his experience, gear, and thoughts during thousands of miles of backpacking. Sure, there's controversial stuff, tarps, quilts, organic food. But that's the whole idea to see what he's thinking and why. And, it doesn't come from nowhere, plenty of experience talking. I rate this 5 stars with the caveat to "absorb what is useful" train of thought and an excellent introduction to UL Backpacking from someone who seems to haev started many of the original ideas found today.

Remember that great book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"? In it Robert Pirsig relates specific things such as a stripped screw to larger universal topics in a beautiful manner. While Mr. Jardine stays pretty specific in the brilliant manner in which he strips equipment, hiking, and camping down to its basics, you can't help but have your own thinking affected by his friendly naturalness and powerful way of looking at the world. This updated version is my second copy, I'll be sending the orginal version of this book to my brother.

I have been backpacking for many years, usually with a 45+ pound pack. This last summer I decided I wanted to go ultralight, and Ray knows his stuff.

The book is written to be "understood" by people new to backpacking, but a lot of the things he talks about require you to have an existing understanding of backpacking...

Overall this is a really good book for people who want to get away from traditional backpacking, and into ultralight (which i highly recommend) It really is a goldmine of information.

Anything you ever wanted to know about equipment, how-to, weight reduction, comparisons, strategies, etc. for a weekend trip or a long through-hike, you can find here. Not only a historical account of the evolution of equipment, trail life, and managing circumstances while in the wilderness, it's an excellent resource for figuring out what will work best for you as you hike your own hike. You'll find plenty of useful information whether you are a seasoned pro or someone just starting out in the world of backpacking.

Ray Jardine started the lightweight backpacking movement long ago and continues to offer helpful advice on how to lighten your load, be safer on the trail, enjoy your hikes more, and be friendlier to the earth at the same time. I have A LOT of backpacking books but this is one of the absolute best!

more of our extremist backpacker Ray the beyond backpacking was better that is just a reprint of it with some other pics not much more info. typical Ray anti on commercial, logos brands and so on. still a good read if you don't have any of his other stuff.

This is a great book. If you think you are going to want to read it, you probably won't be disappointed. There really is added value over the earlier books. Many more trips have been done. The writing is better. It is much more detailed. The current environment is right into micro details, so this book is able to go deeper than earlier books. There is a lot more material on bugs which was the main fail in the Beyond Backpacking.

The one place where an editor would have helped is for historical perspective. I can remember reading articles about hiking light, in sneakers, etc... Back in the 70s. Lots of people were doing it. I don't doubt he came up with his own answers, but to hear a guy put the sneaker hiking thing post '92, when sneaker tech, ultralite hiking boots where for sale in stores in the early 80s, kinda makes you wonder if some historical perspective might help.

Extreme examples of ultralite "backpacking" where evident in Reinhold Messner's career in which he climbed Everest without oxygen and then by a new route solo without oxygen, in 78 and 80. These were only a few of his extreme ultralite expeditions to 8000 meter peaks. The whole outdoor world was well aware of the principle of light weight meaning extraordinary speed and achievement. Messner had been doing this stuff since the 60s. This stuff was a bedrock principle in mountaineering circles.
Guys doing trail maintenance on the Adirondack trail in the 70s, where hauling huge loads and were experimenting with running shoes.

Most rock climbing back in the 70s, something Jardine is very familiar with, started out with a hike to the cliff wearing running shoes or worse still rock shoes. Of the millions of climbers making those hikes, many put 2 and 2 together and realized they didn't need their hiking boots to haul even heavy packs.

And it isn't just shoes, there is very little new under the sun yet Jardine claims a lot of it. I found the same thing in the tarp book were he even names routine variations of knots.