Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Desert Handbook : A Manual for Desert Hikers, Campers and Travelers

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is the only book you will ever need for desert survival in any desert around the globe. It covers introductions to the world's deserts, with emphasis on North American deserts. The book covers general skills pertaining to desert survival (Water, shelter, food, navigation etc.) and also has sections on desert hiking, biking and photography that were good for the novice and refresher for the expert. The chapter on desert transportation was excellent and a subject often over looked in similar titles. Over all I found the book to be quite good for the novice hiker to experienced desert dwellers like extreme adventures and military types.

I am a hiker, so I looked at the book from a hiking perspective and found it excellent. It is by far the best hiking book I've seen that specifically addresses the unique rigors of being in the heat for lengthy periods. Johnson has a nice little ranking system for each journey, from ranges from one star for easy treks and 4 stars for the strenuous ones. I do think his ranking system is just a trifle soft. Some of the hikes that get 4 stars aren't really that difficult, nor do they have exceptional elevation gains. But this is a minor criticism.

The bext part of the book is the descriptions of how brutal heat can wither the human body. Johnson gives helpful tips on how to protect your skin, face and eyes from the ravaging effects of the sun. I once hiked 24 miles Rim to Rim in one day in the Grand Canyon without sun glasses and can attest how vicious an experience that was on the eyes. He also stresses that you'll need a minimum of one gallon of water, per person, per hour when you're in 100+ degree temperatures. Many scoff and say, "That is too much water!" Believe me, it isn't.

All in all, a good book and one which every desert hiker or desert fan should own.

As a long-distance desert backpacker and thru-hiker for the last 10 years, I was recommended this book by a friend. I read it cover to cover the first day. On our local ERT it is passed around and used on an almost daily basis, and our local desert park staff saw a copy and promptly got it stocked at the gift shop. In terms of getting prepared for a desert hike, avoiding the dangers of getting lost, dehydration and snakebite it's a very informative and useful guide. I use a 4WD truck to get to desert areas and remote trailheads I plan to hike, and those people who enjoy fourwheeling will also find it helpful in preparing their vehicle for long trips.

Johnson covers a lot of ground in this book, from backpacks to wild critters to first aid, even mountain biking. Because it covers so many desert activities and so many deserts, I'm sure that anyone could pick and choose advice they don't agree with. That doesn't mean it's wrong - just that the critic doesn't have enough experience. One guy didn't appreciate criticism of old canvas backpacks, well I can tell you that they may work for dayhikes, but no one I've ever seen backpacking the desert puts up with their weight or sweat-stink for more than a few miles. The advice on avoiding smugglers and other unfriendly types in the desert is far from hysterical, it's right on - speaking from someone who's had to talk their way out of a few unpleasant late-night encounters. And lightweight boots with good soles may not be enjoyable to a retired couple on a two-hour walk, but with a heavy backpack and 20 miles a day they're just the ticket, especially over broken rock. I also use the recommended green flashlight at night to preserve my night vision, just like military helo pilots do. And, you DO need to keep your attention to what's in front of you on night hikes - unless you like to step on rattlesnakes.

For anyone who really wants to do serious desert tripping or learn about the desert environment, this is the book to have. I'm not giving away my copy.

The Ultimate Desert Handbook is the best book on desert hiking and survival I have found, and I have read them all. That's not just my opinion, but also that of all my friends who like to backpack and hike in the desert. Unlike other books that claim to cover the subject of desert hiking and survival, this one actually does so. Water, acclimatizing the body, clothing and equipment, navigation, backpacks and gear, information on different deserts of the world - nothing is left out.

Johnson's book is actually both well-written and very well organized, with the most important aspects, such as finding water, trip planning, etc. in the first chapters, progressing in order. The criticism of the book as somehow biased towards vehicle travel is completely off-base, and makes me wonder how carefully the critic read the material. It has a single solitary chapter on desert vehicles and preparing them for desert conditions (makes sense, because unlike other places, you may have to drive for miles through remote, waterless areas just to get to the trailhead!). In fact, the book is primarily oriented towards hikers and backpackers - probably 250 of the book's 296 pages are devoted to the subject - especially those preparing for treks in remote desert. The book actually covers a wide range of subjects - adapting to different desert conditions, trip planning, backpacking and camping gear, desert first aid, snakes and other hazards, and it has the best chapter on pathfinding and navigation (read: staying alive) in the desert I've found to date.

As to gear and equipment, the author does take space to provide suggestions on advantages and disadvantages of many items, including the newer methods of water purification, ultralight equipment, GPS receivers, water storage, Camelbaks, and so on. But rather than the usual generic discussion, the information is nicely geared to desert hiking: in the case of drinking tube systems, right down to the need to insulate one's drinking tube and choose light-reflecting colors, a tip omitted by other books. I personally found all of this very useful information, and I can't see how it possible how learning something about one's gear for such a different environment as a desert could be either impractical or frivolous. The author did probably assume the reader is intelligent enough to realize that you can't possibly bring everything along, and to make one's own choices regarding total pack weight. Suggestions are just that, not everyone will agree with them, but such is life. For myself, I'd certainly want to know the practical applications and limitations of various types of gear and clothing, especially as they apply to desert hiking. If you don't like it, you can skip the chapter - doh! I find it very strange that anyone could condemn a desert travel book with a single-star rating because it allegedly reviews 'too much' equipment, then criticize it yet again with the trivial complaint that the book left out the manufacturer's address for one's preferred brand of compass. Bizarre.

I found the Ultimate Desert Handbook to be the first desert hiking book I've read that acknowledges the differences between the major U.S. desert regions AND provides information throughout the book useful to each desert region, not to mention other deserts of the world. This material is provided throughout the book, and is NOT limited to the brief descriptions in the introductory chapter. This is significant, as many hiking books that purport to deal with desert travel or survival base a lot of their material on experiences gained from one particular desert, guidance that isn't always applicable to others.

There's a lot of material here I've never found in other desert survival books (or nature 'walking' guides for that matter), and that includes the U.S. Army and Air Force survival manuals. For instance, I've always read that barrel cactus may be used for water in an emergency - but was surprised to learn that there are several look-alike subspecies with pulp that are poisonous or sickening, something the Native Americans knew but apparently the Air Force doesn't, so this book tells how to identify them, just in case. Many books tell you about the solar survival still and transpiration bag, but the author takes care to point out their fatal flaws. You can find information in this book I've never seen in any other hiking book that could only be of value to someone walking long distances in the desert: how to work primitive, wind, or solar-powered windmills, find directions from winds and eroded rocks, siphon water out of a covered aqueduct, hide a water cache, hike lava fields or sand dunes, find directions from desert tracks and trails, treat desert blindness, or perform first aid for arterial bleeding. Again, not something you're likely to find in the Audubon guides. Although the book isn't strictly a desert survival text, it's no surprise to see that it's very popular with park rangers, thru-hikers, desert expedition members, and those familiar with extreme desert travel.

Now, there are some things the book isn't, which is obvious to anyone who bothers to look over the chapter titles. It isn't a nature guide to desert flora and fauna - beyond telling you which plants, animals, and insects can hurt or help you, which is the point of the book. For example, we get extensive advice on avoiding potential injury from rattlesnakes (individualized to species where necessary), while learning there's no need to stomp on the local tarantula that comes close to your campfire. The book does takes care to demonstrate the fragility of the desert environment where indicated and provides advice on low-impact hiking and camping. This duality may bother some people used to strict genres such as 'hiking book', 'survival book', etc., but not to fear - it's all seamlessly integrated into a comprehensive guide to desert hiking, survival and travel. And since the book deals with BOTH desert hiking and desert survival, it teaches not only what to do in case of disaster, but how to prevent disasters in the first place through preparation, acquisition of expertise, and development of one's hiking and pathfinding skills. The book also isn't a long, novelistic narrative of one man's voyage of discovery and personal growth, so it could hardly be criticized for not including such material (how anyone could mistake it for such a book is baffling to me). The author is more concerned with providing objective information (as he should be in this type of book) to the reader rather than an homage to Ed Abbey, great a novelist as he was.

So, if you're a big-city dweller just looking for a good winter read, or the Latin scientific appellation for the local deer mouse, you'll need to go somewhere else. But if you need the best desert hiking and survival guide, this is it.

This is without doubt a really useful book on desert backpacking and general camping and hiking. It's not a trail book, but really a general and in-depth training guide on exploring deserts and planning/preparation for such places. Unlike a lot of these types of books, this one is written in an absorbing manner. The chapters flow naturally, one to the other, and have plenty of illustrations (all black/white, though).

I picked up this book on a whim before heading out to Arizona and Utah and was surprised at how well it covered the subjects you might expected to need when hiking the desert. For example, in the desert navigation chapter, you aren't just told to 'carry a map and compass and look for landmarks'. The book leads you step-by-step through reading and understanding a map, different kinds of desert (rock, dune desert, etc.), likely desert landmarks and common mistakes in desert navigating, how to choose the right compass and GPS receiver, the weak points of these instruments, how to recognize trail 'signs' or traffic, and on and on.

Desert planning and equipment is also a great chapter. What boot soles work well on desert rock, what shoes to wear in loose sand, how to plan water loads, desert camping tips, how desert heat and different terrain will affect your mileage, etc. The author illustrates nearly every point with real-life news accounts of desert survivors (and victims) who experienced the issues encountered in desert situations.

By the time you reach the end of the book you know how to plan a desert hike, buy the right hiking and camping equipment and clothing, employ first aid for desert illnesses or heat exposure, avoid plant/animal dangers, survive if you get into trouble, and get your truck (or mountain bike!) desert-ready. Not bad.

In conclusions, this is the best outdoors guide I've read in a long time. Definitely check this book out if you are planning a desert trip.

I found Mark Johnon's book both interesting and highly informative. He thoroughly covers all the areas you would expect in a book on desert survival (shelter, water, navigation, plants & animals, first aid, etc.) then adds useful information on desert transportation and photography. He manages to cover all these topics in sufficient depth without droning on forever and boring you.

The author's warnings regarding suspicious people and unexploded ordinance are sound and valuable advice. I was surprised to see that one reviewer considered this hysterics. I grew up in the South and remember reading a newspaper account of someone injured by an old shell from guns silent since 1865. I suspect unexploded bombs from WWII could be at least as dangerous. The same reviewer also appeared to think map care and being properly equipped were unnecessary as well, so I guess we'll just have to disagree.

Like the majority of the other reviewers, I personally found this book to be a superior and well-written guide on the subject of desert travel and exploration in all sorts of deserts and using various means of transport. Far from being a limited book on the subject of survival in a single desert like the Mojave or Saharan deserts, the Ultimate Desert Handbook is one of the few desert books I've found that provides individualized information on deserts of the world and their differing requirements - climates, geological construction, and specific hazards. This includes recognizing and avoiding venomous and biting reptiles and insects, heat and exposure dangers, navigation (including map, compass and GPS), clothing, equipment, water supply, rescue techniques, and first-aid and survival chapters that cover everything from poisonous lizards of Mexico to water-bearing plants in the Namib. It even contains valuable information on desert acclimatization and vehicle preparation, something the average hiking guide doesn't even address.

For instance, I found the section on safety in the desert most enlightening, and very on point, having been abandoned by unscrupulous guides in the Sahara a few years ago. Once I blithely motored across an unmarked minefield. Nice to know about those kinds of hazards before one's trip.

There isn't anything close to the universality of this book. I recently contacted an American colleague whose desert emergency rescue team utilized this book in their training. And the Royal Geographic Society's prestigious desert exploration section must think it a very good book as well, as it's on their recommended reading list!

Nice book with much helpful info (even for someone who has worked in many of the world's deserts for the past 13 years) especially the info about desert navigation via foot. The section on animals and especially snakes is especially descriptive and helpful. Should have had more about the hazards of flashflooding in arroyos and how cold many deserts get after summer, especially with a little altitude. Better maps would be nice too. The perfect primer for someone thinking about taking a hike, bike trip or climb in the desert, though a sport-specific book will help more on gear to bring, etc...

This book is a very clear, readable explanation of how-to safely explore desert areas. The author does an excellent job of covering all the technical topics of desert exploration and survival, without boring or overwhelming the reader. I highly recommend this book.

I thought this book was excellent. The style of the writing is easy to read and the subject matter was practical and comprehensive. The pictures, charts and graphics were superb, too. I had trouble putting the book down because it was so interesting. The book covers many areas that you may not think about until you get out in the desert. I have already bought an extra copy to give as a gift.