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Complete Walker III | 
 enlarge | Author: Colin Fletcher
Publisher: Knopf
Category: Book
List Price: $19.00
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $18.99 (100%)
New (14) Used (101) Collectible (1) from $0.01
Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 886325
Media: Paperback
Edition: 3 Rev Enl
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 668
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 0394722647
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.51
EAN: 9780394722641
ASIN: 0394722647
Publication Date: May 12, 1984
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Some water damage to pages and cover, but binding is tight.
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Amazon.com
According to Colin Fletcher, walking can become an addiction. But it can also be therapy; he sometimes walks "along (a) ridge in order to think uncluttered thoughts or to feel with accuracy, or to sweat away a hangover, or to achieve some other worthy end." His guide touches on the spiritual but also gets down to brass tacks with a grandfather's authority. Heavy with specifics, Fletcher suggests which socks to wear and how to choose a boot based on one of the four available lacing options. He'll tell you how to pack the "house on your back," and he'll even tell you how to walk (yes, there is a proper technique to efficient walking). But Fletcher isn't an academic; his style is soothing and funny. And he'll tell you that above all, you shouldn't take your technique too seriously--walking is supposed to be fun. --Benjamin Tiffany
Product Description
Filled with first-hand knowledge and sage advice on prices, quality and availability of equipment, changes in the backcountry, and the state of mind that Fletcher captures as no one else has. Another classic.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
The Standard by which all are judged! March 13, 2002
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
It's a shame that one is only allowed 5 stars to rate this book. Colin Fletcher brings a sense of humor and humanity to the art and science (for lack of a better phrase) of backpacking, and is one of the most readable authors extant. I have just ordered the 4th edition of this book, and I'll be staking out the mailbox until it's arrival. This qualifys as basic equipment.
The best of its kind. April 12, 2001
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I love this book. Fletcher's writing is solid and his motives are up-front. And like no other book on the subject, this one makes you want to spend your life walking. Take the intellect and spirit of this book, and the gear sense of Ray Jardine, and you'll really be getting somewhere.
Old, but not outdated July 30, 2000
13 out of 15 found this review helpful
I was looking at this book in the bookstore, but I ended up buying "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Camping and Hiking." Although I knew that Fletcher's was probably the better book, I figured that the technological advances in backpacking equipment would make the 16-year old third edition less than completely useful. Well, to make a long story short, I ended up back in the bookstore to buy "Complete Walker."Most of the information is still essentially accurate, but even for areas where time has passed this book by, the book is still useful. Fletcher doesn't just give you his conclusions about what to take; he takes you through the process of gathering information and thinking that led to the conclusions. Essentially, he teaches you how to think and make your own choices, rather than presenting you with the received gospel. Fletcher has read all the catalogs and books and magazines, talked to a lot of backpackers, visited a lot of shops, contacted manufacturers, and heard from his readers, in addition to testing a lot of equipment himself. He passes all this information along to us, acknowledging that some of it might not be reliable, and he gives us his take on it, mixing in his real-life experiences and philosophy, making it much more than just a gear book.
 An exhaustive, but aging, how-to guide to backpacking March 17, 2000
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
Colin Fletcher's book on hiking has been a classic for decades. Not only does he cover just about every aspect of life on the trail, he does it with an entertaining, anecdotal style that is a step above most other books of its type. The book is about due for an update, though. There have been so many changes in backpacking equipment over the years that Fletcher's discussions on stoves, tents, and water purification systems(to name a few) are just plain outdated. Too bad. Still, it's the most readable guide to backpacking out there, and his hints and tricks on wilderness travel remain as fresh and useful as ever.
The Hikers Bible February 14, 2000
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
A complete guide to the equipment, technique, and philosophy of walking in the wilderness. This book is a good read (even if you don't go backpacking) for the amusing and insightful comments on topics ranging from ecology and gun control to "Industrial Devolution" and sex.Every one of my questions about hiking were answered in the 600+ pages of detail on everything--every piece of equipment, food items, weather, safety, etc., etc.--that I could imagine. Appendices include a checklist of equipment (the most comprehensive I have ever seen), suggested provisions for sample one-week and overnight trips, a list of walking organizations (by state), and a chapter of "Pleasant Quotes for Contemplative Walkers." "Now my soul hath elbow room." --Shakespeare (and me, after using this book)
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