Trailside Guide: Hiking and Backpacking, New Edition

Norton proudly reissues these best-selling guides with fully revised "Sources & Resources" sections (including where to find the Web sites, gear, services, books, clubs, and organizations that make for foolproof outings); updates to reflect the latest in gear technology, wilderness medicine, and first aid; and advances in techniques.

You can take it with you: Trailside Guides are designed to be used on the trail. Their handy size makes them easy to take along on outdoor adventures.
Picture this: Trailside Guides show you how it's done. Each book has more than 100 color photographs and dozens of informative, full-color technical illustrations you'll refer to again and again.
Buying Guide: Each Guide has all the information readers need to make informed decisions about what gear is available, and what they should buy.
Step-by-step: Tutorials take readers through every aspect of a given outdoor activity. Each Guide covers planning and preparing for a trip, getting in shape, technique, safety, and first-aid tips, and how to have more fun along the way!
Easy to use: Trailside Guides provide information quickly. Every book contains detailed illustrations, information-packed sidebars, and a complete index and bibliography.
Technique tips: Any physical activity is more fun when it's done right. Trailside Guides are written by experts and contain lucid explanations that help the reader quickly achieve proficiency.

It's a big world out there. Get into it with the Trailside Guides. Color photographs and drawings throughout.

After that first fun, yet disaster prone trip, stumbled upon the first edition of this book. Read it cover to cover and quickly learned many aspsects of backpacking I was woefully ignorant about. All that summer put into practice what was in the book.

Over the years since I've read that book have done much backpacking. Two end to hikes on the Long Trail, a thru-hike on both the AT and the Pacific Crest Trail. From reading the book was able to get the confidence to tackle longer hikes...and be fired up for them as well.

Now that I head up beginner backpacking trips myself, I always reccomend the book to anyone starting out with this past timne that has become a lifestyle for me.

I rated this book 4 stars, but would actually give it 4 1/2. Why not five? Berger is still skeptical of lightweight hiking (despite her new book about the subject) and it shows in not only in book but hiking videos, articles, etc. But, for the beginner, the solid info about traditional backpacking will get them on to a great start! Worked for me!


Comprehensive and fun to read ...   November 12, 2003
 28 out of 28 found this review helpful

I bought this book recently to expand on what I know about hiking and backpacking. I mainly do day hikes, and living in the desert of the southwest, I obviously end up doing a lot of desert hikes.

This book is very comprehensive, but by no means an all-inclusive description of what you need to know about hiking and backpacking.

It puts great emphasize on backpacking and not so much on hiking, although both activities are very similar in their nature. The book puts its main focus on backpacking in the Northeast of the USA, and talks a lot about the Appalachian Trail, which the author has hiked from one end to another.

The book contains all types of useful and important details about equipment, behavior on the trail, personal safety etc. Personally, I would've liked for it to mention more about travelling by foot in the desert, but that said, you can still find the most important information about desert hiking scattered around the book.

Pros:
* Very comprehensive - Contains information about most things you need to know about hiking and backpacking
* Easy and fun to read - very nice format
* Contains checklists
* Author is very knowledgable on the subject and an accomplished hiker/backpacker
* Good value for money

Cons:
* Not enough information about desert hiking/backpacking
* Very heavy - not something you'd want to bring in your pack unless you had to. On the flip side, it makes it more durable than your average book.
* Not all that good as a reference - best read from beginning to end.

All in all, I would rate it a 4 since it's a quite well written and comprehensive book. It covers what most people would expect to find in this type of book. It falls short of a rating of 5 mainly for the reasons mentioned in CON above.

(This review is of the February 2003 edition)


Excellent resource   March 7, 2001
 18 out of 20 found this review helpful

This book is a terrific resource for those just starting out or those who would like to know more about hiking and backpacking. The author's topics cover everything from the complete basics like, why you should hike, straight through to the more complex, like how to adjust your compass for declination. She also makes extremely helpful suggestions on purchasing products such as tents, sleeping bags, water purifiers, stoves, and basically all types of gear. The author has a writing style that generates interest in the reading material. She also focuses on particular topics, like handling problems only women encounter in the outdoors, or what you should know before taking children hiking. This book is a must have.