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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2016 6:25:35 GMT -8
What book or books most informed your backpacking technique?
My first book about backpacking was 'Walking Softly in the Wilderness' by John Hart; the 1984 edition, published by the Sierra Club Press. It was a good book but a recent re-read made me think it seemed a little priggish.
I've also read 'The Best About Backpacking' (an anthology of chapters from other backpacking books and one of the old Sierra Club "tote-books"), the original edition of 'The Complete Walker' by Colin Fletcher, and 'Backpacking One Step at a Time' by Harvey Manning.
Hart's book most accurately describes the equipment and methods I use, as a fair amount of my kit is still from the mid-late 80's.
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Post by greenwoodsuncharted on Apr 7, 2017 22:05:54 GMT -8
While my backpacking experience is, admittedly, limited; I feel like virtually everything I do outdoors is cut and Paste from Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Apr 8, 2017 5:37:35 GMT -8
Sometimes I think I was most influenced by Mountain Man by Vardis Fisher. Complete Walker was a good read. I am still working on being able to go into the mountains with a tin cup and a crust of bread, like Muir.
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markskor
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Post by markskor on Apr 8, 2017 10:01:29 GMT -8
Check book
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Apr 8, 2017 10:09:52 GMT -8
I can't say that any book had much influence on my technique, but I think the Complete Walker was very good on that topic. I'd already had covered plenty of ground by the time I read it, but that was all solo in lightly-traveled areas, so I didn't have much idea how my approach compared to the norm.
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johnb
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Post by johnb on Apr 8, 2017 13:29:28 GMT -8
After a lot of hands-on experience there was still a lot for me to learn (of course I didn't know what I didn't know), and after picking up the Backpacker's Field Manual I can honestly say that single book was so dense with knowledge that I have to put it at the top in terms of skills. Additionally, there's quite a few online resources that are available for use in conjunction with the book (packing lists, how to organize a hiking group, etc).
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swiftdream
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Post by swiftdream on Apr 8, 2017 15:09:36 GMT -8
I am still working on being able to go into the mountains with a tin cup and a crust of bread, like Muir. Don't forget the woolen great coat for shelter that he favored. I'd say one of the earliest books was The Dharma Bums where Gary Snyder's methods of backpacking and cooking were immortalized.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Apr 8, 2017 21:35:17 GMT -8
Honestly, though I had and devoured repeatedly two or three books on backpacking and wilderness living as a kid, my actual skills mostly came from doing it, early on in the company of more experienced hikers. I already knew a lot about car-camping from family vacations, and we did a couple of memorable BP trips when I was in grade school, confirming my yen to get out and do more. But, like I say, I learned most of what I know from guys like Trapper and Shools and some others who let me tag along when I was in grad school.
Then I found this place and learned about UL and FBC, and learned a whole bunch more.
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Post by dayhiker on Apr 10, 2017 7:41:09 GMT -8
Kindle, made it allot lighter
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2017 13:44:20 GMT -8
While my backpacking experience is, admittedly, limited; I feel like virtually everything I do outdoors is cut and Paste from Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills. That's a great book, although most of it is waaay beyond what I do on backpacking trips. I used to to a little (casual) mountaineering, but have just been mostly backpacking in recent years.
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Post by greenwoodsuncharted on Apr 10, 2017 13:58:25 GMT -8
@scottmc I really think it is an invaluable resource for anyone heading into the mountains, or even winter hiking. We are getting our first mountaineering experience this winter, with the unusual snowfall here in Southern California. I want to go on to do alpine mountaineering eventually, but we have to start somewhere! In the nearby San Gabriels, several people die each year, usually just because they have no idea about the conditions and how to deal with them. I recommend it to everyone, but especially those who want to hike the mountains in winter.
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Westy
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Post by Westy on Apr 10, 2017 16:38:02 GMT -8
To make that determination I reviewed my book shelf and selected the backcountry book in poorest condition.
The A.M.C. White Mountain Guide 1972
This is the book that started it all and facilitated my Active/Reflective learning preference of processing information on the go.
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Post by Campfires&Concierges on Apr 13, 2017 14:11:40 GMT -8
I'd say one of the earliest books was The Dharma Bums where Gary Snyder's methods of backpacking and cooking were immortalized. I have that book on my shelf and for the life of me, can't recall anything inside of it...perhaps it's time to re-read it?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2017 14:28:46 GMT -8
I started with a 1950 hard bound 1,100 page Boy Scout manual. I followed the instructions to sew my first pack, as well as the instructions on how to made a wooden frame. My survival kit fit into a Band-Aid can. I learned how to make wooden fishhooks, snares, figure 4 dead falls, plants to eat out in the woods, fillet a fish, skin a rabbit, tan the skin, sharpen a knife, bake Bannok bread on a stick, 20 ways to build a camp fire and when to use each way, how to use a compass, read a topo map and where to get topo maps from, how to build stuff with a hand axe and buck saw, not to put the latrine up stream from the camp and much more from that book.
ETA: I made wooden fish hooks, than tied a fly with my hair onto the wooden fish hook, and caught fish.
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Post by Coolkat on Apr 13, 2017 17:15:47 GMT -8
I've never read a "how to" book on backpacking. In my youth I read several how to survive in the wilderness type of books but it's been so long I don't remember any of the names. I think I might still have one of them on the book shelves upstairs but I'm not getting up right now.
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