Wednesday, 30 April 2014 10:03

The BAckpacker's Handbook 4th Edition

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In an era where the internet is king and information is available almost instantaneously at the click of a button the future for real, hard copy, literature is somewhat uncertain but every now and then a book appears that's so comprehensive, so authoratative and so complete that it almost single-handedly reminds of the value of the printed word - and the Backpacker's Handbook is just such a book. Now in its 4th Edition it's not so much a "handbook" as a library of knowledge in a single volume.

What sets the Backpacker's Handbook apart from every other manual, however, is not the sheer volume of words and scope of its contents but the years and decades of first-hand, practical, real-world experience that fills every page. It's no theory based text book but the accumulation of years of experience revealed by someone who's recognised around the world as a leader in the field. Between its covers the reader is treated to 428 pages divided into 9 chapters that covers every imaginable angle and facet of self contained travel in the great outdoors from fitness to footwear and groundsheets to GPS.

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It's been a while since the 3rd Edition appeared and as the author explains in the preface there's been a lot of changes in the intervening years. Technology has brought us Smartphones, GPS and digital cameras while "lightweight" has evolved from a buzzword to a mainstream philosophy. As Chris explains, however, the activity itself hasn't changed - just the equipment. Before starting on the book that many see as a "bible", however, there's a couple of things you really need to be aware of; The Backpacker's Handbook has a global audience and is not UK-centric and whilst the contents are comprehensive and unparalleled in scope they're also one man's thoughts and opinions - and Chris Townsend is no "ordinary" man. The contents, while based on real world experience, are based on what works for the author and Chris would be the first to recognise that we're all different and the specifics of what works for one may not work quite the same for everyone.

The book is broken down into 9 primary chapters:

  • Preparing for the Trail
  • The Load on Your Back
  • Footwear and Wilderness Travel
  • Carrying the Load: The Pack
  • Keeping Warm and Dry: Dressing for the Wilderness
  • Shelter: Camping in the Wilderness
  • The Wilderness Kitchen
  • Comfort and Safety in Camp
  • On the Move: Skills and Hazards

Each chapter combines essential knowledge that's applicable pretty much universally with personal tales of how it works in practice, broken down into logical step by step processes that leave no stone unturned. Each chapter is further enhanced with scores of photographs, diagrams, box-outs and drawings which serve to clarify and highlight both the techniques and the authors experiences with a comprehensive set of appendixes covering everything from checklists to Resources and metric conversions completing the book.

With the Backpacker's Handbook now in its 4th Edition it's built on not only decades of experience in the field but also on a style and system of imparting the author's vast knowledge in a way that works - that's why the book is already the recipient of the highly regarded Outdoor Writers (and photographers) Guild's Award for Excellence. Whether you are backpacking for the first time or a veteran you'll find something in the book of use and when you do you'll find it's in an easy to digest style that makes absolute sense and you can relate to your own experiences, ambitions and dreams.

If there is a downside to the Backpacker's Handbook it's the format. With almost 430 pages, excluding the index, it's a big book and perhaps the title "Handbook" is a little hopeful - it's a coffe table volume rather than a handbook you'd actually take out on the trail with you. We also found a problem with the covers of the new edition which have an irrepresible habit of curling outwords even when new. Even weighting the covers to try and make them lie flat fails, but it's a minor inconvenience rather than a major drawback and certainly doesn't constitute grounds for not recommending the book. For anyone with an earlier edition it's worth the investment to upgrade to the 4th edition for the new content covering technological changes since the 3rd edition whilst for anyone who hasn't previously purchased it your bookshelf simply isn't complete without it.



Note: This article was restored from the archives. It's published creation date is inaccurate.

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