OWNER REVIEW: THE BACKPACKER’S HANDBOOK (2^nd Edition) by Chris Townsend

Background Information:

Name:  Karen Ross
Age:  23          
Gender: Female
Height:  5'0" (1.5 meters)
Weight: 103 lbs.  (47 kilos)      
Email address: kr128@columbia.edu
City, State, Country: New York, NY, USA
Date:
Backpacking Background

I'm 23 and have been hiking and camping for as long as I can remember.  I'm an avid runner and day hiker, ski occasionally, kayak, car camp, and generally like to spend as much time outdoors as possible.  I've spent time hiking and orienteering with scout groups, as well as while doing my military service in Israel.  I travel frequently and try to use every opportunity to explore. I started backpacking a few years ago and my trips have been limited so far to shorter ones: day hikes and overnight or 3 day trips.  However, I'm hoping to take a couple of longer hikes this spring and summer and work my way up to a section- or thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in the next year or two.  Since my trips have been fairly short up until this point, I can't really say I've "embraced ultralightweight culture," however, I'm hoping to launch my long-distance career with as little as possible on my back!

 

Product information:

a. Manufacturer: Ragged Mountain Press (a subsidiary of publishing house McGraw-Hill)
b. Year of manufacture: November 1, 1996 (2^nd edition)
c. Manufacturer URL: www.raggedmountainpress.com

d. Listed weight: none
e. Weight as delivered: 10.7 oz. (303 grams)

f. MSRP: $18.95 (US)

 

 Product description

The Backpacker’s Handbook is just that – a handbook designed for backpackers.  The introduction claims that it is a “how-to” book, “an instructional volume on how to move about and live in wild country safely and in comfort (pp. 1).  The book is 340 pages long, including photographs and an index.  Dimensions are 9.2 in x 7.3 in. x .95 in (23.4 cm x 18.5 cm x 2.4 cm).

The book is a paperback but well constructed, using stitches to connect the pages to the cover rather than glue.  It’s pretty bulky for a paperback – I wouldn’t recommend taking it along on any backpacking trips unless you have PLENTY of room and aren’t concerned about the weight. 

Table of Contents:

1. Preparing for the Trail
2. Choosing and Using Equipment
3. Footwear and Wilderness Travel
4. Carrying the Load: The Pack
5. Keeping Warm and Dry: Dressing for the Wilderness
6. Shelter: Camping in the Wilderness
7. The Wilderness Kitchen
8. Comfort and Safety in Camp and on the Trail
9. On the Move: Skills and Hazards
10. Adventure Travel: Backpacking Abroad

A Final Word

Appendices

 

Content

I bought The Backpacker’s Handbook because of all I heard about it as a “bible” for backpackers.  Being fairly new to the backpacking world (see biographical info), I thought this book would be a good way to consolidate all the information a backpacker needs before heading off to the trail.

I have to say, I’m pretty impressed with Townsend’s thorough approach to this book.  He deals in-depth with every type of gear that might be needed on the trail – from shelters to stoves to clothing.  Townsend uses anecdotes as part of his product descriptions – he’s used nearly every product he lists, and this anecdotal information provides valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of products unavailable simply from listing manufacturer specifications.  Several different options are usually given for any specific gear item, and Townsend points out the strengths and weaknesses of each item he’s used. I found the gear lists he provided (there are several of Townsend’s own gear lists as well as a general list in the appendixes) extremely useful – each is geared (no pun intended) to a different kind of trip, making me think about the different kinds of gear needed in different situations. 

In addition to discussing gear, one of the last chapters of the book (titled “On The Move: Skills and Hazards”) presents information on using maps and compasses – listing options available in addition to instructions for when and how these items should be used.  Townsend also discusses altimeters and GPS receivers – though at the time this edition was being written, GPS receivers were still a novel concept in backpacking and the information provided on them is less than on age-old equipment.  More importantly, Townsend goes into what happens when backpackers actually start backpacking – he gives advice on different types of terrain, on coping with being lost, and with varied weather and other wilderness hazards.  I think this is the most important section of the book: after all, one can go out into the woods with the best gear in the world, but without knowledge of how to cope with situations that present themselves, he/she won’t be able to enjoy that gear for long! The information Townsend gives just scratches the surface of what it means to be out of the trail; however, given the breadth of this book, I can’t really fault Townsend for not giving a more detailed description of every circumstance that may be encountered.  At the end of many sections Townsend lists books that offer more in-depth knowledge on that particular aspect of backpacking – he also includes as an appendix to the book a suggested reading list for techniques and equipment, backpacking tales, and guidebooks.  Considering Townsend’s own level of knowledge, I would feel more than comfortable utilizing this list of recommended works as a guide for pursuing more knowledge in any particular area of backpacking. 

Leave no trace is the core of Townsend’s backpacking philosophy, and this book spares no opportunity to discuss backpacking methods that impact as little as possible on the environment.  Waymarking trails is one area Townsend feels very strongly about, stating that “the painting of waymarks in hiterhto unspoiled terrain is an act of vandalism” (pp. 285).  Townsend also discusses minimizing impact while cross-country (not trail) walking and setting up camp.  This information is invaluable and a must for anyone new to backpacking.

Townsend is nowhere near an ultralightweight hiker, although he is concerned with weight and tries to steer towards lightweight options.  This being said, Townsend states that his aim is “to carry no more than 70 pounds [32 kilos] on any trip; I find 50 pounds [23 kilos] manageable, as long as my pack can support the load and I’m not planning on covering more than 12 to 15 miles [19 to 24 kilometers] a day or ascending thousands of feet.  If I want to cover more distance or climb, then 30 pounds [14 kilos] is my target pack weight” (pp. 20).  Essentially, this puts Townsend in the midweight category for long-distance hiking.  His focus is more on the practicality of any given item rather than its weight – thus the ounces add up. 

 

The Backpacker’s Handbook is straightforward and easy to read. Townsend makes backpacking accessible to everyone, even those who have never hiked a mile in their lives.  However, I was a bit disappointed with the book.  Before reading it, I looked at several reviews – all praised the book extensively and left me with the impression that reading it would fill a backpacking information void that couldn’t be filled otherwise.  This proved not to be the case, for a number of reasons:

First of all, only 5 years after its publication, this book is already tremendously out of date.  The Backpacker’s Handbook is a great way to learn the basics about gear and techniques for someone who has absolutely no knowledge about backpacking.  But for someone with a little more experience, it’s lacking in a lot of newer products and ideas.  For example, hammocks are not even mentioned in Townsend’s discussion of shelters (mainly limited to tents and tarps).  Granted, this is not an oversight on the author’s part – most of the gaps in this book come from its age rather than a lack of thoroughness, and from the inability of a printed book to be updated as quickly as techonology and creative minds create new backpacking innovations.  Nonetheless, I don’t think I really learned more by reading this than I have by subscribing to, and participating in, a number of internet backpacking forums. 

In addition, I am disappointed in the fact that making gear is never discussed.  I would have thought that with Townsend’s extensive backpacking background making gear would be an integral part of his experiences.  However, it is not mentioned once in the book.  This is definitely an oversight on his part, and not a dating issue. 

 

Overall my opinion is that the strength of this book is in its ability to consolidate information, rather than provide the most up-to-date set of details.  (This holds true mainly for Townsend’s discussions of gear, which constitute the large majority of the book.  His advice on minimizing impact and coping with the plethora of situations that can arise while backpacking, while not comprehensive, is dateless and extremely informative).  If I were interested in getting into backpacking but not knowing where to begin, this would be a great book for me – in fact, had I read this before starting to surf the Internet for information, I’m quite certain I would have found almost all I needed to know.