Trailside Guide: Hiking and Backpacking, New Edition

New to backpacking and wanting to get your feet wet, though with-out actually getting your feet wet? Buy, rent or steal the Trailside Guide: Hiking and Backpacking. It's a must read for any starting out backpacker or all around adventurer. Much of the knowledge contained in this resource could very well save your life; so much so that I'd call this required reading for anyone that hasn't spent a few years on the trails or on the road already. The guide is billed as a reference manual; however it's not nearly as dry as it sounds. It's very detailed with many pictures and a great page layout, complete with full detailed text as well as quick informative captions and subtexts. Authored by Karen Berger, having backpacked more than 10,000 miles across four continents with her husband, is an expert on this particular subject.

Topics covered are as you would expect from a guide such as this, for instance: food as fuel, using a compass and off-season hikes. Of course it also contains medical knowledge that every backpacker should know, such as prevention and treatment of hypothermia, altitude-sickness and frostbite.

The new updated edition is available via Amazon.com for $12.89 here.