Baron Von Mabel's Backpacking

Rating:
Summary: Humorous and Eclectic
Review: Sheridan Anderson's "Baron Von Mabel's Backpacking" is a 104-page paperback comic book with black and white drawings, no color. The book is humorous - a good book for 4th through 8th grade boys and girls. The book is also eclectic - a cross between an early edition of the Boy Scout Handbook and Backpacker magazine in the late 60's. It covers the basics of camping and backpacking in a light-hearted way - competent camping skills, no mis-tied knots. However, some advice like doing laundry in a stream without soap (p. 13) are too high-impact for what we teach today. The book has a lot on primitive equipment and methods, wool blanket beds, grass filled pillows, tarps, improvisational skills like cutting bowls off of metal teaspoons to make fishing lures (assuming you have a metal teaspoon). By adult standards, the coverage of some topics is poor (bear bagging (p.74), land navigation (pp. 60-66)), or absent altogether (wilderness permits). There is no coverage of modern lightweight gear or Leave No Trace skills. It is a fun book nonetheless, and perhaps best suited to Scouts on a budget. For older boys and girls (9th grade and up), seeking a more modern and complete coverage of the subject, I'd recommend Karen Berger's "Hiking & Backpacking," and for adults, I'd recommend either Chris Townsend's "The Backpacker's Handbook," which covers backpacking gear, or John Hart's "Walking Softly in the Wilderness," 3rd edition, one of my favorites.

Rating:
Summary: Humorous and Eclectic
Review: Sheridan Anderson's "Baron Von Mabel's Backpacking" is a 104-page paperback comic book with black and white drawings, no color. The book is humorous - a good book for 4th through 8th grade boys and girls. The book is also eclectic - a cross between an early edition of the Boy Scout Handbook and Backpacker magazine in the late 60's. It covers the basics of camping and backpacking in a light-hearted way - competent camping skills, no mis-tied knots. However, some advice like doing laundry in a stream without soap (p. 13) are too high-impact for what we teach today. The book has a lot on primitive equipment and methods, wool blanket beds, grass filled pillows, tarps, improvisational skills like cutting bowls off of metal teaspoons to make fishing lures (assuming you have a metal teaspoon). By adult standards, the coverage of some topics is poor (bear bagging (p.74), land navigation (pp. 60-66)), or absent altogether (wilderness permits). There is no coverage of modern lightweight gear or Leave No Trace skills. It is a fun book nonetheless, and perhaps best suited to Scouts on a budget. For older boys and girls (9th grade and up), seeking a more modern and complete coverage of the subject, I'd recommend Karen Berger's "Hiking & Backpacking," and for adults, I'd recommend either Chris Townsend's "The Backpacker's Handbook," which covers backpacking gear, or John Hart's "Walking Softly in the Wilderness," 3rd edition, one of my favorites.