Rating: 
Summary: A classic work in a changing world
Review: I first started reading Colin Fletcher at the dawn of my backpacking experience over 30 years ago so have a certain affection for the book. Of course, I would rather not carry a copy of this voluminous work in my own bag for leisure reading! The book is at its best in developing and sustaining an appreciation of the philosophical and truly basic aspects of backpacking. I think there are better works on any aspect of traveling with a pack, and certainly the various journals on outdoor traveling have some advantages over this book, but you are unlikely to find a single work as good. Where the book can come under serious question is the authors' opinions of various products -- given the rapid onset of technology and product changes, the equally rapid efforts to minimalize and downsize, and the sometimes rabid opinions of various gear-heads (for instance, I happen to really like the Stephenson Warmlite products which he trashes and I think anyone who doesn't share my opinion in every way is....). This is a rather large part of the volume. In addition, the authors tend to be a huge bit wordy as well (of course this makes it easy to skim, and they are enjoyable to read). Having said that, this is a classic work in a rapidly evolving and re-evolving field. It's good to see it again and may it be edited and re-edited and carried on long after we all hit the Geezer Trail.
Rating:
Summary: 35 Years Later...
Review: I still have the first edition of "The Complete Walker" that my Dad bought me for my 12th birthday in 1969 - it's in horrible shape and the margins are full of notes that my Dad and I made as we read and re-read the book for years after: Fletcher was my genuine and personal inspiration and literally set a course for what became my lifetime sport.
Because I became so engrossed in backcountry trekking I never bought any of the subsequent editions - I've kept up with the evolution of gear over the years and just figured that I didn't need more information on gear and technique as I was living it. But a friend gave me "Walker IV" for my birthday this year and I have to say that I found it to be every bit as informative and inspirational as it was 35 years ago. Even though gear, and thus technique, have changed somewhat even since IV was published, I found both Fletcher and Rawlins offering some terrific observations and have led to even more fine-tuning or outright changes in the little things (and some of the big things, too) that I do when trekking. My 'new' edition is now marked with margin notes and although I don't think a single book is a substitute for experience (and I certainly have some disagreements with both Fletcher and Rawlins - but then they disagree with one another at times as well!) THIS single book can make life for both the beginning and expert trekker much, much simpler and serves, too, as a fulfilling and inspirational tome just as much today as it did 35 years ago.
To reiterate what might be a cautionary note: even though Walker IV is only 2 years old (as I write this) some of the specific gear - and companies - have changed or are no longer viable but new gear and new companies have filled the void so I wouldn't worry too much about IV being out-of-date. Keeping such a volume up-to-date would be a Herculean task and require a full-time staff, I think. Fletcher and Rawlins point you (for the most part) in the right direction and then you can work out your preferences (and prejudices!) from there. The Internet makes a great companion to the book - specs are simpler to find than in the days when you had to pour over catalogs, for instance, but, in the end, you're going to have to do your own research about, for instance, which sleeping bag is best for you, what winter skivvies keep you warm, etc. But The Complete Walker IV is a terrific starting point and an exceptional reference.
Rating:
Summary: Enthusiasm and Knowledge = Good writing
Review: If there were 6 stars, that is what I would give this book. I read the other reviews after I had written mine and oddly (or perhaps not oddly) they seemed similar. Oh well.I was very interested in how this book would be revised to cover this quickly growing and changing subject. How do you take the overwhelming explosion of products and ideas about backpacking that have developed over the last decades and try to write about them? Well, Fletcher and Rawlins start by discussing that very subject. How do you keep 845 pages on gear and technique from being a long pedestrian trudge? I'm not sure, but somehow they combined personal experiences, wry humor and charming illustrations to do so. The book abounds with illustrations that are as beautiful as they are functional. Mostly though, they used their own unique writing styles to accomplish the task and completed a remarkable compilation of facts about backpacking gear and technique that reads like a novel. The two authors take turns writing about each subject, sometimes each idea. They seem to have similar philosophies (e.g., get out and do it, and gear is only a means to that end) yet the juxtaposing of ideas gives the book a fresh, and I think, healthy flavor. With many fine (and some not-fine) books available on the subject they still managed to write a remarkable, complete, and interesting book that is not just a rehash of what has already been said. Some of (the late) Vanna Price's familiar illustrations from the original edition again bring the subject to life. There is also some of the original text where appropriate. Hannah Hinchman's illustrations do a nice job of taking up where Vanna Price left off. More than just a "how to" book, the authors have managed to embrace "why to" appreciate the wilderness on foot. Reviewers often say things like "nothing comparable" or "Without a doubt a classic". This time it might be true.
Rating: 
Summary: Like sitting around the fire listening to stories
Review: If you are looking for a gearhead book or a 'just the facts' piece, this is not it. It is two people (Fletcher is the old tried and true guy, Rowling is the relatively young and uses the new stuff guy. The style is having a conversation talking about the things you should know. Not just a list of 101 things you need and 1001 line comparative gear guide, but stories that illustrate what is important and why, both in terms of gear but also about how to use the gear, and sometimes in not obvious ways. Having two authors with different experiences also allows them to discuss various schools of thought on hiking and the pros and cons of such things as ultralight, gourmet cooking and how these choices balance with things like deciding just why is it you are out there. Their gear reviews are also different than other places. It is not just about the piece in question but it also give good ideas about what to look for and the pros and cons of some basic choices that have to be made. This emphasis on teaching than on individual pieces of equipment (although it does at least mention many product names) is probably what made version III of this useful for almost 20 years. I can see the same for this one.
Rating:
Summary: 10 Stars for novice or expert
Review: Living in California Colin Fletcher is a state treasure and someone walkers hold in high esteem. I began re-reading his books this year because like my husband Colin suffered life threatening head injuries when he was hit by a car last year. Yet thru what his physicians say was his excellent physical shape and high IQ and firm determination he is back at age 80 walking. And walking a lot. The author isn't someone who speaks of walking as a week end hobby but is a man who had walking as a lifestyle and speaks of walking as an activity that can solve many a problem. He writes of the importance of not allowing the walking to run you but you run the walking. That being prepared makes the journey successful and with good planning (Hope for the best plan for the worst) one become able to enjoy the scenery and becomes more intuitive to the small details like the small violet plant peaking out from behind the fern near the fallen decaying tree 50 feet to the left off the path...... Or sitting on a hillside, mountain peak and simply doing nothing but realizing how wonderful life is and how beautiful the surroundings are. He writes of the improvement in equipment and most of all he writes of the simplicity of walking, backpacking.......... That it is an activity one can begin doing in their own communities and that it need not mean expensive equipment, but simply the time and desire to walk...walk...walk. It is one of the best, if not the best book on the subject and a book the serious walker, hiker, backpacker should own in their reference library. It is also the one book we find consistently on the bookshelves of all our walking, running, hiking, backpacking friends. And not an expensive book either.........The August issue of Backpacker has a wonderful interview piece on him.
Rating:
Summary: Essential Backpacking Reference
Review: Many of us feared there would never be a sequel to Complete Walker III. Now it's here, and it was worth waiting for. No backpacking book is more complete or better written (and most backpacking books are quite good). This book can teach a beginner how to avoid the most common mistakes from the outset, and have a great experience from the start; it can enrich and enhance the knowledge of the experienced backpacker; and it contains so much information that it makes a great reference volume. Fletcher's addition of a coauthor did not hurt the book, but turned Walker IV into a dialogue that has enhanced the book: The reader now gets the expert advice of two experts. First rate, intelligent, witty, well-done.
Rating:
Summary: Complete & Comprehensive
Review: Not a quick read, but to be used over & over as a reference as one's backpacking experience develops. It is the resource for screening equipment.
Rating:
Summary: Complete & Comprehensive
Review: Not a quick read, but to be used over & over as a reference as one's backpacking experience develops. It is the resource for screening equipment.
Rating:
Summary: Simply put, the best out there
Review: There could not be a more thorough compilation of writing describing every aspect of backpacking than this book. The extensive amount of research and enthusiasm that has gone into this book is mind boggling. It may take a while to read this encyclopedia-sized monster, but every word is well worth the effort. The most detailed language I have ever read. I now hold Colin Fletcher as the pioneer to modern day long distance hiking.
Rating:
Summary: Simply put, the best out there
Review: There could not be a more thorough compilation of writing describing every aspect of backpacking than this book. The extensive amount of research and enthusiasm that has gone into this book is mind boggling. It may take a while to read this encyclopedia-sized monster, but every word is well worth the effort. The most detailed language I have ever read. I now hold Colin Fletcher as the pioneer to modern day long distance hiking.
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