Rating: 
Summary: Best Backpacking Manual I've ever seen.
Review: I've been backcountry camping and backpacking for 37 years, and Rick Curtis' Backpacking Field Manual is the best text I have ever found for teaching backpacking skills to group leaders and those new to the sport. It is very evident that Curtis approached this manual with the mindset of a teacher, deciding which skills the student needs to learn, and building the necessary knowledge incrementally so the student understands completely. I found that because Curtis assumes that the reader has no knowledge of such simple things as how a camp stove works, that I learned things that I never knew about my own campstove, that were not even covered in the manual. Another thing that makes this book especially good for all levels of backpackers is Curtis' coverage of Leave No Trace techniques. Curtis does a very good job of explaining the LNT guidelines and giving practical examples and suggestions for making the minimum impact on the ecosystems while we are backpacking and camping. The manual offers some food for thought by pointing out how many backpackers do simple things that have very significant impact on plant and animal life (e.g. Going swimming in streams and ponds without first washing off toxic chemicals like insect repellant and sun screen). I think this book would be especially useful for leaders who are looking for an organized way to teach backpacking skills to students.
Rating: 
Summary: For Beginners Only
Review: If you are new to backpacking and the backcountry, then this is probably the book for you as it has a little information on just about every backpacking subject imaginable. If you have moderate to extensive experience backpacking then you will probably find the information in this book very basic. I have moderate experience and I plowed through about half the book before I permanently set it down out of boredom.
Rating:
Summary: Oustanding coverage for all levels of experience
Review: If your looking for a truely well written backpackers reference, then this is it. This book covers all the topics, has valuable tips, and superb illistrations. A true field manual worth carrying.
Rating: 
Summary: Politically-Correct Backpacking - A mediocre book...
Review: Rick Curtis' "Backpackers Field Manual" 1st chapter begins quite informative. Yet Mr. Curtis' unconventional and sometimes bizarre brand of rules quickly begin to irritate even the most patient reader. Most troubling are his one-sided views of camping and how it is supposed to be done. quickly, the book becomes a turn-off to backpacking. I bought this book to better hone my backpacking skills. I wanted to get a book that would help me learn more about the great outdoors. Considering the reviews other readers gave this book, it was a sure bet. Upon reading the book, I quickly learned that I don't follow Mr. Curtis' brand of Politicall Correctness. His understandable Enviromental concerns quickly begin taking a zealous fervour. His "rules" range from always peeing 200 feet from the trail to prevent defolienting plants(?) to not bathing in rivers because body salts many endanger its fragile ecosystem(?). Thinking about using dead wood for a fire? That too is a no-no in Mr. Curtis' book. It quickly becomes apparent the author's camping experineces are never without an expensive gas stove and an overpriced tent at a minimum. While the book does have some interesting information(Chapters #6,7, & 8), the rest of the book is too "Ecocentric." I don't consider this book a wise choice for novice backpackers. I wouldn't recommend this book to those interested in backpacking. Rick Curtis' "Backpacker's Field Manual" should be renamed "Politically-Correct Backpacker's Manual."
Rating: 
Summary: The best, most comprehensive backpacking guide around
Review: The Backpacker's Field Manual was created at the Princeton University Outdoor Action Program, one of the most respected outdoor programs in the country. For years, the manual was self-published on a xerox machine at Princeton, and developed a reputation in the backpacking community as the best guide around. That's when we decided to step in and make this indispensible, all-in-one backpacking bible available to the public. Author Rick Curtis tells readers how to do everything, from choosing a campsite to identifying trees and plants to finding your way when you're lost to fixing a broken arm. Brimming with information, The Backpacker's Field Manual is the best thing to happen to outdoor travel since the tent and the flashlight.
Rating:
Summary: All around FANTASTIC resource
Review: This book covers everything that a general backpacker needs to know about hiking and camping. The few things the author doesn't cover (great detail about hiking specific specialized terrain, for example), he lists additional resources for. This book is well-written and clearly organized, and includes wilderness first aid, cooking and menu-planning, navigation, how to pack a backpack comfortably, how to select gear, and where to go for more information. There is much more included in the book, including stories from the author's own experience, and some information about ultralight backpacking. Especially valuable is the detailed information about leading a group into the wilderness, how to send out a search party, how to signal for help in all environments, and how to ensure that everyone in a group is comfortable. I've seen many other similar books, and none provide the excellent level of detail that this book provides. I recommend it most highly.
Rating:
Summary: All around FANTASTIC resource
Review: This book covers everything that a general backpacker needs to know about hiking and camping. The few things the author doesn't cover (great detail about hiking specific specialized terrain, for example), he lists additional resources for. This book is well-written and clearly organized, and includes wilderness first aid, cooking and menu-planning, navigation, how to pack a backpack comfortably, how to select gear, and where to go for more information. There is much more included in the book, including stories from the author's own experience, and some information about ultralight backpacking. Especially valuable is the detailed information about leading a group into the wilderness, how to send out a search party, how to signal for help in all environments, and how to ensure that everyone in a group is comfortable. I've seen many other similar books, and none provide the excellent level of detail that this book provides. I recommend it most highly.
Rating:
Summary: If you are going backpacking you need this book
Review: THIS BOOK HAS HELP ME SO MANY TIMES I CANT EVEN COUNT. IT CAN HELP YOU WITH EVERTHING. I USE IT ALOT BECAUSE I AM A BOYSCOUT. IT CAN HELP BEGINERS AND PEOPLE WHO KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING. IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT GOING BACKPACKING BUY THIS BOOK IT IS A LIFE SAVER.
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly readable and useful-a real nuts & bolts book
Review: This book is a wonderful combination of practical and useful information. It covers everything you need to know to hike or backpack safely and with basic equipment. I particularly enjoyed the information and about maintaining your equipment (I'm a klutz). I also liked the fact that it went into detail as to how to keep clean on the trail and how to maintain cleanliness and leave no impact on the campsite/environment. Unfortunately I left my first copy under my blankets in my tent cabin in Yosemite and now have to buy another copy.
Rating:
Summary: Everything you need to know!!
Review: This is absolutely the most thought out, realistic, pertinent, and easiest to read book reagrding wilderness adventure I have seen yet. The book not only covers things like what food to bring, but increases in nutritional needs for the rigors of backpacking, and how to maintain optimal health. The order which material is presented is cohesive and sound, with tips and strategies to help your every need. I could not reccomend this book enough. It offers a wealth of pictures and diagrams, from the basic types of packs, diagrams of stoves and their parts, to weather systems, and examples for tying food up in trees or making survival shelters. If you need a lot of visual guidance and don't want to read a boring manual about something you are trying to maintain excitment about then this book is it! It will inspire you to be out there and will enable you to "leave no trace" of having ever been!
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