Any backpacker knows that space in your rucksack is limited, but on your next trip pack the only guide that you will need. Use it for:
Scattered throughout are Tricks of the Trail – additional tips for successful wilderness camping.
CONTENTS
Trip Planning, Equipment, Cooking, Nutrition, First Aid, Navigation, Wilderness Travel, Safety, Weather
Sample Tricks of the Trail
Cotton What’s the worst thing to bring on a backpacking trip? Blue jeans. In most climates and environments, you should minimize your use of cotton clothing. Although cotton is comfortable to wear, cotton fibers absorb and retain water. Once wet, cotton loses heat 25 times faster than dry clothing. Wet cotton clothing can be a significant factor in hypothermia (see Hypothermia, page 293).
Rick Curtis has been the director of the Outdoor Action Program at Princeton University since 1981. He lectures regularly on topics such as outdoor safety, running a wilderness orientation program, training college wilderness leaders and building Web sites. He has been backpacking and camping for the past thirty years.