Beyond Backpacking: Ray Jardine's Guide to Lightweight Hiking

Jardine is a VERY experienced hiker, backpacker, and climber; he's done it all, many times. In this book he basically says, "here's how I do it, you may want to do that too."A word of caution before you approach this book: it is not for novices or people approaching hiking/ backpacking with initial enthusiasm and expecting an uplifting and nicely illustrated book. Jardine's tone is often critical of established hiking practices. Some of his own suggestions will seem extreme or absurd to a novice. You need to have gone to a few overnight hikes before you can start to understand, let alone agree with, Jardine.Pros:Tried and true strategies from an experienced expert. As an experienced hiker, I agree with Jardine in most of the book, even if I do not practice similarly. The most useful advice is on ruthlessly cutting down the weight of your pack and gear. Also very useful are his insights on "stealth" camping, water purification, trail food, footwear, dealing with bears and bugs, etc. He even covers the use of ice axes! The book is a relatively large compendium of thought provoking ideas.Cons:You must know where Jardine's coming from in this book: 100-day long continuous hikes of the Pacific Crest Trail and other mega-hikes. This type of outdoor activity does not appeal to me, and I bet most of us won't be doing it either (got time to take a 100-day vacation? wanna spend it all in the woods?). Here are a couple of examples of how the mega-hike mentality skews the usefulness of the advice in this book. Jardine pushes for cutting down on pack weight. However, he mentions how he lugs along many gallons of watter on long and dry trail stretches, and as we all know, water is about the heaviest bulk in your pack. Also, he says, don't stuff your down bag in the sack, it will lose its loft. Of course it will, if you hike 100 days non-stop!!! But if I go for a weekend overnight, I certainly want the lightest and smallest package, which means a tightly stuffed down bag. Jardine also lashes out against the supposedly low nutritional value of dehydrated bag-meals, which may also contain additives like MSG. If I hiked 100 days non-stop, I would also care about this. However, on the occasional overnight hike, I want a tasty, no-hassle warm meal, that is also light to carry, and dehydrated does it for me. In addition, the consistent insistence on making your own gear is a tad bit extreme; there are plenty of lightweight options in outdoor shops nowadays.Overall: read this book. My cons section is longer than the pro's since I did not list all the good ideas Jardine has :) He is very passionate about hiking and very experienced; his writing is biased, yet his ideas are useful and interesting.

When I was a boy scout, me and many of my fellow scouts completed the wilderness survival merit badge. Armed with only a swiss army knife, and a knowledge of edible plants, we had to survive in the wild for a number of days. I don't know how many scouts, outdoor students and military personnel undergo this type of training, but it really teaches you what is important to bring with you on a camping trip. After undergoing this type of training, you are never the same. No matter what anyone says, you know what is important and what isn't in the wild. Most backpackers quickly come to an understanding about pack weight too. I think there has been an unspoken understanding among most experienced backpackers that the ideal is to feel like you are on a day hike, but still provide the basics. It just feels different to carry less and to be more into nature, less weighted down. It really has nothing to do with covering more miles. I think Ray Jardine talks about miles because it is an objective measure of what you can do if you carry less--you can also walk fewer miles and enjoy them more. Most backpackers care more about the journey than the destination. Communing with nature is not a religious cult, it's why we go backpacking in the first place. So, I think Ray Jardine is not saying anything that any experienced backpacker doesn't know when it comes to being as light as possible. I see Mr. Jardine's contribution more in field-testing certain methods in certain terrains, and in thinking deeply about how things are done. For example, before I read his book, I would just camp in any old place- preferably one that looked like a campsite. Reading about, and thinking about campsite selection makes this whole process a lot more rational and sensible. The value of this book for me is that it stimulates thought about things I never really thought about before. I think it accomplishes its purpose if it gets you to think. I think this book should be read really critically, not accepting any of it until you field test it for yourself, and observe closely how well it works for you. I would be especially leery of the nutrition bits. Anyone who wants to think about nutrition should first figure out what their body needs when it is backpacking, and then figure out the best way of meeting those needs. To figure out your needs, you first need to understand a little biochemistry/physiology: what nutrients are used for what purpose in your body, and when are they used up? Some people take multi-vitamins with them on backpacking trips--this has always seemed a little excessive to me based on my understanding of the physiology of vitamin metabolism. You should also watch yourself--what foods do you crave? When do you feel full or hungry? When does a meal on the trail feel complete? Another valuable thing about this book, which I have yet to try myself, is the home-made gear ideas. A lot of the ideas look really good, and I am anxious t

This book is the most phenomenal book on outdoor travel that I have ever seen. I was under the very mistaken impression that backpacking involved huge investments in money, and a great deal of suffering. I found out how wrong I was. After reading this book I did a backpacking trip with 8 pounds of gear (excluding food and water), and it was by far the most enjoyable backpacking trip I have ever done. It made the trip seem like a plesant stroll in the wilderness rather then hours of labor under a huge pack. It is often misunderstood that Jardine recomends these methods in order to go faster. I believe that he recomends these methods because they are more fun, easier, and less expensive. Speed it merely a pleasant by-product, because carrying an 8 pound pack isn't hard work! I read the "Pacific Crest Trail Hikers Handbook", which is essentially the first edition of this book. In "Beyond Backpacking", Jardine simply added some more information and removed the info specific to the Pacific Crest Trail itself. Either version is highly recomended. I spent hundreds of dollars on unecessary, heavy gear.This book would have saved me a lot of money, had I bought it sooner.

Most beginning backpackers buy what looks like the best equipment using ads in magazines, recommendations of store personnel, and suggestions from friends who occasionally hike. I did the same, and found myself overloaded with goods, out a lot of money, and struggling on the trail. I couldn't help think that there must be a better way. I looked through several books on backpacking before going out and overlooked this one because of the title. I thought the title, Beyond Backpacking, suggested a text for experienced backpackers - not me. After an initial arduous struggle, I read and bought the book. Beyond Backpacking is the answer to easy and economical backpacking - and it is more relevant to beginners. Ray's book covers the basics of backpacking without any hype and dispels many of its myths. Important items, such as footwear, clothing, backpacks, food, cooking utensils and tents, are covered in unexpected detail and clarity. For example, I thought the best shoes for backpacking were the sturdiest, thickest full-grained leather with gore-tex liners. Ray jokingly mocks the boot advertisements and explains why a lightweight pair of trail sneakers works better. Another good example, with clothing, is the selection of socks. He uses and recommends thin nylon socks because they are durable, inexpensive, somewhat breathable, and easy to hand wash and dry. I think I unknowingly wasted about $15 bucks on each pair of smartwool socks. Ray's writing is clear and easy to follow. Each subject is covered very thoroughly. Beginners, like myself, may want to skim through some sections to gain some basic knowledge and understanding. More advanced backpackers may want to read sections more thoroughly and compare their knowledge and experience with his. Mr. Jardine provides his C.V.; listing some of his hikes, trail experience, and manufacturing experience. He qualifies as an expert and, in the text, usually points out where others' views differ.As a person, I am very critical. Under most circumstances I would not give a book a five star rating. This one gets it because it is well written, covers the subject thoroughly, and, if I would have been smart enough to read this book before shopping for gear, I would have saved several times its cost, been more comfortable on the trail, and traveled farther and easier. My only criticism of the book is the misleading title. What is "Beyond backpacking"? Kayaking? Bicycle touring? Astral projection? Virtual camping? I overlooked this book when starting out because of the title. This book is a worthwhile investment for the beginning backpacker and may also appeal to the experienced backpacker unfamiliar with the lighter less expensive approach to enjoying the outdoors.

Like Ray Jardine, I learned my camping and backpacking skills in Scouts. Like Ray, I was so prepared for any contingency that I could hardly lift my pack. Unlike Ray, I didn't figure it out for myself--I had to read his book. Ray's basic theory is that if you pack light enough, you can travel 2 or 3 times further with the same energy. Although inspired by long-distance hiking, the techniques and ideas can make short trips more enjoyable. I haven't tried everything in his book yet, but everything I have tried has worked. Ray's innovative challenge to conventional backpack thinking is nothing short of revolutionary.