{"product_id":"the-backpackers-field-manual-revised-and-updated-isbn-9781400053094","title":"The Backpacker's Field Manual, Revised and Updated","description":"\u003cb\u003eThis thoroughly researched yet accessible backpacking book offers a complete view of backpacking today, exploring everything from how to plan a trip and select gear to emergency procedures and first-aid care in the field\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eA revised, updated, and comprehensive guide to backpacking with a complete view of modern-day backpacking, \u003ci\u003eThe Backpacker’s Field Manual\u003c\/i\u003e covers the best in gear, first aid, and Leave No Trace camping, and also includes chapters dedicated to trip planning, cooking and nutrition, hygiene and water purification, and more. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWhether you’re about to set off on your first hike or have been camping for decades, \u003ci\u003eThe Backpacker’s Field Manual\u003c\/i\u003e is an indispensable guide for trip planning strategies and also works as a quick reference on the trail for:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• \u003cb\u003eBack-country skills\u003c\/b\u003e: how to forecast the weather, identify trees, bear-proof your campsite, wrap an injured ankle, and more—with over one hundred illustrations to guide you\u003cbr\u003e• \u003cb\u003eTricks of the trail\u003c\/b\u003e: time-tested practical lessons learned along the way\u003cbr\u003e• \u003cb\u003eGoing ultra-light\u003c\/b\u003e: downsizing suggestions for those who want to lighten up\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eEvery traveler knows that space in a backpack is limited, so on your next trip, carry the only guide you'll ever need—this one—and take to the great outdoors with confidence.\u003cb\u003eRick Curtis\u003c\/b\u003e is the director of the Outdoor Action Program at Princeton University, one of the largest and most successful college outdoor programs in the country. He lectures regularly on topics ranging from outdoor leadership to risk management. Rick has been backpacking around the world for more than twenty-five years.\u003cb\u003eChapter 1: Trip Planning\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBASIC TRIP PLANNING\u003cbr\u003e•Group Size and Ability\u003cbr\u003e•Activities\u003cbr\u003e•Location and Weather\u003cbr\u003e•Expect the Unexpected\u003cbr\u003e•Equipment\u003cbr\u003e•Food\u003cbr\u003e•Costs\u003cbr\u003e•Skill Development\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTRIP PREPARATION CHECKLIST\u003cbr\u003e•Pre-Trip\u003cbr\u003e•During the Trip\u003cbr\u003e•On Your Return\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eROUTE DIFFICULTY\u003cbr\u003e•Trip Difficulty Rating\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePLANNING A ROUTE\u003cbr\u003e•Guidebooks\u003cbr\u003e•Travel Logistics\u003cbr\u003e•Choosing Campsites\u003cbr\u003e•Estimating Travel Times\u003cbr\u003e•Time Control Plan\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLONG-DISTANCE TRIPS\u003cbr\u003e•Resupply Issues\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGOING ULTRALIGHT\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBASIC TRIP PLANNING\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePlanning a trip requires more than simply deciding where to go and  when. Whether it’s a weekend trip with friends, a formal outdoor  program, or a major expedition, you need to evaluate your trip across a  number of categories and develop a solid plan. One or two people may  take on the role of planner, or the process of planning can be spread  out among the entire group. I’ve planned and run trips for thousands of  people both around the United States and around the world. Here are the  elements you should keep in mind when planning any trip.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eGROUP SIZE AND ABILITY\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhenever you’re planning a trip, you need to determine if the route  should fit the group or the group fit the route. The group may have a  range of experience levels, physical conditions, and goals, in which  case, your goal should be to plan a trip that is appropriate for  everyone. Other times, you may have a specific trip you want to do that  may be challenging or require special skills. For this kind of trip,  you need to select a group that has the right qualifications to  participate. Here’s a checklist of questions to ask when planning a  group trip:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•What kind of group is it? Is it an informal group of friends or a  formal group like an outdoor education program? Are the participants  friends, students, volunteers, or paying customers? Formal groups may  have specific policies and protocols that must be followed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•What are the goals of each group member? Are people required to  attend? (This factor can have a significant impact on how committed or  not the group is to the wilderness experience.) Does the group have  collective goals?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•What is the experience level of each member? What is the average  experience level?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Are there people in the group with the necessary skills to lead and  manage the group or do you need to find other people to provide  leadership? (See Appendix, “Outdoor Leadership.”)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•How big is the group?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•What is the age range of group members?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•What is the physical condition of each member? What is the average  physical condition of the group?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Do people have particular health issues that could impact their  participation?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDetermine the level of experience, physical ability, etc., as much as  possible before you set out. This will enable you to plan a smoother  and more successful trip. More important, it will diminish the  potential for dangerous situations. (See Chapter 8, “Safety and  Emergency Procedures.”) Keep the group’s parameters in mind as you  evaluate the other categories, thinking in terms of both optimal  challenge and safety. Be aware that you will often have a great range  of experience levels and physical abilities, so plan the trip at a  level that will be fun, educational, challenging, and safe for  everyone. Think about the high end and the low end of the experience  level and physical condition, and err in the direction of the low end.  Gathering physical fitness and basic health information will help you  determine different abilities and experience levels (for a sample form,  see page nnn).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGroup Dynamics\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•How are costs going to be handled—equipment, food, transportation,  permits, etc.? If you have to buy gear, who keeps it? It’s really  important to work these things out before the trip, otherwise serious  tensions can arise later.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•How will leadership be handled during the trip? (See Chapter 8,  “Safety and Emergency Procedures,” and Chapter 10, “Outdoor  Leadership”).\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eACTIVITIES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen planning the activities for a particular trip, you need to  consider the following:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•What activity(ies) do you want to do on your trip (backpacking, peak  climbing, and\/or glacier travel, for example)?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•What are the goals for the trip?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•What skills will people need? Do they already have the skills or do  they need to learn them?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•How do you integrate time for teaching skills with time for traveling?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOnce you’ve evaluated the group members’ abilities, you can adapt your  goals to an appropriate level. Plan activities that will be both  appropriately challenging and safe. Be aware of how mileage, elevation  change, and time for teaching and learning skills will affect your  route (see “Estimating Travel Times,” page 12). Start easily and  increase the level of difficulty gradually so that participants can be  progressively challenged at appropriate levels, rather than placing  them in a situation that is beyond their abilities.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLOCATION AND WEATHER\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eResearch Your Destination\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Investigate the availability of guidebooks and maps.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Contact area rangers or land managers to get more information.  Inquire about permits required, safety issues like hunting season, and  seasonal hazards like wildfires.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Talk with other people who have been to the area before. If possible,  check their trip logs, which may have important information not found  in guidebooks.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTrip Planning Questions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•How long is the trip? Can the trip be self-supporting in terms of  equipment and food, or will you need to resupply? How will you do the  resupply—cache items ahead of time, hike out, or have someone hike in?  (See “Resupply Issues,” page 15.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•How remote is the trip from “civilization” and help in case of an  emergency?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•What are the trail conditions?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Are there special places you want to see?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Are there places you want to avoid like high-use areas?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Are shelters available on a daily basis, or do you need to bring your  own?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Where is parking and trailhead access?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•What is the water availability and water quality on a daily basis?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Are there safety issues—hunting season, off-road vehicles, etc.?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Are there any special natural hazards—flash floods in desert canyons,  wildfires, etc.? (See “How Accidents Happen,” page 225.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•What Leave No Trace practices will you need to implement to safeguard  the environment? (See Chapter 5, “Leave No Trace Hiking and Camping.”)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRegulations and Permits\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEach location can have its own unique set of regulations and  requirements. It is important to check these out in detail before you  go.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHere are some of the possible issues to research:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Are permits needed, and how do you obtain them?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•How far in advance do you need to apply for a permit?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Is there a cost for the permit?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Are their any special regulations about rescue? (Some parks, like  Denali in Alaska, require that you pay for your own rescue.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Are there limitations to group size?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Where is camping allowed and not allowed?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Are there any restricted areas, hazardous zones, protected areas for  endangered species, and such?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Are fires allowed? If fires are allowed, will wood be available? Or  will you need to bring a stove?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Are there special regulations about Leave No Trace practices such as  disposing of human waste?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWeather\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•How many hours of daylight will there be? Check the Web at sites like  the Weather Channel (www.weather.com) for sunrise and sunset times and  average high and low temperatures.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•How will the season determine the weather? Are storms or particular  weather patterns likely? (See Chapter 7, “Weather and Nature.”)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•How will weather affect trip activities? How might it affect the  safety of the group?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Will altitude changes during the trip have an impact on weather or  temperature?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eEXPECT THE UNEXPECTED\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen planning a trip, remember that the ultimate goal is for people to  have fun. Here are some tips to planning a trip that everyone can  enjoy:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Make a plan that can be modified during the trip. All sorts of  factors—bad weather, changing trail conditions, broken equipment,  ill-prepared participants, an injury—may require you to change your  itinerary.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Don’t plan long or difficult hikes on every day of the trip. Vary the  mileage so that you have some days when you can get a later start or  get to camp early.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•On longer trips, schedule a rest day every five to seven days.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•Make sure that people have some time during each day to kick back—to  read, watch the sunset, or write in their journals.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e•When hiking at high altitudes, people acclimatize at different rates.  You may have to adjust your trip to give people time to properly  acclimatize before going higher, especially if people are coming  straight from sea level to a high altitude. (See “Altitude Illnesses,”  page nnn.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eEQUIPMENT\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOnce you have determined your trip activities and location, you need to  put together an equipment list. Sample equipment lists are are provided  in Appendix A, but remember that they should be used only as  guidelines. Each trip and each person may have special requirements.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eFOOD\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is important to have food that is both nourishing and edible. On  longer trips, with specialized activities, or in different climates  (e.g., cold-weather trips), it may be necessary to plan a menu that  supplies a specific number of calories per day and stresses certain  food groups over others. On any trip, it is essential to be aware of  special dietary requirements for each trip member—food allergies,  vegetarians, and kosher eaters—and plan a menu accordingly. Check this  information on the Fitness and Health Information Form for each person  on the trip (see page nnn). For complete food, nutrition, and menu  planning guidelines, see Chapter 3, “Cooking and Nutrition.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eCOSTS\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBefore going on a group trip, talk about how costs will be distributed.  This includes food, fuel, travel expenses, and first aid supplies.  You’d be surprised how many friendships get strained because people did  not work out the finances beforehand.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSKILL DEVELOPMENT\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDepending on the type of group you’re traveling with, people may have  varying levels of experience. There are specific skills that people  need before the trip, such as how to pack a pack, and some that need to  be taught on the trip, such as how to set up camp or how to use a  backpacking stove. There are so many different skills I use on a  backcountry trip that I find it hard to remember them all—many I just  do automatically. Take the time to make a list of these skills so you  don’t overlook anything (a sample Teaching Plan is included in Appendix  A). If you are the trip leader, or if you’re just traveling with  friends who are less experienced, plan time to cover the important  subjects both ahead of time and on the trail.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor advanced-level trips, you may need to do a more formal skill  assessment. For example, if you are going to be traveling across  glaciers, does everyone have experience traveling on snow, handling an  ice axe, and being roped up? Will people need to know special  techniques like self-arrest or crevasse rescue? Sometimes this  assessment is done by reviewing people’s previous trip experiences, or  you may have the group go out on a supervised practice trip to review  and test special skills.","brand":"Crown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304301744357,"sku":"NP9781400053094","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781400053094.jpg?v=1767738247","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-backpackers-field-manual-revised-and-updated-isbn-9781400053094","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}