Hiking Light Handbook

Karen again tells it as it is. Hiking Light is a frame of mind, a lifestyle change. Karen does a great job of giving you information and options to reach your goal of enjoying your experience of backpacking. She explains how to wisely look at ALL your gear and habits for ways to reduce that unnecessary weight without compromising its function. This book is based on over 17,000 miles of hiking on the trail in the East, in the West and in other countries. This is not a fad book telling you to achieve a light pack by an excessive use of the scissors or drills, nor by sponging off fellow hikers for things you should not have left home. Nor does she advocate mortgaging the house to buy the latest, super expensive, lite weight gear sold in some high end backpack shops or web sites. This book is for the active backpacker who is neither a faddist nor an extremist. If you tend to be a faddist and want a quick fix then check out Lighten Up by Don Ladigin or if you have deep pockets, a long attention span and do most of your backpacking west of the Mississippi, read Lightweight Backpacking and Camping by Ryan Jordan. An exhaustive, well written book about Ultra Lightweight backpacking. But if you are looking for good solid advise lightening up your pack for a more enjoyable trail experience, this is your book!