The Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide BOOK REVIEW
Review by Jim Schmid Y
ou ever walk into an outdoor store and tell them you just want to buy a few items
for your next outdoor adven- ture and walk out with enough gear to open your own store?
Have you spent hours on the
Web trying to decide which of a dozen backpacks you should buy before heading out on the Appalachian Trail? Are you an obsessive list maker writing down everything you plan to take on your next trip? If so, Andrew Skurka’s The Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide – Second Edition show-and-tell book is for you. Skurka shares his hard-earned knowledge in this completely updated guide to backpacking gear, supplies, and skills.
There have been many books written about backpacking and gear. Colin Fletcher, known as the “Father of Modern Backpacking,”wrote The Complete Walker in 1968 that set the standard for “how-to” backpack- ing books. I found a copy in 1970 at the height of the back- packing boom. I was living in San Francisco at the time and went on many overnight backcountry trips with his advice on my back and in my head. Learning about and trying out new gear was always a fun part of the adventures. Fletcher went on to publish three revised editions (1974, 1984, and 2002) of his classic on backpacking gear and tech- niques. I looked forward to reading each new edition of The Complete Walker; there was always something new to learn. As I matured so did the thinking toward the backcountry and especially the gear, and 47 years later I’m still learning and adapting my gear for each trip. Fletcher wrote very hefty books with pages of gear infor-
mation. Today much of this can be found on the Internet. Skurka does a good job of presenting what you need to know in 200 pages of text, photos, and check lists. He makes refer- ence to his blog and website (
www.andrewskurka.com) Over the past 20 years or so a bunch of “lightweight” and “ultra lightweight” backpacking books were published, with the goal of backpack meeting some arbitrary weight
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threshold. Skurka advocates using the lightest equipment you can expectations of your trip. He says the less your backpack weighs the more you will enjoy the hiking part of your trip.
Skurka doesn’t advocate try- ing to get your gear down to some the term “Stupid Light,” referring to cutting your gear and equipment weight to lighten your backpack and ending up in a position where your gear does meet the objectives of your adventure. This book is more than a gear guide. Rather than focusing on ultralight gear it provides the pros and cons of various gear options. For example: Boots, hiking shoes, or trail runners? Polyester, merino wool, or nylon?
Skurka’s goal is to increase your enjoyment of the “hiking” component of your outdoor adven- tures, and as such he provides easy to digest advice, tips, and gear rec- ommendations based on his exten- sive experience. His advice will also save you time and money by helping you determine what you
need, both on your back and between your ears. - ing into two styles; Ultimate Hikers and Ultimate Campers. For Skurka, Ultimate Hikers walk from dawn to dusk, eat dinner, and go to sleep. The next day the Ultimate Hiker repeats the dawn to dusk walking. Long trips for the Ultimate Hiker are a series of days and
nights that are comprised of walking all day and sleeping walks to get to a campsite and spends most of their time watching, socializing, etc.
The Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide: Tools & Techniques to Hit the Trail – Second Edition
by Andrew Skurka
Published 2017 239 pages with photos and sample gear checklists Paperback: $19.99
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