Everyday Wisdom: 1001 Expert Tips for Hikers

by Karen Berger

* 1001 fun-to-read tips for beginning to expert hikers and backpackers

* Concise, easy-to-use hints selected from one of the most popular Backpacker columns

* Our best-selling "how to backpack" book



Experienced hikers know that their most important piece of gear is the gray matter they carry in their heads. They know they can't be prepared for every single thing that could go wrong. They can't anticipate every problem, and they can't carry enough gear to fix everything that could possibly break. And they don't have to, because Everyday Wisdom does it for them.



This one-stop, easy-to-use collection of practical advice, time-saving tips, problem-solving techniques, brilliant improvisations, and Everyday Wisdom shows hikers how to make their way and make do in the backcountry. The secret is preparing for the predictable and solving problems by avoiding them. Learn about the basics, food and kitchen, travel across backcountry terrain, creating comfort, weather issues, staying healthy, water, field repairs, equipment maintenance between trips, and a whole lot more.



Can't find the hole in the air mattress? Need tips for backcountry meals? A surprise cold front has rolled in... Need some improvised gloves, fast? Everyday Wisdom will help. Knowing a few seemingly small tricks will enable backpackers to take big strides in increasing their comfort, safety, preparation, and improvisational skills. This guide is a source of to-the-point, practical hints and tips that only a seasoned expert could bring together.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Outdoors, Nature

208 pages, Paperback

First published August 31, 1997

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Karen Berger, author of the best-selling Hiking and Backpacking: A Trailside Guide, has hiked over 15,000 miles, including the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail.

Karen Berger is a pianist on the faculty of the Berkshire Music School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. She was an editor of The Instrumentalist, Clavier, and Accent on Music magazines and received the Ed Press Distinguished Achievement Award. She s the author of eleven books, including seven how-to books. She wrote three titles in the best-selling Trailside Guide series, including Hiking and Backpacking, which has sold over 150,000 copies.

Reviews

[Edallia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give it four stars for what it is, which is a beginner's guide to backpacking. I don't think experienced hikers would get anything out of it that they haven't already known for years.


Some of the advice is a total "duh," even to someone who lacks experience. However, I can see this book being a very useful reference, especially the sections on weather and first aid. There are a lot of great suggestions for reducing weight, conserving fuel, and making a hiking or packpacking experience more comfortable and enjoyable.


Any gear advice should be taken with a grain of salt, since gear - and especially lightwear gear- is always evolving. But there's plenty of the kind of information that never becomes outdated!”

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent resource with all of the basic (and not-so-basic) info one needs for having a healthy and safe experience hiking, camping, and backpacking. Much of its "everyday wisdom" can be adapted to easy car camping or more rigorous backcountry camping. I'm an intermediate outdoorsman, and I think the book works great as an introduction to outdoor life.

Books of this nature are always in danger of being outdated by new technology, but this one has enough of a foundation to make up for any of the shortcomings it has from being written in 1997. It's a slim volume at under 200 pages, but filled with a lot of helpful information.

[Eric Wisdahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyday Wisdom: 1,001 Expert Tips for Hikers was a quick and easy read. There was a lot of good information for someone completely new to the subject (that's me). I think that the information in the book can and should be put to good use if you intend to go out for short to medium length hikes; I would expect nothing more than a week or so. Anything longer than that and I would expect you should probably check in to a more thorough source.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great advice for backpackers. quick read. essential

[Cheryl]

Great everyone should read this even if you don't hike that much.