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How to Suffer Outside: A Beginner’s Guide to Hiking and Backpacking
2022 National Outdoor Book Award Winner in Instructional Outdoor Adventure Guide
Part critique of modern hiking culture and part how-to guide, How to Suffer Outside is for anyone who wants to hit the trail without breaking the bank. Diana Helmuth offers real advice, opinionated but accessible and based on in-the-field experiences. She wins readers’ hearts and trust through a blend of self-deprecating humor and good-natured heckling of both seasoned backpackers and urbanites who romanticize being outdoorsy, plus a helpful dose of the actual advice a novice needs to get started.
Featuring illustrations by artist Latasha Dunston, each chapter focuses on a critical gear, food, hygiene, clothing, and more, along with useful checklists and resources. Humorous, philosophical, and practical, How to Suffer Outside teaches casual walkers, hikers, and campers of all stripes how to venture outdoors with confidence.
Part critique of modern hiking culture and part how-to guide, How to Suffer Outside is for anyone who wants to hit the trail without breaking the bank. Diana Helmuth offers real advice, opinionated but accessible and based on in-the-field experiences. She wins readers’ hearts and trust through a blend of self-deprecating humor and good-natured heckling of both seasoned backpackers and urbanites who romanticize being outdoorsy, plus a helpful dose of the actual advice a novice needs to get started.
Featuring illustrations by artist Latasha Dunston, each chapter focuses on a critical gear, food, hygiene, clothing, and more, along with useful checklists and resources. Humorous, philosophical, and practical, How to Suffer Outside teaches casual walkers, hikers, and campers of all stripes how to venture outdoors with confidence.
224 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2021
113 people are currently reading
2891 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
June 18, 2023
My backpacking days are over. I read this book with the funny title for entertainment and to compare my past experiences. I was curious to see how the sport has changed in the last 15 years since I slept in a sleeping bag on the ground.
The author, Diana Helmuth, is in her twenties and is very funny. She doesn't pull any punches. She has an entire chapter titled "Poop". That part hasn't changed much in 15 years.
The use of Smartphones is different. My old cell phone never really worked well out in the wilderness.
This book brought back happy memories. I'd still be out there with the other old backpackers if my spine wasn't messed up. There's nothing else quite like a night in the woods (listening for bears) to clear the brain (and get the adrenaline pumping).
The author, Diana Helmuth, is in her twenties and is very funny. She doesn't pull any punches. She has an entire chapter titled "Poop". That part hasn't changed much in 15 years.
The use of Smartphones is different. My old cell phone never really worked well out in the wilderness.
This book brought back happy memories. I'd still be out there with the other old backpackers if my spine wasn't messed up. There's nothing else quite like a night in the woods (listening for bears) to clear the brain (and get the adrenaline pumping).
September 15, 2021
Holy shit, this book is funny. And approachable. And finally explained to my dumb ass what a footprint is for. Love it!
January 4, 2022
Someone, somewhere recommended this book, and I picked it up before realizing what it was about. Read it all the way through, laughed a lot and learned a lot. But I’m still not strapping a pack to my back and setting out on more than a day hike!
December 13, 2025
How to Suffer Outside is a funny memoir of how-tos for outdoorsy folks. It is anecdotal and comical mostly targeting the American reader. not a rigorous backpacking guide but Helmuth’s humor shines through so do the illustrations.
March 27, 2022
I learned about this book because of TikTok, a thing I would not have any concept of just a couple years ago. Diana was one of my first introductions to fat girl hiking TikTok, and I really appreciate the humor and life experience she shares in her videos. The same can be said of this book. It’s a great read, full of personal stories to illustrate points, and plenty of advice. So much so that I’m even more convinced that occasional short day hikes are enough for me, but please do keep telling stories and making videos of places I will never see in person. 😁
January 5, 2024
This is probably the best book I’ve ever been gifted, and maybe the ONLY nonfiction book I haven’t hesitated to give 5 stars to. I don’t give 5 stars out easily. I have standards.
I was an outdoorsy kid. By the time I started high school, I had been to a different national park at least once a year on average, and had become a Junior Ranger in almost all of the ones I visited (if they had a Junior Ranger program). I went for regular hikes. I loved getting out of the city and into nature. I dreamed of throwing the barest of essentials into a pack and taking off across the untamed wilderness (I idealized the notion to no end).
Since climbing Mt Shasta at 21, the outdoorsy part of my life has slowly faded away. I’ve been trying to rekindle it over the last few years, mostly with short outings and day hikes; nothing close to a multi-day trek away from the comforts of home. That hasn’t stopped me dreaming about it though.
This book gave me a craving for getting outside like I haven’t had in years. And not because it paints the experience in some grandiose light, but because the advice here is practical, welcoming, blunt, and encouraging. Starting down my 30s, I feel like Diana imparts this book to other aspirational hikers as One Of Us, someone who understands why we want to go, why we must go. Why we sometimes cry looking at the mountains, and why we also hesitate to fling ourselves into them. She doesn’t pretend there’s nothing awkward or risky about venturing into nature, but from cover to cover, the feeling she imparts is that I can really, tangibly, this year, go out and actually do it.
I was an outdoorsy kid. By the time I started high school, I had been to a different national park at least once a year on average, and had become a Junior Ranger in almost all of the ones I visited (if they had a Junior Ranger program). I went for regular hikes. I loved getting out of the city and into nature. I dreamed of throwing the barest of essentials into a pack and taking off across the untamed wilderness (I idealized the notion to no end).
Since climbing Mt Shasta at 21, the outdoorsy part of my life has slowly faded away. I’ve been trying to rekindle it over the last few years, mostly with short outings and day hikes; nothing close to a multi-day trek away from the comforts of home. That hasn’t stopped me dreaming about it though.
This book gave me a craving for getting outside like I haven’t had in years. And not because it paints the experience in some grandiose light, but because the advice here is practical, welcoming, blunt, and encouraging. Starting down my 30s, I feel like Diana imparts this book to other aspirational hikers as One Of Us, someone who understands why we want to go, why we must go. Why we sometimes cry looking at the mountains, and why we also hesitate to fling ourselves into them. She doesn’t pretend there’s nothing awkward or risky about venturing into nature, but from cover to cover, the feeling she imparts is that I can really, tangibly, this year, go out and actually do it.
July 28, 2024
Me, me, me, and a bit of very basic Hiking 101 that you'd find withing 5 minutes of Googling, the latter not costing 30 bucks. The attempt at humor is atrocious. Snappy and annoying, it reminded me of my ex-best friend who unironically used "YAS QUEEN!", "Oh sweet summer child" and "This, so much this". Ugh. There was ONE joke I found funny: one of the drawings felt so recognizable. Imagine going on a hike to a gorgeous mountain and your travel buddy compares it to a fucking videogame.
November 8, 2023
Best. Book. Ever.
Diana, please be my hiking friend.
Diana, please be my hiking friend.
June 14, 2025
Hilarious and the opposite of what I should have read a mere 11 months before graduating college
December 21, 2023
I am obviously in the minority here, but please don't approach this book thinking you will be ready to embark on a multi-day backpacking adventure when you finish it. This book is VERY superficial on the actual backpacking preparation advice. The chapters that touch on toileting have some useful information, but the rest is just a vehicle for the author practicing her humor writing (which admittedly is not up my alley). In fact, you should read this book more as a memoir. I think the reading and potential backpacking public would be much better served if this book was marketed as such.
May 6, 2022
There is an attempt at humour, colourful metaphor, or uninteresting personal anecdote every other line. I could not get past the the oozing sarcasm, even though I was interested in the topic. I know, it’s a humour book, but I was hoping to get more out of it than cringe etches on my face.
January 16, 2024
If you’ve ever wanted to give day hiking, backpacking, and/or camping a try but didn’t know where to start, this handy book is the perfect jumping off point. Written in an accessible and relatable style, it breaks down everything from what equipment and clothing to pack to dealing with mosquitos, blisters, and other uncomfortable hygiene issues. The author doesn’t sugarcoat things, but her love of the outdoors (and her sense of humor) shines through the pages and it’s hard not to feel inspired!
April 9, 2023
Finished this book just a few hours before we hiked Virginia’s Triple Crown Loop. So, so, so helpful. How to pack, what to pack, how to function. We survived the 34 mile loop in three days! I’m not going to say our survival was a result of reading this book, but I’m also not going to say our survival wasn’t a result of this book!
September 19, 2024
A very cute book about hiking, I felt very inspired but I wished there was less story time and more lists of what I need. I found myself skimming the stories as I just wanted to know how to filter my water.
February 4, 2022
Funniest book I have to date on hiking! Along with really good information, where to find things, what to pack and what not to! Loved it
December 15, 2022
This book had me cracking up throughout, it was so funny and well-written! HOWEVER, I only feel *slightly* more prepared to go back packing now than I did before I read this book.
January 24, 2023
Hilarious book with tons of great information - what more could I ask for?
May 23, 2023
So good, so funny!
September 11, 2023
This book was informative and hilarious- I laughed out loud many times
June 24, 2025
A fun, frank, educational book for novice/wanna-be backpackers.
May 21, 2022
Such a great place to start and quite funny.
January 20, 2022
I’ve read a ton of hiking books… mostly through-hiking memoirs, which are interesting but not exactly relevant to me… this was much more realistic to my life. I found this book to be fun, engaging, realistic, informational, inspiring, and I could see myself in much of it. I may not ever be a through hiker, but I can be a backpacker (and so can you ;)!
July 10, 2022
Loved it--and I'm not even planning on doing any hiking or backpacking. Not anytime soon, anyway. But I can dream!
And I can laugh, chortle and snirkle at her hilarious way of getting the information across. For example, one chapter is called,
Clothes. How not to get killed by your jeans.
She starts this out with an anecdote--at the start of a trip at the snow line in mountains, her male companion informed her that the jeans he'd brought we the only pants he'd brought,
I wanted to sigh. Loudly. I wanted to womansplain to him both that jeans are a terrible idea in this mushy weather and that we talked about this before we left (because we definitely, definitely talked about this before we left.)
What's so bad about jeans? [he asked]
They'll soak up all the water on the trail and they won't dry. You'll be walking in wet denim for six hours. They'll be heavy, and you'll be freezing.
And that's what happened. But it was a short trip and not too far away to pack out to the car and leave, With the heater blowing hot air on his freezing legs.
Okay, so this wasn't the funniest bit in there. But there are lots of them, and I fully recommend this book even if, like me, you won't be getting to do any hiking anytime soon. But you'll sure want to.
And I can laugh, chortle and snirkle at her hilarious way of getting the information across. For example, one chapter is called,
Clothes. How not to get killed by your jeans.
She starts this out with an anecdote--at the start of a trip at the snow line in mountains, her male companion informed her that the jeans he'd brought we the only pants he'd brought,
I wanted to sigh. Loudly. I wanted to womansplain to him both that jeans are a terrible idea in this mushy weather and that we talked about this before we left (because we definitely, definitely talked about this before we left.)
What's so bad about jeans? [he asked]
They'll soak up all the water on the trail and they won't dry. You'll be walking in wet denim for six hours. They'll be heavy, and you'll be freezing.
And that's what happened. But it was a short trip and not too far away to pack out to the car and leave, With the heater blowing hot air on his freezing legs.
Okay, so this wasn't the funniest bit in there. But there are lots of them, and I fully recommend this book even if, like me, you won't be getting to do any hiking anytime soon. But you'll sure want to.
April 15, 2025
Read all the way through in one sitting. Laughed way more than I expected and learned a few things!
January 31, 2022
I was really excited about this book that I preordered it from the Mountaineers. The title alone is how I feel about hiking and backpacking. In talking to a friend of mine, he doesn’t have this philosophy. He thinks these things are fun. I consulted with my son. He is like me who thinks outdoor recreation is mostly suffering with some cool moments.
As I read this book, the author is like my more experienced, but insufferable outdoors self. She has a muffin top and worries about dying. What, me too! Wait! Are you sure you are knowledgeable in the subject?
She writes about multi-night backpacking: Every single time I go out, at the end of that first day - after watching the heavens tear themselves apart in a watercolor of peaches and ambers and periwinkle blues, the sun kiss the lips of the horizon goodbye, the last indigos of twilight exhale, and night settle like a blanket on the earth - I calmly put away all my things, crawl into my sleeping bag, look at the ceiling of my tent, and think “This is it. I’m about to die.”
What? You too! I thinking I’m going to die all the time too. Frankly, I’m not sure why I keep doing it. I asked my backpacking friends if they feel this way too. They said nope. Hmmm. Just me… and Diana Helmuth.
And sister told me it happens on the first night. And you might also feel depressed on the first night of a multi-day backpacking trip. Why did I do this? This isn’t living up to my expectations, I’m gonna die. Yes! Yes! I feel depressed too!
She gets me. I appreciate the perspective and pep talk to get out there, albeit unconventional from the other backpacking books out there.
As I read this book, the author is like my more experienced, but insufferable outdoors self. She has a muffin top and worries about dying. What, me too! Wait! Are you sure you are knowledgeable in the subject?
She writes about multi-night backpacking: Every single time I go out, at the end of that first day - after watching the heavens tear themselves apart in a watercolor of peaches and ambers and periwinkle blues, the sun kiss the lips of the horizon goodbye, the last indigos of twilight exhale, and night settle like a blanket on the earth - I calmly put away all my things, crawl into my sleeping bag, look at the ceiling of my tent, and think “This is it. I’m about to die.”
What? You too! I thinking I’m going to die all the time too. Frankly, I’m not sure why I keep doing it. I asked my backpacking friends if they feel this way too. They said nope. Hmmm. Just me… and Diana Helmuth.
And sister told me it happens on the first night. And you might also feel depressed on the first night of a multi-day backpacking trip. Why did I do this? This isn’t living up to my expectations, I’m gonna die. Yes! Yes! I feel depressed too!
She gets me. I appreciate the perspective and pep talk to get out there, albeit unconventional from the other backpacking books out there.
May 5, 2022
Loved it!
I bought this book on Kindle halfway through reading the content blurb (something I don't normally do). I say halfway because that's how far I got before I had to stop because I was laughing so hard.
Equal parts hilarious and practical it felt like sitting down with a good friend who will tell you all the good and bad of something. Like the best friend that will tell you that dress makes you look like a house decorated in the 70's and push you toward the blue one you didn't think you'd fit into but look fantastic in.
Covering all the basics you don't know you need to know about hiking and camping, including the things you wonder about but are too embarrassed to ask (bathroom break anyone?)
The illustrations are wonderfully comical but not distractingly so. They help flesh out the topic covered in an odd and endearing way.
If you're interested at all in hiking, camping, or just having a great time laughing - this book is for you.
And a final note - I would go hiking with the author and illustrator anytime. I just wonder if minion leggings would clash with space cat. 😉
I bought this book on Kindle halfway through reading the content blurb (something I don't normally do). I say halfway because that's how far I got before I had to stop because I was laughing so hard.
Equal parts hilarious and practical it felt like sitting down with a good friend who will tell you all the good and bad of something. Like the best friend that will tell you that dress makes you look like a house decorated in the 70's and push you toward the blue one you didn't think you'd fit into but look fantastic in.
Covering all the basics you don't know you need to know about hiking and camping, including the things you wonder about but are too embarrassed to ask (bathroom break anyone?)
The illustrations are wonderfully comical but not distractingly so. They help flesh out the topic covered in an odd and endearing way.
If you're interested at all in hiking, camping, or just having a great time laughing - this book is for you.
And a final note - I would go hiking with the author and illustrator anytime. I just wonder if minion leggings would clash with space cat. 😉
December 1, 2021
This reminded me well of the highs and lows of backpacking life, graced with just enough ROFL humor and trail-tested sense. It's great! Trail runners or boots? REI or Army Surplus? Digital or top sheets? And about that chapter on taking bio breaks... With the water and stove wisdom, so worth it.
Whether you are new to the magic of finding that mountain / lake / valley view that few others see, because overnights are required, or if you just wanted to be reminded how nasty that iodine tasted, and why getting wet and staying wet is very, very bad, this book will serve you well. I wanted to bring back the feel of several backpacking trips, and this brought it back, and then some. So if you want to be clear-eyed about future backpacking plans, read this book cover to cover. The pack lists are solid as are the equipment reviews. The stories make it real and the adventure that all backpacking trips hope to be.
And don't talk to me if I see you on a trail wearing denim. Who says looks can't kill?
Whether you are new to the magic of finding that mountain / lake / valley view that few others see, because overnights are required, or if you just wanted to be reminded how nasty that iodine tasted, and why getting wet and staying wet is very, very bad, this book will serve you well. I wanted to bring back the feel of several backpacking trips, and this brought it back, and then some. So if you want to be clear-eyed about future backpacking plans, read this book cover to cover. The pack lists are solid as are the equipment reviews. The stories make it real and the adventure that all backpacking trips hope to be.
And don't talk to me if I see you on a trail wearing denim. Who says looks can't kill?
June 8, 2023
Очень смешанные чувства после прочтения. Действительно довольно много дельных советов, особенно если ты никогда не ходил в поход (по одежде, палатке и вкатыванию в походы). С другой стороны очень много странных и вредных советов вроде покупать ботинки на два размера больше и носить их с толстыми носками, обрезать зубную щётку и не брать с собой зубную пасту чтоб сэкономить 100 грамм веса, но в тоже самое время носить с собой 6(шесть!) литров воды. И конечно же описан очень американский взгляд на всё: обязательно пить по литру воды в час, как не стать жертвой медведя и есть ибупрофен пачками. Вишенкой на торте оказался гонзо стиль максимально закомплексованной драма квин. Он наверно должен был разбавить и оживить полезные советы, но меня он практически всегда только раздражал вместо того чтоб вызвать какую-то эмпатию. В целом интересно было почитать другой взгляд на всю эту тематику, но не думаю что это хорошая книга для целевой аудитории, а именно полных новичков.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2026
I picked up this book today while browsing the nature section, searching for another book to add to my “how to survive when our society collapses and cooking/living outside becomes reality” collection. I’m so so glad I picked this book up, read it all in one sitting and now know that I never want to multi-day backpack, but do have more knowledge about it that I probably could if I had to.
Thank you, Diana, for this very honest, informative, hilarious, moving, and inspiring read. #gee-arr-diya I love to camp and hike, but one night is enough for me. I also greatly appreciated the many check lists you provided for the things that are most valuable to pack. And your footnotes- they brought me so much joy. Highly suggest reading this is you want to get into backpacking, already are a backpacker wanting a new perspective and tips, or a millennial doomsday planner who still needs some whimsy while reading to prepare for the grid to blow!
Thank you, Diana, for this very honest, informative, hilarious, moving, and inspiring read. #gee-arr-diya I love to camp and hike, but one night is enough for me. I also greatly appreciated the many check lists you provided for the things that are most valuable to pack. And your footnotes- they brought me so much joy. Highly suggest reading this is you want to get into backpacking, already are a backpacker wanting a new perspective and tips, or a millennial doomsday planner who still needs some whimsy while reading to prepare for the grid to blow!
November 27, 2022
This is an excellent beginner backpacking book! Written in a self deprecating style, it provides excellent tips to get you outside. As a wilderness canoeist, weight wasn’t much of a consideration. The portages we had to tackle were hard but short lived. Just recently I thought I’d try backpacking and realized I didn’t even know how to pack a backpack properly. There is gear that is specific to this sport and this book helped me create a wish list! It also gave excellent advice for cooking and even pooping in the back country - and all with a sense of humor. This book will encourage you to get off the couch and get out there! I can hardly wait!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews