Review of The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide

Last week I told you that I attended a Winter Backpacking Clinic hosted by Andrew Skurka.  At the clinic, he was nice enough to personalize, and autograph, a copy of his new book, The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide, for me.  If you are interested in the book or outdoor gear in general, this review may be helpful to you.

First off I'll explain a potential misconception with the title.  Andrew isn't claiming that he has created the "Ultimate", definitive book on the subject.  He says that backpacker styles can be measured along a spectrum.  On one side you have people who really like the camping aspect, called "Ultimate Campers".  These are folks that like to pack in and setup a base camp, get comfortable, sit around the fire, relax and enjoy their time in the backcountry with their friends.  At the opposite end are backpackers that are really into the hiking part, called "Ultimate Hikers".  These folks are all about covering lots of ground, seeing lots of country, challenging themselves physically and mentally and are more likely to be through hikers.

I should probably point out that my style differs considerably from the author.  I'm what you might call a "peak packer".  I love the sense of accomplishment of reaching the summit and the views from the top, so most of my backpacking excursions are planned with those objectives in mind, not covering thousands of miles.  I also enjoy spending time with people who share my passion for the outdoors and increasingly, photographing my experiences.  I'm also not in a position to take months off, away from home, at a time.  I would encourage readers to ask themselves where they lie along this spectrum and how they are different from Andrew.  Very few people take hiking to the extremes that he does and I found it helpful to keep this in mind as I absorbed his experiences and opinions.

Andrew starts off the book with an introduction where he writes about his trip planning process.  He says that he answers three questions before he loads any gear.

1. "What are my objectives?"
2. "What are the route conditions that I will likely encounter during my trip...?"
3. "What gear, supplies and skills will best help me achieve my objectives and keep me safe and comfortable in those conditions?"

I have to admit to doing the first two, and then I just throw all my stuff in my pack and head out.  Since the third question is what the bulk of the book refers to, I read on.

He spends a great deal of time talking about layering systems and all the different fabric types, the importance of, advantages and disadvantages, of each.  It was very informative.  The one thing that was new to me was vapor barrier liners.  In extreme cold, he wears a layer that actually holds moisture in, to avoid his insulation layer from absorbing his sweat.  At the end of each section, he even details exactly the item that he currently likes best for each situation.  Another gear piece I wasn't familiar with until reading this book is quilts.  A little over a third of the heat retaining ability of a sleeping back is kind of just wasted, by laying on it.  Solution, put down your ground pad and then put a down filled quilt over the top of you.  It's much lighter and just as warm, says Mr. Skurka.  Another idea that was new to me is the idea of using multiple lighting tools at the same time, from alternate angles.  He says this dramatically improves your depth of vision when hiking in low light.  Makes sense.

He doesn't just talk about gear the whole time.  Much time is devoted to how to use the gear and other skills like foot care and camp site selection.  The foot care section was actually really interesting.  Several times he offers brief stories about how he learned certain lessons the hard way.  These quick breaks are refreshing, entertaining, interesting, and they kept the content from being so dry and technical.

One interesting thing about the book, that reveals just how quickly technology is improving, is that the book was published earlier this year and there are already some things that are out of date.  For example, he doesn't mention touch screen capable glove liners despite a section specifically dedicated to glove liners.  Have you ever tried to take a picture with your smart phone, at the top of a peak, with 75 mile per hour wind gusts, in December?

At the end he has a section where he describes several different hiking scenarios and the exact gear systems he would take with him and their collective weight.  While everything he carries is among the lightest version currently on the market, he doesn't talk at all about gear selection with total weight in mind.  At the clinic, he made it very clear that you should pack all the gear you need to keep you safe and comfortable, and nothing else.  How ever much weight that adds up to, is how much your pack weighs.

I give the book five stars!  An excellent read for anyone interested in making hiking/backpacking more fun!