Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 16
 An old-time comprehensive guide - excellent! November 20, 2005
Naangiwane (Stevens Point, Wisconsin United States)
25 out of 25 found this review helpful
I have the facsimile edition published by the Univ. of Tennessee Press. It is a combination of two books by Kephart from 1916. The first volume, titled "Camping", is a guide to what we would call today "family camping" or camping from a fixed base. The second book in the volume, titled "Woodcraft", discusses backpacking for wanderers and other topics for people seeking to live off the land.
Kephart was actually a very experienced outdoorsman, not just some "effete diletante masquerading as a true woodsman." All his suggestions were based on his extensive personal experience in camping and hiking.
Kephart was, in his day, the combined Colin Fletcher and Cliff Jacobsen guru of the outdoors. His book is comprehensive, full of ideas about living outdoors, many of which I've adopted. His comments on gear are, of course, dated, though I've found even there some interesting ideas. Again, this is a kind of book I read for pleasure, I use as a reference book, and I read at least once a year, every time walking away with some new ideas to try. This year, for example, I'm trying pinole', ground-up parched corn, as a concentrated, light-weight food source on the trail (and it's actually pretty good).
An excellent value for your money. You won't regret buying this book.
Comprehensive volume of camping techniques circa 1910 August 6, 1996
21 out of 21 found this review helpful
This is one of the finest outdoor books ever written--as evidenced by the fact that it is still in print 70 years after it was penned. The reason? Kephart actually lived in the woods and personally refined the techniques he discusses. Yes, the technology has advanced. But trees and animals haven't changed, nor has the best way to snare an animal nor the best way to construct a log cabin.
Given a choice of one book to take into the woods, this should be it.
High impact camping at its best! October 23, 1998
Matt Richards
22 out of 23 found this review helpful
If you prefer a wall-tent, buckskins and an axe to goretex and gas stoves, this book is for you. Old time wood-skills by an experienced man, and a good writer. Some of the equipment detail is outdated (this book was originally written 70 years ago), but there is so much good stuff on everything from dressing and cooking game, to using an axe, to building camp furniture, compass work, marksmanship, and a whole lot more.
A Classic April 6, 2000
Alan McWilliam (Brisbane, Australia)
17 out of 18 found this review helpful
My copy is a 14th reprint dated October 1949, bought when I became a King's Scout (British equivalent of Eagle Scout). This book is a classic because it is exhaustive and beautifully written. Kephart left no stone unturned in dealing with his subject matter. Certainly technology has changed much since the book was first published in 1917, but Kephart's observations in the wilderness and his philosophy are still valid and delighting to read. For anyone who loves venturing into the shrinking wilderness, or simply dreaming about it, this is an essential book.
A MUST HAVE FOR THE OUTDOORSMAN February 27, 1998
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I have had a copy of this book since I was in Highschool. It is full of ideas and the how to do of life in the woods. I have never grown tired of reading it and find myself constantly returning to it. It is woodslore at its best and a link to the past.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 16
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