Ultralight Survival Kit Book Review
Justin Lichter, aka Trauma, is well respected within the hiking community for doing some crazy things and not dying. In his second book, Ultralight Survival Kit (Falcon Guide), he condenses down 35,000 miles worth of hike-and-learn knowledge into a pocket-sized 4 oz book. Jam packed with useful information and no fluff, this mini-manual is a perfect gift to give your son/friend/niece/co-worker/hiking buddy who just decided to go hike a long trail for the first time (and doesn’t really know what he/she is getting into).
Every year, tons of people hit the Appalachian or Pacific Crest Trail with little knowledge of how to deal with problems in the outdoors (even if they think they are prepared). Having once counted myself among these yahoos, by the time the situation gets severe, the internet or heavy survival guidebooks that would have been really useful are hundreds of miles away on a bookshelf. Lichter’s book offers an ultralight alternative to carrying that heavy book or finding onself totally SOL in a sorry situation.
Lichter’s book has a nice combination of everyday problems all hikers experience—dealing with blisters, scaring off bears, tying knots—down to the type of experiences one hopes to never have in life: dealing with big scary attacking animals, making your own sunglasses, and running from dueling banjos. The book’s hand-drawn diagrams, step-by-step knot instructions, and plant ID make it a useful on-trail companion to read in-sleeping bag by headlamp each night—even if you aren’t in a fix. Although I would strongly recommend reading Lichter’s first book, Trail Tested: A Thru-hiker’s Guide to Ultralight Hiking and Backpacking, before starting a thru-hike for the first time, his new book is a short and sweet reference that every worried mom sending her kid off to hike the AT should slip in his/her pack at the top of Springer.
Lichter’s book has a nice combination of everyday problems all hikers experience—dealing with blisters, scaring off bears, tying knots—down to the type of experiences one hopes to never have in life: dealing with big scary attacking animals, making your own sunglasses, and running from dueling banjos. The book’s hand-drawn diagrams, step-by-step knot instructions, and plant ID make it a useful on-trail companion to read in-sleeping bag by headlamp each night—even if you aren’t in a fix. Although I would strongly recommend reading Lichter’s first book, Trail Tested: A Thru-hiker’s Guide to Ultralight Hiking and Backpacking, before starting a thru-hike for the first time, his new book is a short and sweet reference that every worried mom sending her kid off to hike the AT should slip in his/her pack at the top of Springer.
More experienced hikers might also appreciate Lichter’s book as a sneak peak into the hiking style that has served him well for so many miles. Hiking skill has a learning curve, and most “experienced” hikers might be familiar with 80% of the stuff in Ultralight Survival Kit, but will find some surprises. As a three-season hiker, I appreciated Lichter’s extensive sections on winter camping and winter layering systems.
The book also dispels some “old wives’ tales” that get passed down in the hiking community, such as how to deal with poison oak, properly ford rivers, or not to follow waterways when lost. Long distance hikers should make an effort to refresh outdoors skills every year, and this is an easy 106-page way to do it. When the weather is too gross outside to hike for everyone except Justin, reading Ultralight Survival Kit is a nice way to get the mind in the hiking spot without getting wet.
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Book Gifts for Hikers that Will Ship by Christmas | Liz Thomas: Adventure Hiking - […] The advice you need to figure out most backpacking problems, all in a small (4 oz) book that easily…
