This book is not intended to take the place of a sport-specific text onbackpacking, canoeing, family camping, or the like. Rather, it details hundreds ofideas and procedures that are never found in traditional camping texts—ideas thatwill make your next campout safer and more enjoyable. Main topics have beenalphabetized, everything is indexed for your convenience, and space-consuminganecdotes have been eliminated to make room for the obscure but important thingsyou really need to know.What’s New in the Fifth Edition?In a word, plenty! What was intended as a light revision morphed into a substantialrewrite with dozens of new color photos. Why so many revisions when the basictenets of camping haven’t changed in years? The answer is that if you take campingas seriously as I do, you are always on the prowl for better ways and better stuff.For more than 30 years, I outfitted and guided canoe trips on remote rivers innorthern Canada, where having one’s act together is a tenet of survival and aprerequisite to having a good time. Each new adventure tested old methods andencouraged me to think outside the box. When I discovered a better way, I adoptedit immediately and threw past practice to the wind.Finally, those of you who have read earlier editions of this book have surelynoticed that some of my recommendations have changed. Good! That’s the priceone pays for continued learning.