Practical Camping Handbook

Camping trips can have their challenges but with good planning, the right equipment and practical skills the vacation can quickly become the experience of a lifetime, with memories that will last for ever. This fully comprehensive guide covers the key camp craft and orienteering skills needed for a successful trip, whether for a family holiday on a pre-booked campsite, or for a wilder expedition into the deep backcountry. Full of professional tips and expert advice, this book makes valuable reading and is essential reading for pre-trip preparation. The book includes guidelines on buying the right equipment; rules for storing and using all kinds of camping kit; best practice for choosing your camp area, putting up tents, and using ropes and tools; and instructions for striking camp, and packing a first aid kit. The book also teaches the skills needed to use a map and compass correctly to navigate safely in open terrain. A section on nutrition and food shows practical ways to eat and drink on the move, and shows how to safely store food and how to light and cook on an open fire. There are step-by-step photographic sequences to show key techniques in failsafe detail. Everything is illustrated with over 350 stunning, specially commissioned photographs. This is the perfect source book, practical manual and companion for campers of all levels of experience, to aid safety, enhance enjoyment, and improve confidence in every aspect of outdoor living.
Author, Peter G. Drake, has led or been a member of 36 expeditions, visiting 55 countries in five continents. He has been a member of the British Mountaineering council training Committee, Chairman of the Expedition Advisory Centre at the Royal Geographical Society, and Chairman of the Expedition and Training Committee of the Young Explorers Trust.