| What is the purpose and scope of this book? This publication is intended to be a general guideline for equipment needs for a wide set of popular outdoor recreation activities. We do not tout this as an everything-you-need-to-know-about-equipment manual, but rather an entry- and intermediate-level book which identifies key features of outdoor equipment that you should consider before proceeding on your adventure or before purchasing. Some advanced gear is discussed for those thinking to move beyond the intermediate level. For more detailed information, we would steer you to the reference books listed near the end of this book and to the many excellent outdoor recreation shops which sell individual activity gear. The equipment lists and top-level equipment tradeoffs were compiled by a group of individuals with expertise across the activities. The detailed equipment lists are necessarily broad in order to cover the four seasons as well as regional differences. They! include door-to-outdoor item considerations, i.e. from auto anti-freeze to recreation gear for cold-weather activities. As a fallout, this book might serve to identify alternate activity uses for gear you already own. It may also assist you in selecting gear which will best serve multiple activities, given that you don t have the pocketbook to buy the optimum gear for each activity. The intent is not for the reader to take every listed item to the great outdoors, but rather to tailor his or her needs from a large list of items, picking and choosing between necessities and conveniences, subject to packing space and weight limits. In many cases, outdoor gear can be carried in by one member for use by the group. The lists are laid out for convenient multiple-activity use, e.g., where a camping trip is planned with mountain biking and/or water sports conducted out of the base camp. There obviously will be gear that is overlooked because it is not part of our group s repertoire. Since each user may also have unique needs that are not listed, space is provided to add to the base checklists. The book focuses on equipment, however there are limited discussions on how best to live with Mother Nature scattered throughout. How is the book organized? A short description of the best method for use of this book is provided initially. In the SAMPLE CHECKLIST section which follows, the checklist organization is discussed and a filled-in example is provided for camping (VEHICLE-ACCESSIBLE CAMPING activity) combined with mountain biking (MOUNTAIN BIKING-Daytime activity). Next, the GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS section discusses the responsibilities of people in the outdoors to themselves, to others and to the environment. The book s core is in the EQUIPMENT SELECTION section; this starts by describing the specific need for and characteristics of each item in the VEHICLE-ACCESSIBLE CAMPING activity, since these tend to be items which are common to many of the subsequent activities. Beyond are the checklists and item discussions for hiking (HIKING, BACKPACKING), climbing (GLACIER/WINTER CLIMBING, ROCK CLIMBING), biking (BICYCLE TOURING, MOUNTAIN BIKING), winter sports (ALPINE SKIING, NORDIC SKIING/SNOWSHOEIN! G, SNOWMOBILING), boating (CANOEING, KAYAKING, SAILING, POWERBOATING), water sports (WATER SPORTS) and fishing (INLAND FISHING, SEA FISHING) in that order. FIRST AID and MEALS, which are common to all activities, are provided with their own checklists. The LIST of PRIORITY GEAR follows, identifying key equipment that is common to many activities. Next is the REFERENCE section containing a few selected sources that provide additional detail in the individual activity areas. (Some are reference standards. Others are lesser-known, but highly informative sources. View this as a "starter-kit" list.) Finally, the INDEX is key to finding descriptive information for specific equipment items, since items common to many activities may be discussed in elsewhere in the book. |
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