5 comments about How to Hike the A.T.: The Nitty-Gritty Details of a Long-Distance Trek.

1. If you are getting ready or have just thought of hiking the AT or someother long distance trail you must read this book to prepare yourself for the challange. She has done it and then some.
   A Must Read!



2. She did the research and product testing; so you don't have to. Just read the book, follow her suggestions, buy the appropriate gear, prepare physically and mentally for the journey. Enjoy yourself!



3. This guide to how to prepare for a Thru Hike is one of the best I have seen, except for one chapter, Chapter 5, Getting Your Gear On, The Pack.
   
   Little is more important than sellecting a good pack. The author does not fairly state the advantages and disavantages between internal and external packs. To say that the external frame pack was used mainly between the 50's and the 70's on the AT is totally misleading and incorrect. External frame packs have been the backbone of hiking the AT. They still should be considered, when choosing a good durable, sturdy, highly useable, yet comfortable pack for a thruhike.
   
   For good reading, to help you select the best pack for your Tru Hike, I would recomend, Long Distant Hiking, Lessons from the AT by Roland Mueser, Backpacker & Hiker's Handbook by William Kemsley Jr. or The Appalachian Trail Hiker by Victoria and Frank Logue,
   
   After becoming well informed, go to a GOOD pack shop and try on the various packs you read about. Don't be pressured into buying the pack that the salesperson is currently pushing. Know for your self what to look for in a good pack and why. Your salesperson may be into the current fad of Ultra Lite Backpacking, but is a super lite, one large pocket frameless pack, your best choice for a tru hike?.
   
   The rest of the book is very well written and I recomend it highly.



4. This is an excellent review of more or less modern approaches to backpacking in general, which means more than just the AT.



5. This is a good starter book for the rookie hiker that wants to hike the AT and has no idea where to begin.
   The book has a lot of basic information for the non-hiker who wants to tackle the AT.
   Using this book will get you off on the right foot.
   Big Mike

5 comments about Fisherman's Ultimate Knot Guide.

1. I am very happy on this product and the timeframe on which I recieved it.



2. I bought a couple of these for my wife's an my tackle boxes. The are made of sturdy plastic and seem like they should last a while. The instructions for the knots are easy to read. My only concern is the medal grommets that hold it together...I don't know if they will rust eventually if they get wet. I'm happy with these and actually going to order a couple more right now as gifts for people.



3. This is quite an informative product. Never knew how to tie these knots for fishing. Learned a lot. Thanks



4. the materials and printing is first rate.... i was not home when the package arrived with several books an the knot tier instruction... funny thing that when my father gave me the package... the knot tier instruction was not there.. is that well made!



5. As I've stated in some of my other reviews, it was about 24 years between fishing trips for me and getting started again, I wanted to get my knots down again so I was not immediately giving all of my tackle to the lake and fish as free gifts. This item is simple, clear & easy to use. It holds up very well in the elements and can be tucked in any small pocket or just about anywhere in your tackle box or vehicle. It's a great go anywhere aid that you can't beat for the price.

5 comments about Modern Midges: Tying and Fishing the World's Most Effective Patterns.

1. after so many years final, a reference book with patterns of many well know fly fisherman from around the world . this book has it all, if you are a novice or an advice and season veteran, this book will become the "holly grail" of fly fisherman . as a guide this is the most important food source for trout ,every fly fisherman should have these patterns in your box, Photo's and input is fantastic i highly recommend this book!
   
   combine this with ralph & lisa cutter dvd of "bug of the Under world " will give you the true study and understanding of aqutic midge life and to mimic there movement.and behavior. its is one of the most under utilized ways to true catching trout. if you become profecence asa fly fishman fishing midges , you will outt fish most fly fisherman on the stream.



2. Modern Midges is an outstanding book. Every serious flyfisherman should have this book in his fly fishing library. The photography is great; the tying instructions are clear and easy to follow; and the articles, by prominent midge fishermen, are very useful. I would highly recommend this book.



3. Excellent
   One of the best reference books I own. The spiral binding makes it very easy to keep in front of you while you tie many of the excellent midge patterns. This book contains patterns from many different and famous tiers from all over the world. Great pictorials of many patterns for tiers of all skill levels. I highly recommend this book to all who tie flies.



4. This book is great for the tier who is new to the bench or has tied for years you need this book.



5. This book was made for tiers, not for coffee tables. The book has a ring type binding which makes it easy to flip to reference other pages and the pages do not get damaged. You can close the book from at any point and the pages will not get damaged or worn at the binding. Comes with very clear pictures, vibrant colors and recipies are included for every midge. The tips at the back of the book provide some insight on how to fish the midge in different situations.

5 comments about Guide to Fly Fishing Knots: A Basic Streamside Guide for Fly Fishing Knots, Tippets, and Leader Formulas.

1. I thought this was a good guide to keep with me - it is fairly straight-forward, and easy to follow, as well as being easy to reference quickly.



2. great reference for a great price. I've been learning how to fly fish and it's extremely valuable for a person who never learned how to tie knots. It's broken down into line backing, backing to line, line to leader, leader to tippet, tippet to fly. very specific and very easy...



3. This was a Christmas stocking stuffer for my husband. He is an avid fly fisherman and loved the book.



4. This pocket booklet has all the necessary fishing knots and angler will need in the field. It also has good diagrams on how to tie each knot. I will put this booklet in my fishing box or vest and carry it in the field all the time. It is not too big and not too small, but just the right size to put into a zip-lock bag.



5. This a handy little book, the only dislike is that the pages are not waterproof.

5 comments about The L.L. Bean Ultimate Book of Fly Fishing (L. L. Bean).

1. A great primer for those new to Fly Fishing. I bought it as an introduction for my nephews so that we could enjoy the sport together



2. This is definitely a good book if you want to get started in fly fishing.



3. I am a complete neophyte to fly fishing.
   
   This book covers every detail which I can think of. It might as well be an encyclopedia for fly fishing.



4. I just started fly fishing and this book has proved to be an excellent buy. recommend that anyone interested in the sport first invest in themselves by taking a lesson from a professional fly fishing instructor (i found mine on craigslist in Houston - Robert Logan - highly recommend him). after you take a basic lesson, this book makes a lot of sense and provides you with indepth science of fly fishing as well as insane amount of pictures, drawings, and step by step instructions on how to do it all - from soup to nuts. does do a very light sell on LL Bean products/services, but nothing overbearing or too in your face.



5. This book was much more informative to a new trout fisherman than the Amazon recommended The Orvis Fly-Sishing Guide, Completely Revised and Updated with Over 400 New Color Photos and Illustrations. I bought both books, along with The Orvis Guide to Beginning Fly Fishing: 101 Tips for the Absolute Beginner, as a package from Amazon. This book was quite a bit more informative than the Orvis book. While expected promotion of the Orvis brand, the Orvis book is practically a sales catalog for the Orvis brand, whereas the LL Bean book focused more on casting techniques and other much needed information, that was less in depth with the Orvis book. Also, the Orvis book dedicates way too many pages to fly tying, well over 1/3rd of the book, an art that is surely lost on the beginner fly fisherman. I firmly believe that most new fly fisherman will buy flys for quite a while before beginning to tie their own. There is so much to learn and practice in fly fishing to take on the art of fly tying in my opinion.

5 comments about Boy Scouts Handbook: The First Edition, 1911 (Dover Books on Americana).

1. This is a great book showing the scout perspective. The other half is the Handbook For Scout Masters 1914 recently reprinted. The two show both sides of the picture and are both funny from their angle.
   
   Lot of info is out of date here, such as their dietary and first aid, but that is what makes it fun.



2. This is a fun book and all Scouts should own one. We see how some things change, but we also see how some things don't. Truths remain true and common sense and good remain so as well. Pick one up!



3. The book is an exact replica of the 1911 handbook, right down to the ads. A must have, especially for the centennial.



4. Anyone that spends any time in the great outdoors owes it to themselves to get this book.
   It's jam-packed with timeless tips to make even a greenhorn look like a seasoned old pro.
   Plus...it's a doorway back to a kinder time that bears remembering.



5. The Boy Scouts Handbook provides a wealth of information on character building and self-sufficiency. We should all be mentored in preparedness.

No comments about North by Northwestern: A Seafaring Family on Deadly Alaskan Waters.

4 comments about An Entirely Synthetic Fish: How Rainbow Trout Beguiled America and Overran the World.

1. This book blew me away. Incredible storytelling, amazing history. I'll never look at trout the same way again. If you like to fish or have any interest at all in environmental history and our relationship with the natural world, this book is a must read. I'd highly recommend it.



2. Sometime within the past ten years or so I became interested in native fish. I have nothing against any species, I just like to see fish that are "supposed" to be in a watershed, in that watershed, not some other species occupying that water. This desire to find native species in their native range has taken my fishing buddy and me to some out-of-the-way little creeks--we're talking about places in the middle of the desert 100 miles from the nearest town. Creeks whose widths are measured in inches, not feet. But it doesn't seem to matter where we go, how far away from "civilization" we get, we still come across water stocked with non-native species. Many of these places were stocked long before motorized travel was possible. And I've wondered what possessed people to stock fish in such places.
   
   Anders Halverson's new book, An Entirely Synthetic Fish: How Rainbow Trout Beguiled America and Overran the World, answers that question for me. In a fascinating look at the social and political maneuverings of the late nineteenth century through the present, Anders' meticulous research lays bare some interesting tidbits of the stocking policies of the United States.
   
   One such gem is that the government was worried about the strength of the nation's men: that they had "notoriously less hardihood and endurance than the generation which preceded [their:] own" (George Perkins Marsh, congressman and diplomat from the mid-1800's). This description was given in a report by Marsh under the auspices of the Legislature of Vermont on the Artificial Propagation of Fish. He further stated that "the sports of the chase" (angling being one of them) was a way to increase the hardiness of the Americans. At this time, many waterways were already seeing a decline in fish numbers and the artificial propagation of fish was seen as a way to increase those numbers. With the urge to increase the robustness of its men, and the decline fish population the underpinnings were there for the introduction of non-native species.
   
   Last year Eccles (from the Turning Over Small Stones blog) and I had a discussion about the terms "Fish and Game" and "Fish and Wildlife" as used in various agencies: Why were the terms "fish" and "game" separate? Shouldn't it just be Game or Wildlife, as in "Utah Game" or "US Wildlife Service" since fish are a type of game and fish are a type of wildlife? Anders informs us that by the 1870s congress formed the United States Fish Commission to help tackle the problem of declining fish stocks, thus becoming the first governmental agency involved with animal husbandry in the US. At a later time, the "game" and "wildlife" were added as the agency expanded. So, in my mind at least, this solves the mystery.
   
   How the rainbow trout became the darling of the US Fish Commission, and just about every other angling agency in the world, is an interesting tale that Anders starts in San Francisco in 1872 with Livingston Stone looking for spawning salmon. He eventually found the McCloud River and began propagating salmon. By 1879 they were looking for a place on the McCloud to begin propagating trout as well. And they did, with astounding success.
   
   Besides the historical ventures Anders skillfully and delightfully takes the reader on, he also dissects the biology of the stocking programs, covering the hardiness of a stock that is constantly used for breeding to whirling disease. He discusses the loss of native species and the response (or lack of it) of individual state fish and game departments, how some of them have switched from stocking to conservation.
   
   This brings up an interesting problem that many fish and game departments need to tackle: what is their responsibility when sportsmen (who pay for licenses whose money is then possibly used to bankroll conservation and restoration instead of stocking), clamor for more catchable fish?
   
   Through all of these topics Anders uses a reporters zeal for facts (there are approximately 475 sources listed in the bibliography) and detachment, thereby keeping an even keel on reporting the facts and not stepping on a soapbox to expound one particular side over another. Even with this professional detachment, there is a keen sense of understanding and compassion shown for the stories he tells. For, if nothing else (but there is a lot of "else"), the book is full of stories told with the storyteller's art.



3. In the few months since its publication, Anders Halverson's An Entirely Synthetic Fish has capture imaginations of a wide ranging audience - from avid fly fishers to the Diane Rehm Show, and rightfully so. In An Entirely Sythetic Fish, Halvers deftly tells the tale of how well intended programs have gone utterly wrong, putting the treasures of trout anglers at risk, while simultaneously spreading the joy of trout fishing around the globe.
   
   The story of the rainbow trout is one of tinkering, and along the way we lost some of the parts. It begins in 1872 on California's McCloud River, where Spencer Baird, Livingston Stone and the fledgling United States Fish Commission sought to restore America's dwindling fish stocks, as well as American cultural virility, through the new science of fish culture. What started in the American West quickly became a global enterprise.
   
   The native home of the rainbow spans the Pacific Rim, from Kamchatka to Mexico. Yet, through the waves of aesthetics, politics, and sporting organizations rainbow trout now swim on every continent, save Antarctica. In exploring that journey, Halverson tells a tale that is as much environmental history as it is American political history. We learn as much about key players like Stone as we do the fish itself, and how it was been steered by cultural values and financial gain, angler preferences and ecological manipulation. As an ecologist Halverson researched an engaging story filled with depth and critical insight and told with the deft skill of an accomplished journalist.
   
   Halverson adds a refreshing and crucial perspective to that history. If you are interested in fishing history, fish biology, environmetnal or political history or simply want to read an intriguing story of the intricate relations between humans and animals this is a must read.



4. When he was a high school student, my wife and I took Anders and his family fishing in our favorite British Columbia coastal river. He was already an accomplished fisherman, lover of the outdoors, and pleasant companion.
   
   Two nights of reading are the equivalent of an excellent college course in the history and propagation management of trout in North America. Particularly interesting is the effect "public choice theory" has had on this course of events. One of the author's principal points is that laws are enacted assuming the administrating agencies will act rationally and in the public good. In reality however, their staffs are led subconsciously and consciously towards ends which meet their own perceived needs and this has greatly influenced the process.

5 comments about The Gun Digest Book Of Concealed Carry.

1. It's a great book with lots of very practical advice on concealed carry. I would also recommend the Combat Handgunnery and In the Gravest Extreme books usually offered together. Combat Handgunnery is a much better resource for the 'how to use a handgun in defense' aspect. Concealed Carry is more focused on how to carry the gun. In the Gravest Extreme deals well with the legal aspects of firearms in self defense. I've read all three (this one most recently) and can't really single out one as most important. If I were forced to choose I might pick Combat Handgunnery as it touches on concealed carry and focuses on the skills that would allow you to effectively use the handgun in defense. That said, I own both and have read In the Graves Extreme (it's available at most libraries).



2. "GDB: Concealed Carry" should be your first read if you are contemplating carrying a handgun for self-defense...or using any gun in home-defense, for that matter. The discussions of holsters and carry methods are extensive (nine full chapters!), including detailed, illustrated explanations on drawing techniques from various carry locations.
   
   In a refreshing change of pace, the section on defense ammunition is based on practical results from investigated shootings and insights from law enforcement instead of the usual laboratory ballistics testing.
   
   A critical undercurrent throughout is what to expect if you ever have to face a prosecutor or plaintiff's attorney in court after a self-defense shooting, i.e. Why did you choose THAT bullet to shoot the victim? (Yeah,that's the word they'll use.)
   
   As I say, this book should be your first read on the subject. Your second read should be Ayoob's classic In the Gravest Extreme: The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection. Both make fine additions to a reference library on self-defense weaponry.



3. Ayoob has been carrying weapons and writing about self defense with firearms longer than most of us have been alive. I recently decided to carry a concealed weapon since I live in a state where it is allowed. We have long had weapons around our home for home defense, but with things as they are these days, carrying a concealed weapon sounded better and better.
   
   Not knowing much about it, I wanted to read whatever I could, and literally everyone I spoke to who knew anything about it referred me to Ayoob.
   
   The book is a little dated - especially some of the photos - but the information is virtually timeless. Ayoob writes in a conversational style that makes it easy to read and understand. This book will give you a decent introduction to the topic.
   
   NOTE: No book, no matter how good, can take the place of hands-on instruction with your own weapon. Get this book and read it if you are considering carrying a concealed weapon; but ALSO be SURE to sign up for a professionally-taught course on the subject.



4. A learnt a lot from this book about concealed carry techniques, holsters, limitations ,tactics. Overall a must read. My only complaint, and the reason behind the 4 stars and not 5, is that it would have been very useful to show with more photos and of better quality the various holsters mentioned in the text. It is confusing sometimes to distinguish between the various alternatives, many of which are not showed in the pics. A good work overall, but lacking some useful pics on many occasions.



5. I've read (and reviewed) several books on the topic of concealed carry of handguns over the past few years, and I can say without reservation that of those I have read, this is clearly the best all-around book on the topic.
   
   A top law enforcement official, trainer, and gun writer for decades, Massad Ayoob is a top-notch expert on everything pertaining to the subject of carrying concealed hanguns for self-defense. He's also a well-above-average writer, too, unlike more than a few "gun writers" out there. He's able to get across a massive amount of information and keep it fun and entertaining to read at the same time. The book is very multifaceted, covering in detail everything from guns, ballistics, legal issues, hoslters, carry positions, and much more.
   
   I can't recommend this book enough -- from neophyte to expert to all points in between, I think virtually everybody will learn things from this book.

5 comments about Abc's Of Reloading: The Definitive Guide For Novice To Expert.

1. Great book for your library of reloading manuals and books. Has great detail and lots of good information about the specifics of reloading.



2. Why do I give this book 4 stars, but still give a critical statement about it in the title of my review. Well, for starters, this book is written in magazine style as I call it. The author typically puts out a lot of information in the style of a magazine article. What this means is that as problems crop up, you are ushered to a purchasable solution at your local store. Why is this NOT a good writing style, because it costs you unnecessary money and shows a gross lack of thought and research on the part of the author. It is almost like the author did a lot of research, but has not had a lot of practical experience on the subject that he writes about.
   
   What I did not like about the book at hand was that it recommended full length resizing of the cartridge casing (fine if you are using it in an automatic rifle, NOT necessary at all if you are using a bolt action rifle). Full length resizing stresses the cartridge too much, compared to neck sizing it. This leads to premature cartridge casing failure (if you do not periodically ANNEAL the cartridge case neck) Annealing is NEVER mentioned in the book. What the author recommends is full length cartridge case resizing, no annealing, inspect casing for damage, discard damaged (which could have been prevented by ANNEALING). Thanks, more stuff to BUY. Us old guys neck size cartridges and anneal them every 4th or 5th loading to preserve our brass. BUY is a word used by marketing driven magazine writers, NOT old reloaders who know their stuff. Further more, Once a cartridge is fired in a rifle it has had its headspace perfectly adjusted for that gun. Just neck size it and periodically anneal it by standing the cases up in a pan of water and heating the neck red hot before knocking them over. Then deprime, neck size, reprime and reload them. Cases can last a lot longer and shoot a lot more accurately if this procedure (not mentioned in the book) is followed.
   
   In the books defense, it is a decent read and will give you a lot of good information about reloading your own bullets.
   
   Happy reading, Darian Paganelli



3. This book is great. Before I started target shooting I had no idea about reloading cartridges. After an hour or two of reading this book I am sure if I purchased the required equipment I could safely reload cartridges. It covers every aspect of the subject and is written in plain english.
   Great buy.



4. The book is excellent in that it gives great detail and explains the science and logic behind each step. I use it as a reference now.



5. This book is grreat. I know nothing about reloading but wanted to start. This book is well written, clearly explains everything and is otherwise very useful.
   
   A "must have" purchase.