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The Great Outdoors: A User's Guide: Everything You Need to Know Before Heading into the Wild
“Leonard’s durable tome (seriously, the cover is rubber) is stuffed with so many tips about surviving in the wild, you’ll be able to leave your smartphone behind.”
— Entertainment Weekly , Best New Books
This easy introduction to outdoor life will ensure that even a novice won’t get lost in the woods while finding an activity he loves to do in the great outdoors--whether it’s hiking a 14er or camping on ice. With 400 strategies for engaging in the outdoors, and expert tips and tricks, The Great Outdoors: A User’s Guide makes Mother Nature easier to understand than ever before. Brendan Leonard, writer, filmmaker, and outdoor adventurer , shows the reader how rewarding it can be to live life away from the computer and get outside. From mountain climbing, to skiing, sledding, and sailing, Leonard shows that you don’t need to be a risk taker to enjoy the outdoors. And if the reader does find himself at the point of man vs. nature, Leonard shares survival skills from how to bandage a wound and read a topographical map, to how to drive on sand and remove a tick from your skin—all organized thematically and written in short takeaway entries with helpful line drawings. Bound in a uniquely rugged (and waterproof!) PVC cover material, The Great Outdoors: A User’s Guide is a friendly way into the outdoor lifestyle, whether you're looking to dabble or go all in.
— Entertainment Weekly , Best New Books
This easy introduction to outdoor life will ensure that even a novice won’t get lost in the woods while finding an activity he loves to do in the great outdoors--whether it’s hiking a 14er or camping on ice. With 400 strategies for engaging in the outdoors, and expert tips and tricks, The Great Outdoors: A User’s Guide makes Mother Nature easier to understand than ever before. Brendan Leonard, writer, filmmaker, and outdoor adventurer , shows the reader how rewarding it can be to live life away from the computer and get outside. From mountain climbing, to skiing, sledding, and sailing, Leonard shows that you don’t need to be a risk taker to enjoy the outdoors. And if the reader does find himself at the point of man vs. nature, Leonard shares survival skills from how to bandage a wound and read a topographical map, to how to drive on sand and remove a tick from your skin—all organized thematically and written in short takeaway entries with helpful line drawings. Bound in a uniquely rugged (and waterproof!) PVC cover material, The Great Outdoors: A User’s Guide is a friendly way into the outdoor lifestyle, whether you're looking to dabble or go all in.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published April 4, 2017
About the author
Brendan Leonard
30 books415 followersBrendan Leonard is the creator of Semi-Rad.com and a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Outside, CNN.com, Adventure Journal, Alpinist, Climbing, High Country News, Adventure Cyclist, and dozens of other publications. He lives in Missoula, Montana.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
November 30, 2016
I would like to thank Annie Mazes at Workman Press for the advanced readers copy of this book. My husband, who is an avid hiker/backpacker gave me his review. Although this book would be essential for those beginner backpackers/hikers/skiers, there were some helpful hints for the experienced. Spinning ones arms to make the blood flow to the fingers and hands as well as not to pile on socks for warmth because it restricts the circulation in ones feet. These are just two examples etched in the pages of this guide. Overall, a useful and handy book to have on any journey.
May 8, 2018
Fun to read and actually very informative. I really enjoyed this book.
February 12, 2019
This is a book that truly covers it all. If your outside and want to know what to do, how to do it, and what to do it with, here's you resource manual. A true outdoor bible in an appropriate orange rubber cover.
May 5, 2017
An excellent introduction to how to safely and appropriately head outdoors for folks who think glamping is roughing it. The book is organized into six sections, and each one includes discussion of basic safety, techniques, gear, and some helpful tips on everything from how to drive in the snow to having sex in a tent. The six sections are: Man Versus Wild; Staying Safe; In the Mountains (my personal favourite section); In the Water; In the Backcountry; and On Snow. The book would benefit from some pictures; there are hand-drawn illustrations by Seth Neilson peppered throughout the book, but they don’t always offer the best instruction. For instance, those unfamiliar with poison oak and poison ivy would have been better served with photos. It's also a bit disorganized - why insert the tenting instructions between how to start a campfire and how to collect firewood and split wood? One thing missing from this book is a list of resources, such as websites and suppliers. My thanks to publisher Artisan Book for the ARC provided in exchange for my honest review. See my full review at https://mmbookshelf.wordpress.com/201...
June 26, 2017
I received this book prior to publication to review, but only got around to it after it was already published! This book was so great though- I read it in one sitting and it made me want to go on a hike! First of all the cover is super cool and is made of a sort of flexible silicone or something- great to carry with you when you're outside without ruining the book. The book covered information on being outside, staying alive, mountain activities, water activities, camping, and snow activities. There were a lot of lists in it which I also loved such as reading lists and packing lists for hiking, etc. This is a super great book and incredibly helpful for newbies!
July 9, 2017
The Great Outdoors: A User's Guide was a great introduction and basic overview of a variety of outdoor sports/activities, safety, and other interesting tidbits of knowlege. I especially loved the section on the backcountry, as my sister and I both hike and plan to give backpacking a try this summer. The information there will definately help us a lot in prepping for our first trip and managing the experienece to make it as enjoyable as possible while we are in the wilderness.
December 18, 2017
Fantastic information presented in a concise, easy to read and understand format. Even being an experienced outdoorsman, I feel as if I learned a great deal from this book.
Two complaints. The organization of the material, although acceptable, is far from perfect. Keep relevant information close to each other for goodness sake!
Index should be at the beginning of the book, sort of a table of contents. Should help with issue #1.
Two complaints. The organization of the material, although acceptable, is far from perfect. Keep relevant information close to each other for goodness sake!
Index should be at the beginning of the book, sort of a table of contents. Should help with issue #1.
March 22, 2017
The Great Outdoors by Brendan Leonard is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in late March.
Yes, this book is packed to the gills with many, many things that need to be known in big, double-spaced text and with minimalist graphics, but chapters are loosely gathered around one overlying topic with Q&A-style snippets of information. And, when I refer to snippets, I'm referring to information that barely interrelates and darts off like a bloodhound following five different trails. So, basically, this is a detailed, lengthy book, but - hey, look, trees!
Yes, this book is packed to the gills with many, many things that need to be known in big, double-spaced text and with minimalist graphics, but chapters are loosely gathered around one overlying topic with Q&A-style snippets of information. And, when I refer to snippets, I'm referring to information that barely interrelates and darts off like a bloodhound following five different trails. So, basically, this is a detailed, lengthy book, but - hey, look, trees!
July 17, 2017
Quick read. A nice general all around Q&A book. I think it's great for beginner's starting out, and then as you refine you're interests you can find other more in-depth books on specific topics. Loved the way the sections were divided- makes it easy to find what you're looking for. If you have extra space in your backpack, I recommend bringing it along.
January 8, 2018
Good read for outdoor enthusiasts and beginners alike. There were some pretty common sense things included but if you're brand new to the outdoors, they may not be common sense. And there were definitely some tips that I had never considered. I'll be keeping this one on the shelf for a handy reference for sure.
July 8, 2018
First thing that struck me about this book was its cover - it is unique and durable just like the contents of this book! There is a lot of good information inside the book and lots of useful travel related tips. This is not a one time read. It is a keeper.
September 13, 2019
Cleverly done in question- answer format, the text has useful lists and suggestions for a myriad range of hiking, biking, camping, backpacking, climbing and just plain outdoors and nature questions. Not really a read-straight -through kind of text, but definitely a browser’s delight!
November 3, 2019
Very readable! Covers a very wide variety of topics in Q&A format. Each topic is brief but informative and good for getting some basics and sparking ideas about what you might need to further research before doing different outdoor activities.
December 26, 2020
This book was very helpful for both short day-hikes, as well as for longer outdoor hikes, as well as camping and other outdoor activities. I took lots of notes! I think the only thing I would have appreciated more was a better resource list and some related online links.
April 24, 2021
A pretty entertaining book! I think it would make a nice reference to keep around in case I want to try some new kinds of outdoor experiences. Also, I'm so glad I learned what the "screaming barfies" are!
March 17, 2018
Very basic, but a great primer for outdoors newbies. The physical product is really cool so it would make a great gift.
November 13, 2018
I really enjoyed reading this book. Quite a bit of it is geared toward complete beginners, but there are several tips that even people who are pretty experienced can benefit from.
February 29, 2020
Love the author, but not my favorite book.
October 12, 2020
I loved this book! It had so much great advice, and got me inspired and excited for new adventures!
January 22, 2021
Very informative!
June 14, 2022
Q&A style book, about the very basics of various outdoor activities (hiking, skiing, etc.). Probably not meant to be read front to back exactly, but that’s what I did 🤷🏻♀️
August 17, 2023
Actually a really informative book!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews