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 enlarge | Author: W. S. Kals
Publisher: Sierra Club Books
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy New: $10.10
You Save: $6.85 (40%)
New (30) Used (20) from $8.36
Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 245170
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2nd
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 248
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 4.5 x 0.7
ISBN: 1578051223
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.58
EAN: 9781578051229
ASIN: 1578051223
Publication Date: September 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 6-10 of 10 | | « PREV | | |
 Vastly improved! The new standard for navigation books. July 29, 2005
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
The new edition brings this classic book up to date with digital mapping and GPS technology. It retains much of the content and flavor of the original text yet adds a great deal of material that is helpful today. This handbook teaches the basics of map, compass, and GPS with clear langauage while offering advanced outdoors folks detailed information and tips (there's even information for adventure racers, geocachers, and sea kayakers). The new info, illustrations, and photos make this the best navigation book on the market for anyone who plays in the outdoors.
 Overrated and Outdated December 4, 2004
44 out of 53 found this review helpful
It's beyond me why people recommend this book for first-time backcountry hikers, adventure racers, or backpackers who want to learn how to read a map and use a compass in the wilds. Even the old time-encrusted 'Be Expert With Map and Compass' book is easier to learn with, and that's saying something!
The writers (Kals died years ago, and the book was recently slightly revised and augmented with GPS information) take far too long getting to the point in teaching map and compass fundamentals. Mr. Kals was an amateur sailing enthusiast, not a hardcore wilderness hiker, and this influence shows in his frequent references to this sport - but sea navigation bears little resemblance to wilderness land navigation! Kals' frequent deviations from the relevant topic are worsened by the fact that the book pages are small (you can't even crack the book flat on a table while referring to it and doing a few nav exercises) and the resulting illustrations are less than clear. The whole book reminds me of an old first-year astronomy text - interesting discussions of abstract planetary and magnetic concepts, but very long in coming to the point when it comes to practical instruction. Furthermore, Kals tries too often to be clever when he should be trying to be clear and concise. Even with the so-called revision, it remains a slow-reading book that takes too long to get across the concept of practical back-country navigation in most wilderness environments. I am convinced that someone interested in backcountry navigation will want a modern teaching guide that helps them learn quickly, and not three pages on the virtues of an obsolete 1902 compass design! Oh, and the added-on GPS information is far too scanty to serve as a useful guide - better to master map/compass work first, then try a few geocaching exercises while using the factory instruction manual.
The fact is most every new backcountry navigator will want and need to practice mapreading and compass skills in the field with ANY instruction book. But there are much better instructional texts (and, with easier-to-follow illustrations!) than this one for learning basic map and compass skills, and learning them quickly (try The Essential Wilderness Navigator, for just one example.)
Get this book!!!! it'll be your best choice October 17, 2003
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
This is a great book, it is careful explained, written in plain english, it explains everything about map and compass navigation ...and it goes further explaining about stars navigation, altimeter navigation, scales, cross country navigation and much more!, all explanations are carefully developed to made easy the learning process.If you are looking for a book to get usefull knowledge about land navigation or compass and map skills this your best choice. This is a book for all people, beginers and intermediate users will be pleased and satisfied, the book contains a lot of useful information. Author is an expert!!!, no doubt this is the best book about map & compass navigation and the best choice!
Very Comprehensive and easy to understand August 30, 1999
42 out of 47 found this review helpful
The book discusses in detail every technique that you need to know to become a very good land navigator. It explains very simply and clearly the different types of maps and compasses. Teaching the novice or expert basic and advance navigational techniques which are both simple and practical. So far this is the best book that I have read with regards to land navigation.
A very complete book about land navigation! Excelent! June 12, 1996
30 out of 35 found this review helpful
This book teaches everything from basics to advanced navigation procedures, it even teaches you how to understandthose crazy topographic maps you've got to use when navigating! It's very complete, it's very easy to understand and it comes from those guys who defend the wilderness. Looking for THE book about map & compass? You found it.
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