Lightweight backpacking is safer, more comfortable, less expensive, and more fun than conventional/heavy backpacking. This engaging, colorful book demonstrates how and why. It is written by Andrew Skurka, the charismatic adventure athlete who has defined the light-and-fast style of backcountry travel and who was described by National Geographic Adventure as a "Gen Y version of Henry David Thoreau or John Muir." Skurka is a sponsored athlete, paid speaker, and writer who has created his own platform and is making a living doing it. He gives dozens of lectures a year, maintains a website and facebook page, and has thousands of followers. The guide begins with a big-picture discussion about lightweight backpacking: why go light, core principals, steps to lighten up, etc. A show-and-tell of lightweight gear follows, including an assortment of packs, shelters, stoves, clothing, and more. The author's personal vignettes are sprinkled throughout the book, making this is an intimate, inspiring, educational tome that might very well be worth reading for the stories alone. For years, hikers have turned to Colin Fletcher's bestselling classic The Complete Walkerfor sage hiking advice (dubbed the "Hiker's Bible" by Field & Stream). That book is now long outdated (last pubbed in 2002), and Skurka's guide is poised to take its place. There's nothing else out there on walking that's as all-inclusive or reliable.