Book Review: The Wilderness Paddler’s Handbook

I borrowed this book from my local library and I liked it quite a bit, so I thought I’d post a review here in case you’re looking for a paddling book. I might make book reviews an occasional feature of the blog, or I might end up posting them somewhere else to make them easier to browse. Anyway, here’s a bit about the book:

Softcover, 284 pages, 14 x 1.9 x 21.6 cm

The Wilderness Paddler’s Handbook, by Alan S. Kesselheim, is written for canoeists, but it contains lots of useful information for packrafters as well. The author uses lots of anecdotes and examples to illustrate various points, so it’s a pleasant read, and he’s a skilled writer, so you often feel like you’re there with him. It’s written by an American about paddling in the United States and Canada, but I think most of the information is applicable everywhere. Keep in mind that packing for a canoe trip is different than packing for packrafting because there’s more room in a canoe and you typically do less portaging on a canoe trip, so weight isn’t as much of a factor.

The book has chapters on things like:

• How to plan a trip (from idea to execution)
• Finding paddling partners
• River paddling techniques, including up to moderate whitewater
• Open water paddling techniques
• Choosing a good wilderness camp site and setting up camp
• Solo trips
• Navigating using maps
• Safety and good decision making
• Hazards
• Canoeing gear, including checklists
• Meal planning and recipes
• Bringing infants, toddlers, and kids on trips
• Examples of several different expedition routes in North America

Here’s what I like about it:

• It’s very well written in an engaging and non-intimidating style by someone passionate about the subject.
• There are lots of line drawings and black and white pictures
• The author writes about the psychology of wilderness travel and trip planning, including group dynamics, which is something I haven’t really seen before.
• Reading it makes me want to plan a big trip.

Here’s what I dislike:

• Hasn’t been updated since 2001, so it’s a bit out of date.
• Brief treatment of compass navigation (but there are lots of books specifically about that, so it’s not a big deal).
• I noticed one of the diagrams (showing how to use pulleys) didn’t make sense (the setup shown wouldn’t provide any mechanical advantage).
• Cursory treatment of ocean paddling. (This isn’t surprising, since canoes aren’t the best boats for ocean paddling.)

My recommendations:

• Worth borrowing from a friend or library? Absolutely.
• Worth buying used? Probably.
• Worth buying new? Maybe.

Have you read this book, or do you have another book recommendation? If so, please leave your thoughts below!