View Full Version : The Complete Walker
I looked up this book today to buy, they are up to # 4 of it. Should I buy the latest release or are the older versions better? I’ve bought a books years ago and the older version was better then the updated one. I would like to get the best one of this book. Those of you that have read all updates, what one is best?
If you want a modern treatment, get #4. However, be aware the book is now co-authored by Chip Rawlins. Rawlins is very solid technically, but his style lacks the sort of elegant charm that Colin Fletcher enchanted his earlier three volumes with.
If you want a great mix of conceptual approach and philosophical outlook on backpacking, go with #3. Mine is the 1995(?) revision of #3, originally published in 1984, I think. Not the most up-to-date, but pure Fletcher as he delves into the brave new world of internal frame packs and so forth. I loved it.
Or get them all just to compare the changes in backpacking since the 60's!
I only have III, so I can only say that while most of the nuts and bolts gear topics are dated, the book is a wonderful read for any backpacker. Colin Fletcher was a true backpacking/hiking legend. Topping that off, he's a good writer.
"I had better admit right away that walking can in the end become an addiction, and that it is then as deadly in its fashion as heroin or television or the stock exchange. But even in this final stage it remains a delectable madness, very good for sanity, and I recommend it with passion."
Colin Fletcher's opening to the chapter, "Why Walk?" from "The Complete Walker III"
Or get them all just to compare the changes in backpacking since the 60's!
Has backpacking changed or just the gear? Not being a wise-a**, just curious on what, besides the gear, might be different.
Has backpacking changed or just the gear? Not being a wise-a**, just curious on what, besides the gear, might be different.
When Fletcher started out, LNT wasn't so much an issue simply because so few people were out there to backpack.
I also find it interesting to see how gear changes altered bits and pieces of how Fletcher hiked as well. I love how he described the strange sensation of "plastic warmth" the first time he used only synthetics versus his beloved wool and silk. He did mention how he enjoyed the lighter weight though.
For someone who has always known polypro (before that cotton/poly "dimpled" long-johns), this was a great insight.
This is one of the first books I read that helped me understand a lot about backpacking . I have a very high level of respect for Fletcher. I would encourage anyone to read his books. I could not get enough of them when I first started looking into backpacking. He is original and unique in his styles in the outdoors. That's something you have to admire.
Tipi Walter
02-14-2008, 00:41
Has backpacking changed or just the gear? Not being a wise-a**, just curious on what, besides the gear, might be different.
I don't think backpacking has changed. The thing that has changed is the type of people writing the current backpacking books. Colin was writing from a unique perspective, one part 1830s mountain man, one part Royal Marine, one part Ed Abbey misanthrope and one part modern day gear head. He seemed to view backpacking as sacrament and nature as church, so his ramblings had a lot of reverence for the outdoors and a strong reflection of his born-again love affair with humping big loads in wide open spaces under the banner of freedom.
These kind of backpackers are rare, even rarer are the ones that write about it. I think the best choice would be to get the first edition and the fourth. With the first you get pure Fletcher, with the last you get experience and a lifetime of gear study, along with Rawlins' input. I like the first edition, and can't shake the simple drawing of his Svea 123 stove.
These kind of backpackers are rare, even rarer are the ones that write about it.
I completely and totally agree. He and his experiences is what made me realize what my true passion is....being in the outdoors and taking it all in.
Tipi nails it, as usual. I have an older version also.... bought about 20 years ago. After CF died this year, I decided I ought to have the 4th Edition. It's a different style from his earlier stuff (a "conversation" between Fletcher and Rawlins) and of course the gear references are updated. I'll never read it cover-to-cover, but it's quite amusing at times and is packed full of detailed info on just about any aspect of hiking you can imagine.
Ramble~On
02-14-2008, 07:12
CW III is a good all around book and regardless which edition you end up getting I also have good things to say about Chris Townsend's "The Backpacker's Handbook"
Skidsteer
02-14-2008, 07:39
Chip Rawlins added quite a bit to Walker 4, IMO.
Very entertaining.
ofthearth
02-14-2008, 08:54
If you want a modern treatment, get #4. However, be aware the book is now co-authored by Chip Rawlins. Rawlins is very solid technically, but his style lacks the sort of elegant charm that Colin Fletcher enchanted his earlier three volumes with.
If you want a great mix of conceptual approach and philosophical outlook on backpacking, go with #3. Mine is the 1995(?) revision of #3, originally published in 1984, I think. Not the most up-to-date, but pure Fletcher as he delves into the brave new world of internal frame packs and so forth. I loved it.
Or get them all just to compare the changes in backpacking since the 60's!
Chip Rawlins added quite a bit to Walker 4, IMO.
Very entertaining.
I've got all three earlier editions and wondered if the new one "4" would have much so say given Fletchers situation when it was written. Must say it is as good as the earlier ones. An example is Fletchers discussion/ruminations on snakes. I was kinda of curious/looking for insights after having a close encounter with a large rattlesnake in the middle of no where on the FT. He helps put it all in perspective. Mostly reading for Fletchers style - did not notice/think that Rawlins was a distraction.
ofthearth
02-14-2008, 11:34
suppose to read"have much TO say". Have not figured out edit yet and SO much for spell check........ fixing all problems.
atraildreamer
02-14-2008, 11:37
I bought my copy of #4 on Amazon.com. I bought it for $5 as a used book, and it came to me as a new copy in the cellophane wrapper! A great read! :)
johnny quest
02-14-2008, 11:53
i have complete walker I.... it will be interesting to compare IV to it (as soon as they get it at half-price books)
fletchers other stuff is definitely worth reading too. i love "the man who walked thru time". his advice and musings are pretty timeless. the gear may change some, but the basics dont.
I think the earlier versions were a better read, but the latest is more 'modern' in it's treatment of current technology and thinking.
An earlier version was part of my inspiration for a long hike on the AT back in '73. Thanks to Colin Fletcher I packed a block of mincemeat for every day of the trip. I quickly learned to hate mincemeat. 8-)
lightning
02-14-2008, 12:03
i have 3 and 4. bought 4 to see what else fletcher had to say and for his comments on new gear. i also think chip rawlins did a fine job.
An earlier version was part of my inspiration for a long hike on the AT back in '73. Thanks to Colin Fletcher I packed a block of mincemeat for every day of the trip. I quickly learned to hate mincemeat. 8-)
Funny how some of these old-timers influenced their students and disciples. Ed Garvey comes to mind, with his affection for Dickies clothing... :D.
johnny quest
02-14-2008, 12:17
hey, dickes and cintas uniform pants are the best work pants you can get! i dont know about hiking....might try them.
I've bought all four editions over the years, though as yet I've only scanned version IV. But I sometimes think I may have been the last person to hike with only first edition gear.
hopefulhiker
02-14-2008, 12:27
I really liked Colin's books too.. It was in one of his earlier editions where he showed a picture of a front pack and described the benefits.. I ended up choosing the Luxury lite because it had a front pack.. But I remember the old equipment too..Back in the 70's I hiked with a Svea stove.
Should I live another thirty years, I imagine I'll need another walker... Depends, I suppose... :D
..... i love "the man who walked thru time"....
Sorry for the chop, but I couldn't agree more with johnny quest on this. A great book that I will never forget. Read it and thank us later.:sun
envirodiver
02-15-2008, 01:03
Walker I was an intro to thinking about gear and why I wanted to walk. Loved it. I need to get IV.
Walker I was an intro to thinking about gear and why I wanted to walk. Loved it. I need to get IV.The opening chapter, "Why Walk?" is a joy to read, again and again and again. Kinda like walking.:sun
Check the Library. Might be some fool like me who donated it after reading it.
Or you could, too. I got $25 worth of enjoyment from it!
bigcranky
02-15-2008, 15:39
I bought the 3rd edition when I first started hiking, and it's been read mostly to death. Then I found a good copy of the first edition in a used bookstore -- heaven! Finally, I bought #4 just to see how it turned out, and was pleasantly surprised. Chip is a pretty decent writer after all.
I would highly recommend buying the first and fourth editions.
SunnyWalker
02-22-2008, 23:34
Fletcher and all his books are "must read" for a hiker or camper. In the context he deals with his style is unsurpassed. When I was a youngster my Dad and I were getting all our packs and equipment together and ready to hike on Mt. Jefferson in Oregon. I remember my Dad telling me, "half the fun is getting ready and dreaming about what may be". Well, reading Fletchers books and especially The Complete Walker is like that. Really, really neat.
Does anyone know the title of the poem by Henry he uses in his book IV
Feral Bill
10-30-2008, 16:48
I have I and IV at my bedside for bedtime reading. The interplay between Fletcher and Rawlings in a valuable part of IV. Of course I'm old enough to remember when old school gear was cutting edge.
Has backpacking changed or just the gear? Not being a wise-a**, just curious on what, besides the gear, might be different.
Well the gear has changed a lot .I can remember when silk and wool and fishnet underwear [No I'm not being kinky] was the thing to wear and you soon learned to buy the fishnet shirts with the solid shoulders or run the risk of the weight of your pack leaving permanent grid marks in your shoulders
I truly hope that I'm wrong about this But it looks as if an avocation that used be made up of a lot of non-conformist iconoclastic rugged individual types now has attracted a certain amount of conformist types [within the genre]who honestly believe that there is a right way to do things and there are right pieces of gear to carry and woe to the hiker who doesn't buy into the current methode du jour
<snip>
I truly hope that I'm wrong about this But it looks as if an avocation that used be made up of a lot of non-conformist iconoclastic rugged individual types now has attracted a certain amount of conformist types [within the genre]who honestly believe that there is a right way to do things and there are right pieces of gear to carry and woe to the hiker who doesn't buy into the current methode du jourWell, unfortunately you are right to a certain extent. Other than that, backpacking is still a blast!
mkmangold
10-31-2008, 01:58
Does anyone know the title of the poem by Henry he uses in his book IV
What page is that on?
I have the "New CW" (1974) and "CW 4" which dramatically summarizes my life. I used the first extensively during my college years. For twenty years it sat on my bookshelves (like me sitting in my recliners) while I was married to a non-hiker. Now that I have found someone who shares my passion, I use "CW 4" as my mentor and inspiration. The other guy's input is too New Agey for me but overall it is worth the price.
Skidsteer
10-31-2008, 07:56
What page is that on?
Page 122 in CW IV.
Yes it’s a great before you go to bed read at night allot of experience is in those pages, but I’m still to figure out what poem by Henry that is. I for one would like to have those two as professors at the University of Life
Skidsteer
10-31-2008, 10:04
Yes it’s a great before you go to bed read at night allot of experience is in those pages, but I’m still to figure out what poem by Henry that is. I for one would like to have those two as professors at the University of Life
I'm not sure it was by Henry. The last couple lines are not really his style. The reference to Henry is just a clue, I'm thinking.
Thanks I will keep searching
Feral Bill
10-31-2008, 20:25
Yes it’s a great before you go to bed read at night allot of experience is in those pages, but I’m still to figure out what poem by Henry that is. I for one would like to have those two as professors at the University of Life
I believe it is a reference to one of Shakespeares history plays. Henry the whatever. It is explained somewhere.
I have read & re read all 4 of the CWs, IMHO they are timeless!
I like the first 3 best, but #4 is more up to date.
When any of my non hiking friends want a referance to read to start hiking, I hand them a copy of #3, or send them to the library for #4. Only after they have read a CW do I suggest they read Ray Js book. I feel it is best to build the foundation with Colin's books FIRST, THEN put up the walls & roof with Ray Js fine work.
I still read Colin Fletcher's Complete Walker from time to time, & even after all this time hiking, I still find some new words of wisdom inside.
hopefulhiker
11-02-2008, 08:14
I read the first one many years ago and it influenced my hiking style including the use of a front pack.
I read the first one many years ago and it influenced my hiking style including the use of a front pack.
Me too, except for the front pack. Never bought any cordorory shorts either. I do like bamboo walking staffs tho.
Everytime I've reread his description of a typical day I want to immediately start planning a trip somewhere.