2022 National Outdoor Book Award Winner in Instructional Outdoor Adventure Guide
Named a Backpacker Magazine "50 Best Hiking Books of All Time"
Refreshingly approachable guide for aspiring backpackers and casual hikers of all stripes
- Colorful and humorous illustrations throughout
- Relatable, rising female voice in outdoor literature
Part critique of modern hiking culture and part how-to guide, How to Suffer Outside is for anyone who wants to hit the trail without breaking the bank. Diana Helmuth offers real advice, opinionated but accessible and based on in-the-field experiences. She wins readers’ hearts and trust through a blend of self-deprecating humor and good-natured heckling of both seasoned backpackers and urbanites who romanticize being outdoorsy, plus a helpful dose of the actual advice a novice needs to get started.
Featuring illustrations by artist Latasha Dunston, each chapter focuses on a critical topic: gear, food, hygiene, clothing, and more, along with useful checklists and resources. Humorous, philosophical, and practical, How to Suffer Outside teaches casual walkers, hikers, and campers of all stripes how to venture outdoors with confidence.
Contributors
- 224 pages
- Mountaineers Books
- 978-1-68051-311-0
- Aug 24, 2021
Reviews and Praise for How to Suffer Outside
Reading Diana Helmuth is like rolling out of your sleeping bag laughing…. Backpacking is the most fun you can have while being utterly miserable. Helmuth helps hikers laugh through the quarter-sized blisters and the freezing rain, and provides useful tips for anyone venturing outdoors.
[How to Suffer Outside] had me giggling out loud as I read it, but it was also filled with so much practical information and fun illustrations that it’s a keeper. Humorous, honest, and useful, this book combines personal anecdotes with research and input from other people to provide reassurance and information about everything you could want to know.
The writing style in this how-to book forges a different path from other works on backpacking. You might say it is cheeky – witty, smart, and often opinionated. If you’ve been dreaming about giving backpacking a try and need a little nudge, author Diana Helmuth is there to give that nudge.
Backpacker Diana Helmuth talks about the realities of getting on the trail in her hilarious book How to Suffer Outside: A Beginner's Guide to Hiking and Backpacking. Diana is skilled at making even the most mundane subjects funny, interesting and informative for everyone.