General Outdoors Skills/Needs Series

Land Navigation Handbook: The Sierra Club Guide to Map and Compass by W. S. Kals


Buy used from: $0.19

Understanding land navigation by map and compass is probably one of the most fundamental skills a person should know unless the entire life is going to be spent in urban areas.

Wilderness Navigation: Finding Your Way Using Map, Compass, Altimeter, & Gps by Bob Burns



Buy used from: $0.99

This one and the next are merely supplements to the first. If you find you enjoy this sort of thing you'll be buying every book on the subject you think will help you.

Orienteering by Steve Boga


Buy new: $13.57
/ Used from: $4.63

This one is for those who truly got excited about the first two.

Beyond Backpacking: Ray Jardines Guide to Lightweight Hiking by Ray Jardine


Buy used from: $42.00

A nice addition to the library of the backpacking veteran.

The Ultimate Desert Handbook : A Manual for Desert Hikers, Campers and Travelers by Mark Johnson



Buy new: $12.21
/ Used from: $10.21

If you plan to spend time in the desert and haven't done so previously, learn as much as you can assimilate about it ahead of time.

98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive by Cody Lundin


Buy new: $11.53
/ Used from: $8.24

This one's general. Gives a lot of advice on a subject we all hope for. A little knowledge can sometimes go a long way.

The Backpacker's Handbook, 2nd Edition by Chris Townsend


Buy used from: $2.56

If you've done a lot of backpacking you don't need this. If you haven't, you might.

Off the Beaten Path by Reader's Digest Editors



Buy new: $19.80
/ Used from: $12.69

These can be helpful, though they tend to all discover the same places.

New Mexico Atlas & Gazetteer


Buy new: $13.57
/ Used from: $12.40

Get the ones for where you are and where you are going to be

Roads of New Mexico (The Roads of) by Frederick


Buy used from: $74.18

A supplement to Delorme, not a replacement

Lost America: The Abandoned Roadside West by Troy Paiva



Buy used from: $12.98

Roadside stuff. My list on Trekking Suggestions will give you more help for back country.

Ghost Towns of the American West by Mario Kaiser


Buy used from: $4.52

I love these places. Unfortunately the ones in books mostly aren't ghost towns anymore.

Roadside History of New Mexico (Roadside History Series) by Francis L. Fugate


Buy new: $18.00
/ Used from: $0.33

Get one for where you are and where you are going

Roadside Geology of New Mexico (Roadside Geology Series) (Roadside Geology Series) by Halka Chronic



Buy new: $12.24
/ Used from: $4.75

A good overview. Same as above

America's Secret Recreation Areas: Your Guide to the Forgotten Wilderness of the Bureau of Land Management by Michael Hodgson


Buy used from: $0.35

The BLM is finally beginning to put out information about their (our) wilderness areas. This one's a good bang for the buck.

ATV Handbook (Chilton's General-Interest Manuals) by The Nichols/Chilton Editors


Buy new: $29.95
/ Used from: $3.69

If you depend on a 4 wheeler to get you to a warm place before dark you are probably going to wish you had this book someday.

Journey to the High Southwest, 7th: A Traveler's Guide to Santa Fe and the Four Corners of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah by Robert L. Casey



Buy used from: $5.38

I'd say pick one or three of these kinds of guides, depending on how much time you intend to spend in an area.

The Rough Guide to Southwest USA, 3rd Edition by Rough Guides


Buy used from: $3.24

The nice thing about this kind of book is that you tend to only have a 50-75 percent overlap in the info they provide.

Hidden Southwest: Including Arizona, New Mexico, Southern Utah & Southwest Colorado (Hidden Southwest, 6th ed) by Richard Harris


Buy used from: $1.73

This one will lead you on some merry chases.

Woodcraft and Camping by George W. Sears Nessmuk


Buy new: $6.95
/ Used from: $3.88

You might think you don't need this book. If you've been in the woods a lot you are probably correct.

GPS Made Easy : Using Global Positioning Systems in the Outdoors by Lawrence Letham



Buy used from: $0.53

You can figure it out on your own, but if you are the kind of person who likes to have some help this book will give you a good feel for the ins and outs of the GPS.

Authentic Outdoor Tilley Hat


Buy new: $66.00

The best outdoors hat in the western world, bar none. It's in my trekking and other lists, also.

Garmin eTrex Legend Mapping Handheld GPS


Buy new: $106.40
/ Used from: $95.00

Shop around on these. This one's good, but if you need something less fancy there are Magellans on the market with more economy. Some are listed on Amazon.

The Lost Adams Diggings: Myth, Mystery and Madness by Jack Purcell



Buy new: $18.96
/ Used from: $17.30

Lots of prospecting, treasure hunting and survival lore you won't find anywhere else.