Camping and Woodcraft
by Horace Kephart (Author)
Camping and Woodcraft by Horace Kephart is a landmark guide to traditional camping, bushcraft, wilderness travel, and self-reliant outdoor living.
This deluxe, unabridged Legacy Edition combines Kephart’s two-volume work into a single book, following the format of the expanded 1921 edition. Based on material originally published in 1916 and 1917, the combined edition significantly enlarges upon Kephart’s earlier 1906 book, The Book of Camping and Woodcraft.
For generations, Kephart’s writing has served as a trusted reference for campers, hunters, scouts, bushcrafters, historians, and students of traditional outdoor skills. The book contains hundreds of pages of practical instruction, firsthand observations, historical techniques, and advice for living and traveling comfortably in the wilderness.
Volume I: Camping
The first volume focuses on establishing and maintaining a well-organized camp.
Kephart explains how to select and arrange camping equipment, choose tents and bedding, prepare clothing and supplies, and build a functional campsite. Readers will also find detailed instruction on campfire construction, outdoor cooking, handling fish and game, and preparing traditional camp recipes.
Topics include:
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Camping outfits and essential equipment
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Tents, shelters, bedding, and clothing
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Campsite selection and camp organization
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Building and managing campfires
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Dressing fish and wild game
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Traditional camp cooking and outdoor recipes
Volume II: Woodcraft
The second volume expands beyond the campsite and examines the broader skills needed for wilderness travel.
Kephart offers practical guidance on navigation, nature lore, knots, outdoor emergencies, insects and other woodland pests, and the challenges travelers may encounter away from established roads and settlements.
Topics include:
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Wilderness travel and route finding
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Traditional navigation skills
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Knots and practical campcraft
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Nature observation and woodland knowledge
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Managing biting and stinging insects
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Emergency preparedness in remote areas
A Restored Outdoor Classic
This Doublebit Press Legacy Edition presents both original volumes together in the same two-in-one arrangement used for the 1921 publication by the former Outing Publishing Company.
The restored facsimile retains the character of the original work, including numerous vintage line drawings that illustrate tents, camp equipment, tools, knots, and outdoor techniques. These historical illustrations add both practical and collectible value to the book.
Some of Kephart’s recommendations reflect the period in which the book was written, but much of his advice remains useful and relevant. Modern readers can study the development of recreational camping while rediscovering traditional skills that continue to influence bushcraft and outdoor living today.
A Gift for Campers, Hunters, and Bushcrafters
Camping and Woodcraft makes a thoughtful gift for:
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Camping enthusiasts
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Bushcrafters
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Hunters and anglers
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Scouts and outdoor educators
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Wilderness travelers
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Collectors of classic outdoor books
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Readers interested in self-sufficiency and American camping history
Available in paperback and hardcover editions, this professionally restored reprint is intended to preserve Kephart’s work for future generations of outdoorsmen and outdoor readers.
Library of American Outdoors Classics
This book is part of the Doublebit Press Library of American Outdoors Classics, a collection dedicated to preserving influential works on camping, wilderness travel, outdoor skills, and self-reliance.
Modern technology has made many aspects of outdoor life easier, but it has also pushed traditional knowledge further from everyday experience. These classic books preserve skills that have not disappeared so much as been set aside.
By returning these works to print, the series gives today’s readers an opportunity to study the foundations of camping, woodcraft, and practical self-sufficiency while reconnecting with the history of American outdoor life.
Number of Pages: 874
Dimensions: 2.06 x 9 x 6 IN
Publication Date: March 18, 2021
