Foreword

Perhaps you have a yen to track down the Abominable Snow­man. Perhaps you are an expert organizing an expedition to the Peruvian Andes. But it is much more likely that you are just a lover of the outdoors who would like to get a little farther away from civilization than a row of diapers hanging in a trailer camp. You might be an ardent rock climber and mountaineer, but there are more of you who just want to camp and hike away from the crowd. I am one of the latter, Gerry Cunningham is one of the former. But whichever you are you need equipment and it is not always easy to come by.

I have watched enviously as Gerry turned out beautifully crafted tents, packs and sleeping bags, but the budget wouldn't stretch. "Why don't you make your sleeping bags?" he asked one day as I was scratching my head over a "minimum" list for six. He showed me, and I did, and this project was begun.

We knew that for every overloaded camper suffering with in­ferior equipment, and for every enthusiastic climber who had had to settle for second or third best, there must be a hundred who were looking for some solution to the problem of camping gear. Gerry is the expert, designer and man with the know-how. I ask the stupid questions and put down the answers. We hope the result will interest expert and layman alike. Patience and prac­tice with these projects will get you a really fine outfit.

Meg Hansson

The Bible warns against starting to build a house too large to finish. I hope authors of technical books are absolved of this ad­monition. It was weeks after our proposed publication date that I realized we would never be able to get all the data on all the last minute developments no matter how long we delayed. We did manage to include Velcro Tape, but not the new all molded nylon zippers. We have the data on some of the latest materials for sleeping pads but not on a whole family of new foam plastics. Our fabrics chart is complete except for condensation properties about which we are just beginning to learn something. However, we anticipate a continued and growing popularity for this book and a new edition every two or three years will bring such details up to date. More and more of my own time is being devoted to research which is bound to be of interest to all who live in the out­doors.

I could not close this foreword without an expression of grati­tude to my co-author who has taken all the hodge-podge of data that I was able to dig from my files and has transformed it into a readable book. She has also contributed the valuable layman's eye view of my sometimes obscure reasoning so that if you under­stand what follows, you have only her to thank.

Camping, whether done as an adjunct to fishing, hunting, mountain climbing, skiing, or simply for its own sake, is a wonder­ful sport. In fact, to paraphrase skiing's Otto Schniebs, "Camping is more than just a sport, it is a way of life." It has its own chal­lenges, its own rewards, each vastly different, more basic, and hence very refreshing change from our everyday hustle and bustle. It is our fond hope that this book will not only allow those of you who couldn't otherwise afford it to get out into the open, but will also give those already indoctrinated a few hints on how to do it more comfortably.

Gerry Cunningham

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