When I go backpacking or canoeing, I like to travel as light as possible. I have a long-running debate with one of my tripping partners about whether strands of contraband dental floss that he smuggles among his belongings are what make our portages so miserable. As a result, I rarely bring books with me on backcountry trips. If I wasn’t wound so tightly, here are some of the best summer reads I’d recommend for around the campfire or in the ultralight minimalist hammock.
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Unbound, by Bill Donahue
This one’s a slam dunk for any endurance person. If you’ve read Donahue’s writing, either here in Outside or elsewhere, you know that his stories are never quite what you expect—not just a superficial athlete profile or simple retelling of some event. He’s always probing a little deeper, looking for twists and trying to understand the whys. The results are also, in many cases, hilarious.
This collection…
