Backpacker magazine revisited

[baden 10]

A couple of weeks ago there was a thread on the forum about a perceived anti-Scouting slant in Backpacker magazine. I wandered past a newsstand yesterday and picked up a copy of the Feb. 2007 issue to give it a looksee. There is a very brief article (Letter to the editor, really) on page 13 written by a Scout Leader from Utah that is very positive. It is about taking some teenagers on a backpacking trip last summer.

 

Read through the rest of the magazine and enjoyed a primer on family camping, an article listing the best day hikes in all 50 states, and some good info on winter camping. All useful for Scout leaders. Plenty of gear reviews and articles about long distance backpacking trips most of us will never pull off, but I'm considering re-subscribing.

[BadenP 93]

baden

 

I agree with you, I also think Backpacker is a good magazine but there are a core of individuals in here who if they read or hear any negative comment about the BSA brand that magazine or individual as being a product of "liberal, left wing ,Democratic propaganda." Those same individuals then try to squelch any meaningful discussion on the topic.

 

A forum is supposed to be a place where differing opinions and ideas are discussed freely and without malice, however there are some in this forum that do not understand that or refuse to allow it. That is a loss for all of us.

[Gonzo1 10]

I like Backpacker magazine, I also like Scouting and Boy's Life. It's too bad there aren't more articles like those in Backpacker in Scouter and Boy's Life.

 

Maybe some cross talk could happen, that is, Boy's Life and Scouting put some of their stuff in Backpacker and vice-versa.

[bowhunt120 10]

Scouting gets a quick glance and tossed into the garbage. Even in the 7 years I have been a Cub leader, the content of articles has shifted away from anything of substance for the serious scout leader, to fluffy feel good topics that don't really help on a day-to-day basis. Even "Front Line Stuff" has become a questionable source of ideas and help.

On the other hand, I enjoy Backpacker. I don't subscribe - I grab one off of the newstand when an article catches my interest. I read one about a "yo-yo" trip on the Pacific Crest Trail. I may never do it myself, but there is a great deal to be learned about woodscraft from those types of adventure articles.

[Its Me 10]

 

Many posters in the Backpacker forums are former scouts. The anti-scout slant may come from encounters with scouts on the trail. Posters have nemtioned how the boys can be noisey and that all they ever get asked from a boy scout is "how far to the next...".

 

In general what's good for scouting is good for backpacker magazine.