Ben Gadd has long been an icon of the Canadian Rockies, so who better to write the first comprehensive startup guide aimed at Canada's rookie hikers and backpackers?

Gadd began backpacking in the Rockies as a teenager in the mid-1950s -- before backpacking was even coined as a term for multi-day hikes. Falling in love with his "overnight hikes" in the mountains, Gadd would go on to become a well-known naturalist, hiking guide, conservationist and author of two bestselling books.

But while his other books taught a lot about nature, the Jasper-based Gadd wanted to share his many hard-earned ideas on how to make hiking and backpacking more fun, easy, safe and environmentally friendly.

"It was time to write some of this stuff down before I started to forget," joked the 61-year-old Gadd in a recent interview.

Mission accomplished. The Canadian Hiker's and Backpacker's Handbook: Your How-to Guide for Hitting the Trails, Coast to Coast to Coast (Whitecap Books, $29.95) tells you just about everything you need to know to prepare yourself for a safe and enjoyable hike in the backcountry.

You want comprehensive? In the first half of his book, Gadd explains the basics of walking. (Yes, walking.) This sounds simple until you think about doing it efficiently on uneven ground for hours at a time.

We're not just talking about proper pacing and posture: Gadd gets into stride length, foot placement and foot angle while carrying a pack. He follows up this section with information on how to select clothing, footwear, gear and food for your outings.

Unlike most hiking how-to guides, this book has been written with Canada's climate in mind -- so you won't find any passages advising you to strip to your undies before crossing an icy river.

Beginners who read this book will learn the easy way, instead of having a blister horror story to impress future camping buddies. Even experienced hikers and backpackers can pick up a few tricks and a good refresher from the second half of Gadd's book, which includes a 97-page fictional backpacking trip Gadd uses to give readers a taste of what they're getting into.

Gadd offers great tips on the planning required to make your hike or backpacking trip as safe and enjoyable as possible, and teaches you what to do when things go wrong on the trail.

There are hundreds of colour photos in the attractively designed and well-organized book. Families will appreciate Gadd's tips for bringing children and/or dogs on outings. He delves into the most common calamities such as getting lost, caught in bad weather or injured.

And to help you remember all of his handy advice, he provides a checklist of essentials for summer hikes and backpacking trips at the back of the book.

In a telephone interview with Gadd, we gleaned a few more nuggets of backpacking wisdom from the mountain man:

What is the one piece of gear, other than hiking boots, you won't leave home without? Well, there's 20 things I list at the back of the book. But the one thing I'm always digging for in my pocket is my pocket knife. There's a particular model of Swiss Army knife -- the officer's knife. It's a bit hard to find, but it's a bit beefier than most models (of pocket knives) -- it has two blades, and the smaller one is perfect for digging out splinters. And its scissors are really handy.