Past Tents : The Way We Camped

? The early days of camping and outdoor excursions in California and the West ? From the lone backpacker to the ?bring it all with you? camper the antecedents of today's outdoor scene are shown here in all their glory ? Rare historic photos are a treat for many audiences Californians were always on the move and the Bancroft Library collection has an unbeatable record of how they explored and revelled in the mountains and outdoors from the earliest days. Some will find the material here humorous and others will marvel at how much (or how little) our idea of enjoying the outdoors has changed. It is hard to imagine how people struggled to get themselves and their equipment out there. On closer examination it is not at all hard to see that gear, clothing, and transport have changed but the modern camper or today's Sierra Clubber has a remarkable connection to the folks in this book.