The Backwoodsman: Primitive Camping (Shelter, Cooking, Tools, and More)

Learn timeless primitive-camping skills while taking a nostalgic look at 28 of The Backwoodsman magazine’s practical and enduring articles.

As a young child, Charlie Richie Jr. used to watch his father build shelters, craft tools, and practice traditional outdoor skills—and fall in love with the Old Ways of Living. In 1979, Charlie Richie Sr. was inspired to create The Backwoodsman magazine, with a mission to preserve and share self-reliant skills that will forever be relevant.

In The Backwoodsman: Primitive Camping, Charlie Jr. collects 28 of the magazine’s best articles focused on setting up and staying comfortably in a primitive camp. Written by experienced outdoorsmen, these selections feature hands-on projects and how-to instructions—often accompanied by diagrams and illustrations—for shelters, tools, camp comfort, and more.

A testament to human ingenuity and the enduring value of traditional craftsmanship in an increasingly technological world, this book ensures that essential outdoor skills and “the art of making” remain accessible to future generations. It offers personal empowerment, creativity, and a deeper connection to the natural world.

If you’re an avid outdoorsperson preparing for off-grid adventures—or simply drawn to traditional skills and self-reliant living—this is an essential book. If you enjoy building, carving, cooking over an open fire, or imagining a functional camp made with simple materials, you’ll appreciate this rugged collection of primitive-camping knowledge for beginners and hands-on adventurers.

Inside you’ll find:

• 28 of The Backwoodsman magazine’s best primitive-camping articles
• Instructions for shelters, camp setup, cooking, tools, and other outdoor skills
• Illustrations and diagrams that support step-by-step learning