How to make outdoor equipment that will meet the demands of the serious outdoor person.Outdoor people don't make their own gear to save money. The fly fisherman who ties his own flies or makes her own rods will readily admit, if they are honest, that they have more money tied up in inventory and tools than they would ever have spent on store-bought flies or fly rods. The same is true for the handloader who puts together ammunition for hunting or for target practice, or the duck hunter who carves his/her own decoys. Economy isn't the objective; it is the satisfaction of making something and then seeing it do what it was designed to do. And, they will argue, what they make is better than what they can buy. And, they are right!

Besides the great outdoor equipment you can build from this book there is detailed information on the use of epoxy technology - the greatest boon to the outdoorsman since the birch bark canoe. Cane seats have been used by outdoorsmen for many years. A chapter is devoted to this old time craft so you can create your own comfortable outdoor seats as well as repair some old chairs that have been stored in the attic. Sprinkled through the chapters in this book are hints, tips, ideas and recipes that will make your days outdoors more enjoyable and productive.

Gil Gilpatrick has spent his life in outdoor Maine. For 26 years he was an instructor of Outdoor Resources at the Skowhegan Regional Vocational Center. His other major occupation was, and still is, guiding wilderness canoe trips in northern Maine. Gil considers his life, combining these careers, an ideal blend of his love of the outdoors and that of making hand crafted items. "To see a need, and then set out to fill that need is the most satisfying thing I can think of to do," says the author. But Gil also takes great pleasure in seeing others enjoy the items he has developed and perfected. He has never made any of his gear commercially, rather preferring to make a few for friends and writing about them for others. Gil is a prolific writer and, besides writing free-lance articles when time permits, he is a regular columnist for Maine’s Northwoods Sporting Journal, a monthly publication about outdoor Maine.