New Boy Scouts of America Fieldbook Prepares Beginners and Experienced Outdoor Enthusiasts for Adventure

First update in a decade and first new edition available in digital format, the Fieldbook includes new tips for everyone who seeks to explore

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Boy Scouts of America

Apr 15, 2014, 11:15 ET

IRVING, Texas, April 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Boy Scouts of America® (BSA) has released the fifth edition of its iconic Fieldbook - Scouting's Manual of Basic and Advanced Skills for Outdoor Adventure. This is the first time a new edition has been released in more than 10 years, and it marks the first time a new edition has been available in a digital format. The Fieldbook is the go-to manual for everyone interested in backcountry challenges - from hiking, camping, and canoeing to mountain travel, ultralight backpacking, wilderness navigation, and whitewater kayaking.

"For more than a century, our organization has focused on teaching outdoor skills and leadership and providing opportunities for adventure and life-changing experiences," said Wayne Brock, chief Scout executive of the BSA. "The Fieldbook isn't just for our Scouts - we want to share these important lessons with anyone who seeks to explore, experience adventure, and appreciate nature."

Since it was first published in 1944, the Fieldbook has been the premier guide for countless numbers of people planning an outdoor adventure. Designed to spark readers' imaginations, sharpen skills, and open a world of possibilities, the fifth edition includes a new emphasis on wilderness safety and survival and a new section featuring a history of Scouting in the outdoors.

The Fieldbook is now available for purchase as a digital version from www.Amazon.com as well as a traditional format in bookstores, online, at outdoor equipment retailers, and through the BSA's own outlets including Scout Shops and online at www.ScoutStuff.org. The latest edition contains a tremendous amount of outdoor knowledge within a book that is small enough to fit into a backpack for use in the field. For those who are new to the outdoors, it will guide them step by step, and for experienced enthusiasts, it will help them make the most out of small adventures and prepare them for the big adventures that lie ahead.

The Fieldbook was written by Robert Birkby, an Eagle Scout and past director of conservation at Philmont Scout Ranch. A lifelong Scouting and outdoor enthusiast, Birkby is a mountaineer, long-distance backpacker, outdoor educator, and leading authority on environmental stewardship. He also authored three editions of the Boy Scout Handbook, the 2004 Fieldbook and much of the 1984 edition, and the BSA's Conservation Handbook.

About the Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America provides the nation's foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be "Prepared. For Life. ®" The Scouting organization is composed of nearly 2.5 million youth members between the ages of 7 and 21 and approximately 960,000 volunteers in local councils throughout the United States and its territories. For more information on the Boy Scouts of America, please visit www.scouting.org.

SOURCE Boy Scouts of America