Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Backpacker has their Gear Guide and their Survival Issue - they might as well change their name to The Ad Issue because that's all it is anymore. I started reading Backpacker when I got into backpacking in the 1970s. This was when William Kemsley was at the helm of Backpacker. It was a great magazine - lots of in-depth articles, personal stories, some reflections, things about protecting wilderness and caring about the environment, as well as gear and trail information. Now? It's almost nothing but ads; what little content there is, is hard to follow because they cram too many little things on each page. There is no depth to anything. And I'm tired of each page telling me to go to Backpacker's website for more information. Why not put that information IN THE MAGAZINE ITSELF??!! Otherwise, they might as well just make it another stupid e-thing and be done with it. They also seem to be catering more to the macho element and I don't like that. If they want to turn it into yet another gritty boys' magazine, then I definitely will not be subscribing to it. I was especially incensed by the November issue - on the back cover is a full-age ad for DIRT BIKES! Pray, what do DIRT BIKES have to do with BACKPACKING? What next? Ads for ATVS? Peronsal Water Craft? Backpacking is something humans do ON FOOT. Leave the ads for the motorized toys to the power sports magazines and to Outside, which sold itself out years ago. I wrote to Backpacker, complaining about this ad, and have heard nothing. They don't care. They are now owned by a large corporation and like everything owned by large corporations, all that counts is the bottom line and we readers have no voice. I think this will be my last year of subscribing to Backpacker. William Kemsley must shudder when he sees what his wonderful creation has become!