Good deal on Backpacker magazine...

Amazon.com has a good deal on Backpacker magazine, as well as a bunch of other magazines, that i may take advantage of. From what i understand, they have subscription quotas, and since its the end of 2011, theyre dropping prices.

Backpacker via Amazon.com

They have it marked at $7 a subscription with auto renewal, which appears to mean its $7 for the first year, then when its time to renew, theyll charge you again at whatever their best rate for that magazine is at the time of renewal. Their terms say you can opt out at any time, so to me that says $7 for a year subscription!

Their terms and conditions for auto renewal subscriptions are listed here:

Auto Renewal T&C

Thought you folks may want to take advantage too!

Be careful.

Tempting...you can turn off the auto renew too.

That is a really good deal on the price, if you like the magazine.

Personally, I'll pass. The magazine used to (6 or 7 years ago) have really good articles - real articles, that required someone to coherently write, with an actual premise, and logical progression to a conclusion. (My own favorite was one Kristen Hostetter wrote about taking her mother on the mother's first backpacking trip.) However, I did not renew after they went to a "paste a bunch of factoids on two pages - the more pictures and less words, the better - and we'll call that an article" format. I also found their constant cry for "faster, farther, risk your life in exotic spots" to be irrelevant to the recreational (explorational) style I was progressing toward. I'll pick up a copy every 6 months or so, while I'm traveling on business, just to see if it's changed. So far, no such luck.

They had a brand new editor-in-chief who wrote an editorial saying, "Let's all slow down - it isn't always about high mileage days in the life-or-death locales." I wrote to them, complimenting the editorial, and referring to him as the "interim editor." They replied, saying "Oh, he's here for the long term." Three months later, he was gone.

The thing about that magazine is, every time they post some route in some park/wilderness, there is a huge surge of interest that shows up on the forums - people flooded the North Rim in Yosemite one year, for example.

I haven't found much of value in it - it's turned into a catalog for gear I mostly won't buy. But I glance at the articles online at their website from time to time. Think if I subscribed I'd get the electronic version.

In the past, I've subscribed to Runner's World, Bicycling, Sailing, Skiing magazines. That was all before the internet.

I've found very little truly useful information for backpacking except on forums. (This one included.)

Magazines have to change their opinion every issue as they wouldn't get many sales by recommending the same shoes, tent, etc. in every issue. Innovation doesn't come quick enough to need an update often. (Do I really need shos with toes on them?)

Books are stuck in a time period. They are fun to read, but they miss really good innovations like U.S. cottage manufacturers.

Seldom is gear tested to extinction. Shoes might be comfortable for the first 100 miles, but how long do they last in real conditions? A particular type of stove might be great, but by the time we find out how long it lasts, they don't sell it anymore.

If I want information on good trails, I can read journals on trailjournals or postholer. Or I can simply look at a topo map in my area.

Personally, I'd rather see this forum fed to my Kindle than a magazine whose direction is guided by the advertisers who advertise in the magazine.

My local library carries Backpacker magazine. I look at it from time to time, just to see what gives. Not once in the past decade have I put down an issue with the thought that I'd just discovered something worthwhile.

Lately I've noticed they've taken their lead from the popularity of Bear Grylls, and now consistently feature tales of survival (or should I say "Harrowing Tales Of Survival!!") in every issue. Just plain pandering, in my opinion.

But, if you like the magazine, that might be a good deal.

Thanks for the heads up on the discount aimless.

I've personally given up on newspapers and magazines altogether. I've found it best to just get out and experience things and to also learn from experienced like minded people, like the folk's on this site and a few others.

I will also check out Backpacker in my local library. Interesting casual reading, but rarely anything truly new or informative. Most of my magazine subscriptions have lapsed.

I would not pay for the magazine, and I don't. I get a free subscription from Sierra Trading Post. apparently if you order from them, you get all kinds of magazines. Between my wife and I, we get Outdoor, Backpacker and Climbing.

I was going to let my subscription expire but a few months back I found a 3 year renewal for $10 on slickdeals.net so I reupped. I wouldn't spend much on it though.