Books about all things outdoors - be they canoe guides by Kevin Callan, bushcraft skills by Mor Kochanski or Ray Mears, emergency medical guides, field guides for plants and animals - we have all your outdoor books needs.
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Books About the Outdoors
Products 81 - 91 of 91
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Wilderness Pleasures
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Compact Guide to Ontario Birds
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The Canoe
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Mors Kochanski - The Grand Syllabus
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Birds of Canada
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Hamilton and Area Hikes
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Ray Goodwin: Canoeing - Second Edition
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Waterfalls of Ontario
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Butterflies of Ontario & Eastern Canada
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Collingwood, the Blue Mountains & Beaver Valley Hikes
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Mushrooms of Western Canada
Wilderness Pleasures
Sold OutCompact Guide to Ontario Birds
Sold OutThe Canoe
Sold OutMors Kochanski - The Grand Syllabus
Sold OutBirds of Canada
Sold OutHamilton and Area Hikes
Sold OutRay Goodwin: Canoeing - Second Edition
Sold OutWaterfalls of Ontario
Sold OutButterflies of Ontario & Eastern Canada
Sold OutCollingwood, the Blue Mountains & Beaver Valley Hikes
Sold OutMushrooms of Western Canada
About Books
Even in the age of computers and e-readers, there’s still something alluring about books. They can be taken anywhere, there's always room in a pack to throw one in, they don’t require any power, and they can be lifesavers when you’re stuck in your tent or under a tarp on stormy days. We’ve carefully selected our book lineup to be instructional, educational, and insightful, and to impart useful information, techniques and concepts to further your appreciation of the outdoors and outdoor skills and knowledge. Books on bushcraft, paddling, canoeing, guidebooks, smithing and field guides are amongst our best loved, and we hope that they will become favourite books of yours as well.
Types of Books
Books of Indigenous Knowledge
Canada's Indigenous Peoples have millennia of deep, accumulated knowledge and understanding of the natural world and the ways to best interact and commune with it that have been passed down through generations.
Books for Kids
Books are an excellent way to instil a sense of wonder and to teach children about the outdoors, and the flora and fauna that share this planet with us.
Kevin Callan Books
Kevin Callan's canoe guides are some of the best written, most informative guides for routes throughout the province of Ontario. He's penned over 15 books about canoeing and camping.
Adam Shoalts Books
Adam Shoalts is a historian, archaeologist, geographer, and Westaway Explorer-in-Residence at the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Shoalts holds a PhD from McMaster University where his research examined the influence Indigenous oral traditions had on fur traders in the subarctic and Pacific Northwest, and is the author of several national bestsellers.
Mors Kochanski Books
Learn from the books of veteran wilderness survival instructor and the godfather of bushcraft, Mors Kochanski.
Lars Fält Books
Read books by Lars Fält, the elder statesman of Swedish bushcraft, outdoors and survival training, and learn Outdoors the Scandinavian Way.
Ray Mears Books
Ray Mears' books are impeccably written and laid out - definitive works in the art of bushcraft.
Stephan Kesting Books
Stephan Kesting is an adventurer, jiu-jitsu practitioner, and a firefighter. He has traversed the Canadian North for over forty years, both on his own, and as a guide. He has a master's degree in biology from from McGill University, has been published in numerous canoeing anthologies and martial arts publications.
Blacksmithing Books
Books on the art of blacksmithing including forging projects and information on practices and techniques. A must read for anyone interested in forging and blacksmithing.
Canadian Canoe Guides
Going Canoeing in Canada? Need maps? How to books? Route suggestions? We've got canoe route books by Kevin Callan and others to get you out there.
Classic Outdoor Books
Some outdoor books are so well written, exhaustive and well loved, they truly are outdoor classics, and would do well on any outdoor person’s bookshelf - be they novice, or seasoned expert.
Canadian Field Guides
The Canadian Outdoor Equipment Co. carries field guides specific to Canada and Ontario. These field guides include: Mushrooms, Wild Edibles, Fish, Trees, Mammals, Wild Berries, Weather and more.
First Aid Guides
First aid emergency guides are invaluable for any outdoors person or activities - be they hikers, canoeists, campers or hunters.
Our Books
We stock only the best in Books so you can rest assured knowing you're COEC Equipped.
Sold Out Kevin Callan's Wilderness PleasuresDo you love camping except for “that one part” (portaging, bugs, bad weather, second-rate food, sleeping bags, rocks, uphill hikes, downhill tumbles, tippy canoes, or, let’s face it, life without a toilet)? With his trademark mix of comic tales and expertise, veteran guide Kevin Callan reveals the secrets to smooth paddling and pleasure-filled camping. Topics include choosing the right trip, camping companion harmony, best camping gadgets and clothing, sleeping softly on hard ground, traveling light but eating well, bush martinis, close encounters of the wildlife kind, skinny-dipping, and how to make love in a canoe.
Sold Out Compact Guide to Ontario BirdsOver 80 species of birds common to Ontario are featured in this easy-to-use introductory field guide. Colour illustrations and extensive natural history are featured in each two-page account.
Sold Out The CanoeThe Canoe is the definitive history of the construction and use of the canoe, kayak, dugout and umiak in North America. The book covers the canoe's origins among Native peoples, its quick adoption by European settlers, its development from a working vessel to a recreational craft.
Sold Out Mors Kochanski - The Grand SyllabusMors Kochanski's new book The Grand Syllabus is an “all inclusive” syllabus of topics taught by Mors Kochanski at the University level, in his Extended Summer and Winter Courses, and in his Survival Instructor Trainee Program. Designed for the instructor or serious student, it is an excellent companion text to Mors' now classic "Bushcraft" for those looking to expand on their skill set.
Sold Out Birds of CanadaA full colour, definitive guide book for the almost 500 bird species that call Canada home - ranging from warblers, to loons, to eagles to pelicans - all in one easier to use guide.
Sold Out Hamilton and Area HikesThe Hamilton area is home to over 100 waterfalls, and Hamilton and Area Hikes takes you to over 20 of them, and also includes loop hike routes in Stoney Creek, Dundas Valley, Paris, Grand River, Brantford, Cootes Paradise and Oshweken amongst others - with route lengths from 2.5 to 23.5 km in the Hamilton area and Brant County.
Sold Out Ray Goodwin Canoeing- Second EditionRay Goodwin is known as the UK’s foremost canoe coach, and his book covers all aspects of the open canoe, from wilderness travel and design, with a focus on canoeing techniques. New to the second edition, is a section on vision pattern, a method of creating a map of a rapid. The second edition also dives deep into new solo rescue techniques, canoeing with children, and advanced lining and tracking.
Sold Out Waterfalls of OntarioA guide to exploring Ontario's most beautiful waterfalls. With GPS coordinates, and accurate driving directions for each fall, this book will not only guide you there but dig deep into features with colour photographs, history, geography, and waterfall characteristics.
Sold Out Butterflies of Ontario & Eastern CanadaHave you ever seen a stunning butterfly and wondered what species it was? With this guide there will be no more guessing! Beautiful illustrations and succinct descriptions make it easy to learn and identify these beautiful creatures that call Eastern Canada and Ontario home.
Sold Out Collingwood the Blue Mountains & Beaver Valley HikesCollingwood Hikes details 35 hiking loops in the Collingwood region of Southern Ontario including Blue Mountain & the Beaver Valley. Visit serene trails along Metcalfe Rock, Pinnacle Rock, Freedom Rock and Old Baldy to discover beautiful crevices, caves, and canyons.
Sold Out Mushrooms of Western CanadaThe Guide to Mushrooms of Western Canada is a very comprehensive field guide covering the western side of North America from Alaska to northern California, and Saskatchewan and Montana to the Pacific Coast. This excellent field guide Includes scientific descriptions along with full colour illustrations exploring 550 species.
