Media + Culture
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What to Get: The Outdoor Bible
The Good Book gets tougher. Text by A.J. Jacobs
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THE OUTDOOR BIBLE: For the devout outdoor enthusiast |
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In the beginning, God's word was written on hardy, weather-resistant stuff—those stone tablets survived a 40-year hike through the desert, after all. But in the intervening 3,000-plus years, the Holy Scriptures have mostly come to us on fragil paper. Until now, that is. Bardin & Marsee Publishing has just released The Outdoor Bible ($35). Printed on waxy paper in a foldout format, this Bible is billed as waterproof, rugged, and tough to tear.
I decided to see how the OB fared in the wilderness known as New York City's Central Park. As I settled down to read it on a patch of grass, the heavens opened up. (In Bible verse: "And the rain descended, and the floods came . . . ," Matthew 7:25.) I have to say, this Bible doth not lie. The water slid right off, as did a little mud that splattered on the pages as I fled for cover, and the Bible dried out completely within two hours.
It's not perfect, mind you. I found the Bible's foldout style a bit disconcerting: I kept expecting diagrams of the Canaanite interstate system. And when I accidentally got insect repellent (for mosquitoes, not locusts) on the OB's border, it smudged the print a bit. And finally, The Outdoor Bible is available only in the New Testament. I'd love to see a weather-resistant Old Testament. With all the floods, fire, and brimstone, it just seems appropriate. But overall, I'll give it a big hosanna. Plus, it's a lot lighter than stone tablets.
Pick up the December 2005/January 2006 issue for our annual coverage of the best of adventure, your guide to everything cool with 15 sports trends, 14 astonishing adventurers, and 45 gear picks that rock.
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