Eduardo Arteaga (amazon.com/Best-Tent-Camping-Minnesota-Concrete/dp/0897325737%3FSubscriptionId%3D0N5QXRX66WFDYFJ3X302%26tag%3Dblogcamp-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%) says:

It is true what other people said about how the book is organized, but more that true, I feel the book is such a mess.

I’m a world traveler camper and this is the worst book about tent camping you could ever find. Watson gives descriptions about the places to camp away from RV’s and noise and everything but everything is a lie. We have camped in about 40% of the places he said and in every place I find: RV’s, loud music, showers, toilets, food vendors, ELECTRICITY!!!!; it is just sad. If you are planning to do real camping with a little help of your car or motorcycle find another book, this one is just completely inaccurate and far of to what real camping is suppose to be…

Rating: 1 / 5

Adam Swedberg (amazon.com/Best-Tent-Camping-Minnesota-Concrete/dp/0897325737%3FSubscriptionId%3D0N5QXRX66WFDYFJ3X302%26tag%3Dblogcamp-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%) says:

My girlfriend and started camping a couple years ago and just decided to buy this book earlier this year. This book is perfect for planning a quiet, relaxing camping trip. As stated in the title, this book is for people that hate loud and obnoxious campgrounds. This book did a lot of the work for us and weeded out every place we didn’t want to go. The author does a great job describing each campground and specific sites. We have followed his advice every time when picking a specific campsite and have not been disapointed. 5 for 5 so far on the perfect campsite. We highly recommend this book to anyone planning a camping trip in MN!
Rating: 5 / 5

Michael A. Duvernois (amazon.com/Best-Tent-Camping-Minnesota-Concrete/dp/0897325737%3FSubscriptionId%3D0N5QXRX66WFDYFJ3X302%26tag%3Dblogcamp-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%) says:

I’m not convinced that the author has found all of the best tent camping locations in Minnesota. However, the recommendations that I have followed have worked out well. There’s some site-by-site information (especially useful for those who are able to reserve far in advance) but most of the information is painted in broad strokes. “Noisy. Secluded. Not too RV-infested.” A real site-by-site guide would be a great online resource (check out the level of completeness of [...]which is an advertisement for a CD-ROM that includes pictures of most of the sites!) to which I would love to contribute (but would not be interested in organizing).
Rating: 3 / 5

Andrew Slade (amazon.com/Best-Tent-Camping-Minnesota-Concrete/dp/0897325737%3FSubscriptionId%3D0N5QXRX66WFDYFJ3X302%26tag%3Dblogcamp-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%) says:

First, in full disclosure, I am the author of a complementary guidebook, Camping the North Shore: A Guide to the 23 Best Campgrounds in Minnesota’s Spectacular Lake Superior Region (There & Back Guides)

So why would someone buy this book and not mine? Well, for one thing, it covers the entire state of Minnesota, not just the North Shore. The descriptions are rich and detailed. This book gives one person’s opinion of “the best.” Watson’s opinions and standards are different from mine, which is fine of course.

But I have to wonder, how deep could the research be? This book describes 10 campgrounds in the same region as my book. My book goes into depth on 23 and also covers 43 more. In order to pick “The Best,” did the author visit every campground in this region and in other regions of the state? Or are the campgrounds in the book just picked from the limited campgrounds he visited?

I can point out a lot of other campgrounds in this area that are, in my opinion, as good or better than Watson’s picks. I know what’s missing here. But what great campgrounds are missing in other parts of the state?

This is a dilemma I face a lot as a guidebook author. Is it better to include nearly everything and let the reader decide what’s best for them? Or to cover only a personal selection of “the best”? As a user of guidebooks, I like a combination of both.
Rating: 3 / 5

R. Harrington (amazon.com/Best-Tent-Camping-Minnesota-Concrete/dp/0897325737%3FSubscriptionId%3D0N5QXRX66WFDYFJ3X302%26tag%3Dblogcamp-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%) says:

If you’re the type of camper who keeps a little notebook noting the best campsites in the campgrounds you visit, this book is for you. Tom Watson does a site-by-site review of 50 public campgrounds in Minnesota, noting the best ones, the sites to avoid, and a general description of the campground and some of the activities.

It is true, as others noted, that the map and indexing system is cumbersome: it would be nice if the numbers corresponding to the campgrounds on the map could lead you directly to the review in the book. Instead, you must first find the name of the campground on the map key, then find where the campground is listed in the book (and they’re not alphabetical).

Nonetheless, the information is solid (we were familiar with several of the campgrounds). We are looking forward to visiting the others.
Rating: 5 / 5