If your question does not appear, or if you need more information, please contact us.

How long does delivery take?

It depends on the day and time that you placed your order.  Orders placed on a weekday before 12 noon (UK time) will be dispatched on the same day, whereas those placed after noon on a Friday won’t be dispatched until the following Monday.

It also depends on the destination country: UK orders go by letter post, adding a further 1-4 working days depending on whether you opt for First Class. Orders to non-UK countries go by Air Mail, which generally adds 5-18 working days.  Overall, most orders arrive within 7-14 days, but please allow 21 days outside UK (10 days within UK) before assuming that something has gone wrong.

If timing is critical, please email and we will always try to solve your problem. Many of our books also have ebook options.

Why should I buy from rucsacs.com?

Buying from us direct has the following advantages:

  • you always get the most updated printing of any book
  • you can get direct answers from somebody who has walked the route (by email or phone)
  • you are supporting a specialist publisher who has developed a weatherproof format based on practical experience.

Of course it is up to you where you take your custom. You might also consider supporting your local bookshop. Phone them to ask how long it would take to procure a copy for you. Many receive orders daily from our distributors Booksource and if bookshops aren’t supported, more of them may have to close. Or consider bookshop.org as a convenient way of supporting local bookshops.

If you buy from the obvious online source you may get faster delivery, at the price of supporting a system in which publishers are forced to accept deep discounts (typically 55-60%) because of Amazon’s monopoly position. You are also contributing to the environmental damage caused by hundreds of excess miles per book and their practice of frequently returning books to us, only to reorder the same book days later.

What do you mean by rainproof or weatherproof?

No paper product is fully waterproof. We rejected plastic and PVC because of recycling issues. Our books are printed on specially treated paper that resists rain and snow, unlike normal paper which quickly turns to pulp. Drops of water can be brushed off the surface and text, map and photographs will all remain usable even in heavy rain. The photo shows pages after heavy rain, which forms droplets that simply brush off.
We describe our recent books as “rainproof” or “weatherproof” rather than “waterproof” to emphasise this point. If moisture persists, water will seep into the page edges and binding holes. Try to brush off moisture as soon as you can.
The book will suffer badly if soaked and then compressed without being dried off first. This can cause pages to stick together, but if you peel them apart carefully at the first chance, they should stay legible and fully usable.
If your book has suffered unduly from rain/snow during bona fide use, please send us photographs or return the book so we can refund or replace as appropriate. NB this offer applies only to customers who buy direct from our website.
Why would I subscribe to your newsletter?

You’ll always be the first to know about discounts, which routes have updates and which titles are forthcoming. We never send out a newsletter unless we have something to say (usually 3 things!) and you can unsubscribe at any time. Expect about 5 or 6 issues a year. Click “View the latest issue” in the blue band at the foot of our Home page for a sample.

How do I find out when a new title is available?

Sign up for our newsletter, send us an email or download our leaflet from our Home page. We are always pleased to hear from readers with ideas for future titles, ideally by email.

How do I send a book as a present to a friend?

Simply Add to basket and then checkout online as normal, but enter the friend’s name and address on the Rucksack Readers order form (tick UK box if delivery is to UK). The email address must be your own. After confirming, you will reach a payment screen: enter your own name and billing address for verification there.

If you want a greetings message included, email us before ordering if possible. There is a special category “Christmas delivery/greetings” for emails on our Contact page. (If you ordered before reading this, email or phone right away and if we haven’t posted the goods we will do our best.)

How can I buy if I don't want to pay by card?

You can pay using cash: we accept euros, US dollars and pounds sterling. Most countries have a signed-for Air Mail service that makes posting cash secure. Alternatively, in most parts of the world you can buy through your local bookshop just by telling them which distributor is active in your part of the world, e.g. Craenen BVBA of Herent for Europe. Check our Links page for distributor details.

How can I obtain a review copy of a book?

Contact us with the requested title, preferably by email, giving your full details and the name of the publication or website in which your review is scheduled or expected to appear. We will send you a book in the expectation that you will respond with a link to the review.

Why did Rucksack Readers sponsor Xtreme Everest?

Several of our treks, and all of our Seven Summits series, involve high altitude, so we need to offer the best possible advice on preventing and managing altitude sickness. Xtreme Everest was the first large-scale, systematic study of how healthy people react to altitude gain, and promises to refresh and deepen our understanding of this important topic. Also, we thought it would be fun!