Na Chrbte: A book about those who carry a little more
A Slovak design book about the craft of mountain porters
"Interesting. Engagingly written. Funny. I devoured it." — Barbora Hrivňáková
2nd edition, printed June 2024
It has brought joy to more than 2,000 of you so far.
Delivery by courier or to a pick-up point within 48 hours
This is not a book of legends, heroes or labels, and it is not an encyclopaedia of portering either. Above all, it is a book of the perspectives and experiences of all kinds of people who love the mountains, decided to carry loads, and now and then put a little more on their shoulders.
Na Chrbte: A book about those who carry a little more
Sale price55 €
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The last craft of its kind in Europe
What does carrying a load actually mean? Can you make a living from it? Are there porters only in the Tatras? Are there women porters? How come supplies for the huts still aren't flown in by helicopter? What's the hierarchy like? And who is a porter, really? For more than a year we joined all kinds of porters, hut keepers, mountain guides and frame-pack makers on the way up, on the way down and in the valley below. They answered our most burning questions about a craft you won't find anywhere else. Except maybe in the faraway Himalayas.
Because we've always been fascinated by how someone can load a keg of beer on their back, climb up to a high mountain hut and actually enjoy it
Since our first carry of Poustre up to the Tatra huts, we've felt even closer to them. And ever since publishing Tam Hore, which more than 6,000 of you bought, we knew our book adventures were asking for a sequel. Gradually, through more carries, we got deeper into the secrets of portering. And we broke down our own assumptions. After all, the stereotype says a porter is always a man, always young and athletic, and that carrying loads is not just his job but his calling. As you can probably guess, it's not that simple.
Did you know that...
Tam Hore, Na Chrbte and Kade? Tade! form a trilogy of mountain reportage books. The first explores the huts of the Tatras, the second the mountain porters, the third the trail markers. After that, we came down from the ridges with the book Doma.
All three books come with a premium cloth cover. So even with frequent reading they won't get scuffed, and they'll stand out even more on your bookshelf, on your coffee table. Or wherever you choose to display them.
More than 2,000 happy customers and a place among the 20 Most Beautiful Books of Slovakia are hopefully guarantee enough that it pleases the eye inside and out.
We have nothing to hide
Radical transparency is one of our values. So here is exactly what it is made of and where the money you pay goes.
Where your 55 € goes
Healthy margin
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Production6,85 € · 12 %
Printing, paper and binding of the whole book.
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Author team6,17 € · 11 %
Texts, photos, illustrations, design and royalties per copy.
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Marketing7,86 € · 14 %
Advertising. We count 15 % of the price excl. VAT.
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Logistics3,00 € · 5 %
Warehousing in Orava, packing and a shipping subsidy.
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VAT 5%2,62 € · 5 %
The tax we pay to the state.
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Running the company28,50 € · 52 %
Salaries, support, new products and profit.
Specs and materials
Packed content in 10 rest stops – sorry, chapters – plus plenty of curiosities, historical facts, photo stories and illustrated how-tos across 256 pages, make sure this will once again be more of a collector's piece than a practical guide. At 280×215 mm, it will stand out on any shelf.
Carbon footprint
Even a paper book has a footprint. We calculated it for the whole of 2025 and divided it per item: DEFRA 2025 emission factors, transport by parcels, services and marketing by spend (GHG Protocol). We keep refining the method together with our suppliers.
≈ 1.9 kg CO₂e per book. Roughly like driving 11 km by car.
Production1.23 kg · 64 %
Materials, printing, binding and cover.
Running the company and marketing0.43 kg · 22 %
People, software, ads and energy, divided per item.
Transport to us0.19 kg · 10 %
Materials to production and finished products to the warehouse.
Transport to you and packaging0.07 kg · 4 %
Parcel and box.
What we do about it
- We print in Slovakia and Czechia. No air freight. Our warehouse sits next to the printer in Orava, so finished products do not travel for nothing.
- We do not shrink-wrap diaries one by one. We use bulk packaging to cut down on plastic.
- We ship in recycled cardboard and, when we can, in boxes our suppliers sent us goods in.
- For trips and small transfers we book shared transport and BlaBlaCar.
- We print to pre-orders. If something does not sell, it does not end up in the bin but in our outlet or in schools.
What you can do
- Order more things at once. One parcel instead of three.
- Choose a pickup point or locker instead of home delivery. So the courier does not drive out for a single parcel.
- Buy second quality and sale items. We also work with production seconds. Everything usable is cheaper in our second quality section. You save money and rescue something that would not get a chance elsewhere.
- Buy only what you will really use. The smallest footprint belongs to the diary that never had to be made.
What Žurnál fans say
4.75 out of 5 · 8 reviews
Nádherné príbehy„Na knihu som sa veľmi tešila, predtým som mala knižku Spod krošne veselo i vážne. Kniha Na chrbte pribudla ku knihe Tam hore. Mám veľmi rada skutočné príbehy. Kniha bola kupovaná ako darček, tak sa teším, že urobí radosť. Obal knižky je tiež nádherný.“
Nápad na skvelý darček„Knihu som darovala manželovi ako darček k meninám. Potešil sa hneď ako ju rozbalil a keď sa do nej začítal, radosť bola ešte väčšia. Takže účel darčeka splnený. Ja som už tiež stihla do nej nazrieť a môžem povedať že predčila moje očakávania.“
Krásna kniha„Obal knihy aj celé grafické spracovanie je podľa mňa úžasné. Príbehy a krátke historky jednotlivých nosičov sú zaujímavé a niekedy celkom vtipné. Páčilo sa mi aj to, že je tam trochu histórie a vlastne všelijaké zaujímavé fakty o nosičstve. Výborne napísané a spracované. Naozaj odporúčam. Buď pre seba alebo aj ako darček.“
Krásná knižka„"Obal knihy aj celé grafické spracovanie je podľa mňa úžasné. Príbehy a krátke historky jednotlivých nosičov sú zaujímavé a niekedy celkom vtipné. Páčilo sa mi aj to, že je tam trochu histórie a vlastne všelijaké zaujímavé fakty o nosičstve. Výborne napísané a spracované. Naozaj odporúčam. Buď pre seba alebo aj ako darček."“
Když jsem zásilku rozbalil, byl jsem zklamán„Knihu jsem zakoupil přes pražský e shop. Když jsem zásilku rozbalil, byl jsem zklamán. Očekával jsem reprezentační vydání na kvalitním materiálu. Jelikož slovenské hory miluji a prochodil jsem je křížem krážem a mám na kontě víc jak sto jejích vrcholů, některé vícekrát, tak tím pádem vlastní spoustu publikací o nich z let minulých a mohu tudíž srovnávat. Co považují za...“
Nápad na skvelý darček„Knižočku som darovala manželovi ako darček k meninám. Potešil sa hneď ako ju rozbalil a keď sa do nej začítal, radosť bola ešte väčšia. Takže účel darčeka splnený. Ja som už tiež stihla do nej nazrieť a môžem povedať že predčila moje očakávania.“
Why not add these too?
Bookmark set
5 €
