Chapter XI: Part I: The Camping Outfit

To enjoy a vacation in the woods thoroughly, it is essential that the outer be provided with the right kind of an outfit. The inexperienced are likely to carry too much rather than too little to the woods; to include many unnecessary luxuries and overlook the more practical necessities. However, camp life does not mean that one must be uncomfortable, but rather implies plain and simple living close to nature. An adequate shelter from the sun and rain, a comfortable bed, a good cooking kit, and plenty of wholesome food, are the important things to consider. No man or woman requires more, and if unwilling to share the plain fare of the woodsman, the pampered ones should be left at home, for the grouchy, complaining individual makes, of all persons, the very worst of camping companions.

The Choice of a Tent

There are tents and tents, but for average outings in what may be considered a permanent camp, the regulation wall, or army, tent is generally used to make a comfortable shelter. It is a splendid utility tent, with generous floor space and plenty of headroom. For the permanent camp, the wall tent is often provided with a fly, which may be set up as an extra covering for the roof, or extended over the front to make a kind of porch. An extension may also be purchased to serve the same purpose. The 7 by 9-ft. wall tent will shelter two persons comfortably, but when the camp is seldom moved, the 9 by 12-ft. size, with a 3¹⁄₂-ft. wall, will afford more room. The regulation 8-oz. duck is heavy enough, or the same tent may be obtained in tan or dark green khaki, if preferred. In any case the tent should have a sod cloth, from 6 to 12 in. wide, extending around the bottom and sewed to the tent. An extra piece of canvas or floor cloth is desirable, but this as well as the fly are extras, and while convenient, are by no means necessary. The wall tent may be erected with the regular poles, or it may be ordered with tapes along the ridge and erected by suspending between two trees. The old hand at the camping game rarely uses the shop poles supplied with most tents, but prefers to cut them at the camping site and rig them up on the outside, one slender pole fastened with tapes along the ridge and supported at either end in the crotch formed by setting up two poles, tripod or shear-fashion.

The “Baker” style is a popular tent, giving a large sleeping capacity, yet folding compactly. The 7 by 7-ft. size, with a 2-ft. wall, makes a good comfortable home for two, and will shelter three, or even four, if required. The entire front may be opened to the fire by extending it to form an awning, or it may be thrown back over the ridge to form an open-front lean-to shelter.

The “Dan Beard,” or camp-fire, tent is a modification of the Baker style, having a slightly steeper pitch, with a smaller front opening. The dimensions are practically the same as the Baker, and it may be pitched by suspending between two trees, by outside poles, or the regular poles may be used.

For traveling light by canoe or pack, a somewhat lighter and less bulky form of tent than the above styles may be chosen, and the woodsman is likely to select the forester’s or ranger types. The ranger is a half tent with a 2-ft. wall and the entire front is open; in fact, this is the same as the Baker tent without the flap. If desired, two half ranger tents with tapes may be purchased and fastened together to form an A, or wedge, tent. This makes a good tent for two on a hike, as each man carries his own half, and is assured a good shelter in case one becomes separated from his companion, and a tight shelter when the two make camp together.

The forester’s tent is another good one, giving good floor space and folding up very compactly, a 9 by 9-ft. tent weighing about 5¹⁄₂ lb. when made of standard-weight fabric. It may be had either with or without hood, and is quickly erected by using three small saplings, one along the ridge, running from peak to ground, and one on each side of the opening, to form a crotch to support the ridge pole, shear-fashion. These tents are not provided with sod or floor cloths, although these may be ordered as extras if wanted.

The canoe or “protean” tents are good styles for the camper who travels light and is often on the move. The canoe tent has a circular front, while the protean style is made with a square front, and the wall is attached to the back and along the two sides. Both tents are quickly set up, either with a single inside pole or with two poles set shear-fashion on the outside. A 9 by 9-ft. canoe or protean tent with a 3-ft. wall makes a comfortable home in the open.

Whatever style of tent is chosen, it is well to pay a fair price and obtain a good quality of material and workmanship. The cheaper tents are made of heavier material to render them waterproof, while the better grades are fashioned from light-weight fabric of close weave and treated with a waterproofing process. Many of the cheaper tents will give fair service, but the workmanship is often poor, the grommets are apt to pull out, and the seams rip after a little hard use. All tents should be waterproofed, and each provided with a bag in which to pack it. An ordinary tent may be waterproofed in the following manner: Dissolve ¹⁄₂ lb. of ordinary powdered alum in 4 gal. of hot rain water, and in a separate bucket dissolve ¹⁄₂ lb. of acetate of lead--sugar of lead--in 4 gal. of hot rain water. The acetate of lead is poisonous if taken internally. When thoroughly dissolved, let the solution stand until clear, then pour the alum solution into a tub and add the lead solution. Let the solution stand for an hour or two, then pour off the clear water and thoroughly soak the fabric in the waterproofing mixture by rubbing and working the material with the hands. Hang the cloth up without wringing it out.

The Ranger’s or Hiker’s Tent Comes in Halves. Each Half may be Used Independently as a Lean-To Shelter for One Man, or Both Joined Together to Make Room for Two Persons

The Canoe or Protean Tents Are Good Styles for the Camper Who Travels Light and Is Often on the Move, and They can be Quickly Set Up with a Single Inside Pole]

How to Pitch a Tent

It is, of course, possible to pitch a tent almost anywhere, but for the sake of comfort, it is well to select a site with natural drainage. Many campers dig a shallow trench around the tent to prevent water from running in during a heavy rain. This is a good idea for the permanent camp, but is not often necessary if the soil is sandy or porous, or where a sod cloth is used.

It is rarely necessary to carry the regular poles to the camping ground, and they may be omitted excepting when en route to a treeless region. The wall and other large tents may be pitched in several ways. In some places the woodsman cuts a straight ridge pole, about 3 ft. longer than the tent, and two crotched uprights, 1 ft. or more longer than the height of the tent. The ridge pole is passed through the opening in the peak of the tent, or fastened to the outside of the ridge with tapes sewed to the cloth. The two upright stakes are then firmly planted in the ground, one at the back and the other in front, and the ridge pole is lifted and dropped into these crotched supports. Set up the four corner guys first to get the tent in shape, then peg down the side guys and slide them taut so that all of them will exert an even pull on the tent. Another good method for setting up the side guys is to drive four crotched stakes, each about 4 ft. long, somewhere near 3 ft. from each corner of the tent, and drop a fairly heavy pole in the rest so formed, then fasten the guy ropes to this pole. When a sod cloth is provided it is turned under on the inside, the floor cloth is spread over it and the camp duffel distributed along the walls of the tent, to hold it down and prevent insects and rain from entering.

To overcome the disadvantage of placing the poles in the center of the entrance, the uprights may be formed by lashing two poles together near the top to make a crotch and spreading the bottoms to form a pair of shears. Poles may be dispensed with entirely, providing the tent is ordered with tapes for attaching a rope to suspend the ridge of the tent between two trees. In a wooded country this manner of setting a tent is generally preferred.

Where a wall tent is used in a more permanent camp, it is a good plan to order a fly, a couple of sizes larger than the tent. This should be set up by using separate poles and rigged some 6 or 8 in. higher than the ridge of the tent, thus affording an air space to temper the heat of the sun and also serving to keep things dry during long, heavy rains.

The Camping Kit

The camping kit, including the few handy articles needed in the woods, as well as the bedding and cooking outfit, may be either elaborate or simple, according to the personal experience and ideas of the camper. In making up a list, it is a good plan to remember that only comparatively few articles are really essential for a comfortable vacation in the wilderness. A comfortable bed must be reckoned one of the chief essentials, and one may choose the de-luxe couch--the air mattress or sleeping pocket--use the ordinary sleeping bag, or court slumber on one of the several other styles of camp beds. The fold-over combination bed, the stretcher bed, or a common bag made of ticking, 6¹⁄₂ ft. long by 2 ft. wide, which is stuffed with browse or leaves, will suffice for the average person. Folding camp cots, chairs, tables, and other so-called camp furniture, have their places in the large, fixed camps, but the woodsman can manage to live comfortably without them. A good pair of warm blankets should be included for each person, providing the sleeping bag is not taken along. The regulation army blankets are a good choice and reasonable in price, or the blankets used at home may be pressed into service.

A good ax is the woodsman’s everyday companion, and a good-weight tool, weighing 3 or 4 lb., and a smaller one of 1¹⁄₂ lb. should be carried. When going light, the belt ax will suffice.

The oil lantern is only suited for the fixed camp, since the fuel is difficult to transport unless it is placed in screw-top cans. The “Stonbridge” and other folding candle lanterns are the most convenient for the woods and give sufficient light for camp life.

The aluminum cooking outfits are light in weight, nest compactly, and will stand many years of hard usage, but like other good things, they are somewhat expensive. A good substitute, at half the price, may be obtained in tin and steel, having the good feature of nesting within each other, but, of course, not being quite so light nor so attractive in appearance as the higher-priced outfits. Both the aluminum and steel outfits are put up in canvas carrying bags, and an outfit for two includes a large and a small cooking pot coffee pot; frying pan with folding or detachable handle; two plates; cups knives; forks, and spoons. Outfits may be bought for any number of persons and almost all sporting-goods stores carry them. The two-man outfit in heavy aluminum will cost $9 or $10, while the same outfit duplicated in steel is priced at $3.35.

The Camper’s Outfit

The personal outfit should include only the most useful articles, and each member of the party should be provided with a dunnage bag of canvas to hold bedding and clothing, and a smaller, or “ditty,” bag for keeping together the toilet and other personal belongings which most everyone finds necessary for everyday comfort. A mending kit, containing a few yards of silk, linen, and twist; a length of mending cotton; buttons; a few needles and pins, both safety and the common kinds, should not be overlooked. The veteran usually stows away a bit of wire; a length of strong twine; a few nails and tacks; rivets, etc., for emergency use, and it is surprising to the novice how handy these several odds and ends are found while in camp. A compact tin box will form a convenient place to keep them and will take up little room in the dunnage bag. A medicine case and a first-aid outfit are well worth packing; the smallest cases containing a few of the common remedies will fully meet the camper’s needs.

When carrying food by canoe or pack basket, the canoe duffel and provision bags are a great convenience, enabling the outer to carry different foodstuffs in a compact and sanitary manner. Food bags may be had in different sizes, and friction-top tins may be purchased to fit them; and one or more of these liquid-proof containers are desirable for transporting lard, butter, pork, ham, and other greasy necessities. The food bags slip into the larger duffel bags, making a very compact bundle for stowing away in a canoe or pack harness.

Carrying List for the Camp Outfit

For permanent camps, take the wall tent with fly, although the Baker or camp-fire styles are also good. When traveling light by canoe, the canoe or protean tents are recommended. When going very light by pack, use the forester’s or ranger’s tent. Sod and floor cloths and mosquito netting are optional.

The cooking kit may be of aluminum or steel, all nesting within the largest pot. Include a folding baker, or reflector, with bread board in a canvas bag, a wood salt box, and a water-tight can for matches.

Furniture for the permanent camp consists of a full-sized ax, double-blade or tomahawk style with straight handle, in a protecting case, whetstone and file for keeping the ax in shape. A shovel and saw will be needed when a cabin is built. A canteen may be included, but is not required on most trips. A folding candle lantern is the best for the average trip, but an oil, or acetylene, lantern may be used in a fixed camp. Cots, folding chairs, tables, hangers, etc., are only useful in fixed camps.

A pack basket with a waterproof-canvas lid and cover, having straps to go over the shoulders, is a general favorite with woodsmen and guides. Canvas packs or dunnage bags may be used if preferred. There are two sizes of food bags, one holding 5 lb. and another of 10-lb. capacity, with draw-strings at the top, and these are the best for carrying provisions.

Pack harness, with a tumpline to go across the forehead, is needed when the outfit must be carried on portages, etc. This may be omitted when pack baskets are used. Packing cases of fiber may be used for shipping the outfit to the camping ground, but ordinary trunks, or wood boxes, will answer as well.

The Personal Outfit

An old ordinary suit that is not worn too thin is sufficient. Corduroy is too heavy for the summer and too cold for winter, and canvas is too stiff and noisy for the woods. Cotton khaki is excellent for the summer, and all-wool khaki, or mackinaw, coat and trousers are comfortable for winter. Wool is the best material for undergarments in all seasons. Two sets of garments will be sufficient, as the washing is done at night. Be sure to have the garments large enough to allow for shrinkage. Light-weight cashmere is the best material for socks during summer, and heavier weight for the winter. Three pairs of ordinary-weight and one pair of heavy-weight will be sufficient. A medium-weight gray-flannel overshirt, with breast pockets having button flaps, is the woodsman’s choice. On short and light trips one shirt will do. A light-weight, all-wool gray or brown, sweater is a good thing to carry along, it is easily wetted through and a famous brier catcher, yet most woodsmen carry one.

The regulation army poncho is more suited to the woods than a rubber coat or oilskins. The larger-size poncho is more bulky to pack, but may be used as a shelter by rigging it up with poles, lean-to fashion. A poncho makes a good ground blanket also.

A medium wide-brimmed hat, in gray or brown, is better than a cap. A gray, or brown, silk handkerchief should be included to wear around the neck to protect it from the sun and cold. Only few novices will carry one, but not so with the regular woodsman, The moccasin is the only suitable footwear for the woods. The “puckaway,” with extra sole, is known to most woodsmen. A pair of larrigans--ankle-high moccasins with single sole--are suitable to wear about the camp.

Each member of the party carries his own knapsack, or ditty bag, in which such things as brush and comb, toothbrush, razor, towel, medicines, stationery, etc., are kept. The extra clothing is carried in its own canvas bag.

Each member of the party carries a pair of woolen blankets. Army blankets in tan color are serviceable and inexpensive.

A good, tempered knife should be worn at the belt, preferably one without a hilt and having a blade 5 or 6 in. long.

A small leather pouch containing a few common remedies, such as quinine, laxative, etc.; and a small first-aid outfit should be included in each camper’s personal pack. Also a small leather pouch containing an assortment of needles, darning cotton, buttons, and a length of heavy silk twist is a handy companion.

A few sheets of paper and as many envelopes, a notebook, pencil, and a few postal cards, are usually carried, together with an almanac page of the months covering the intended trip.

The compass is by far the most useful instrument in the woods, but any reliable and inexpensive watch may be carried.

Many woodsmen carry a small hatchet at the belt, and on trips when but the few necessities are carried the belt ax takes the place of the heavier-weight tool. The tomahawk style gives two cutting edges and is therefore the best tool to carry. A leather or other covering case is needed to protect the blades.

A small tin box containing an assortment of rivets; tacks; a bit of string; brass wire; a few nails; a couple of small files; a tool holder with tools; a sheet of sandpaper; a bit of emery cloth, and any other small articles which the sportsman fancies will come in handy, may be carried. It is surprising how often this “what not” is resorted to while in the woods.

The odds and ends of personal belongings, as a jackknife; pipe and tobacco; map of the region visited; length of fishing line and hook; a few loose matches; match box; purse; notebook and pencil; handkerchief, etc., are, of course, carried in the pocket of the coat.

A Camper’s Salt-and-Pepper Holder

A camper will find a very clever way to carry salt and pepper by using a piece cut from a joint of bamboo. A piece is selected with the joint in the center, and the ends are stoppered with corks.

A Simple Self-Contained Motor

To say that the subject of this article is the simplest motor in the world is not to overestimate it, for the apparatus is not only a motor reduced to its essential elements, but combines within itself its own source of electric power, all without the use of a single piece of wire. The experiment is very interesting and instructive and will well repay a careful construction along the lines indicated, even though not in strict accordance with the dimensions given.

The first step is to procure a permanent magnet, about ³⁄₈ in. in diameter and 6 in. long. If such a magnet cannot be conveniently secured, a piece of tool steel with flat ends should be hardened by heating it to a dull red and plunging it in water, and then strongly magnetized. This may be readily accomplished by slipping a coil of insulated wire over it through which the current from a storage battery or set of primary cells is passed. If these are not at hand, almost any electrical supply store will magnetize the steel.

A square base block with neatly beveled corners is now in order, which is trimmed up squarely and a hole bored centrally through it to receive the lower end of the magnet. Procure a neat spool and make a hole in it large enough to pass over the magnet. Glue the spool to the base after locating it in the exact center.

The outer and larger cylinder is of copper, or of brass, copperplated on the inside. It is cup-shaped, with a hole in the bottom just large enough to permit the magnet to be pushed through with a close fit, to make a good electrical contact. The magnet may be held in place by having it closely fit the spool and the copper cylinder, and by soldering the heads of a couple of small tacks, or nails, to its under side and driving them into the spool. Coat the magnet with pitch, or paraffin, from the top down, and around its connection with the bottom of the cylinder. The small thimble shown at the top should be of brass or copper, and while one can be easily formed of sheet metal and soldered, it is not improbable that one could be made in seamless form from small article of commerce. In the exact center of the under side of the top of this thimble, make a good mark with a prickpunch, after which a small steel thumb tack should be filed to a fine needle point and placed, point up, exactly central on the upper end of the magnet, to which it is held with a little wax. The smaller cylinder is simply a piece of sheet zinc bent into a true cylinder of such a size that it may be sprung over the lower end of the thimble. This done, it is only necessary to slip the zinc over the end of the magnet until the thimble rests on the thumb tack, and then pour some dilute muriatic or sulphuric acid into the outer cylinder after which the thimble and attached zinc will begin to rotate. The required strength of the acid and the resulting speed will depend upon the nicety of suspension and the trueness of the rotating zinc cylinder. The zinc will have to be changed, but the copper undergoes no deterioration.

The Tricks of Camping Out

BY STILLMAN TAYLOR