VACATION EXPEDITIONS 221 



I shall not attempt any suggestions about general 

 outfitting and camping, but will refer the reader to 

 Mr. Kephart's book on these topics. All the sugges- 

 tions I shall offer are a few on the photographic out- 

 fit and its transportation. On any extended trip, 

 the two cameras and all the apparatus previously de- 

 scribed should be taken. Stuff paper into the cam- 

 eras, and pack them in the trunk or chest with cloth- 

 ing around them. The stock of plates should be 

 large enough for anticipated needs. For a month's 

 trip I usually carry four or five hundred. These are 

 heavy, there is no denying. Sometimes on the return 

 I send the exposed plates home by express. Ordi- 

 narily, however, I have found that when packed in 

 trunk or chest, it is next to impossible to break them. 

 When the exposed plates are taken from the holders, 

 they should be packed in the original boxes level full, 

 no more, each pair of plates with the film sides to- 

 gether. It is not necessary to trouble with the orig- 

 inal separating strips, which are more to keep them 

 from sticking together if damp or wet. 



Great care must be taken to keep plates and ap- 

 paratus dry. A soaking is well-nigh fatal to a cam- 

 era, or to plates, especially if they are packed in close 

 contact. The exposed plates I pack thus for con- 

 venience, but keep them very carefully in my personal 

 baggage. Most if not all plate-manufacturers now 

 pack the plates with the coated surfaces separated, 

 and I would not use any put up otherwise. 



On one occasion in my experience had they not 



