EQUIPMENT OF A SLEDGE EXPEDITION 177 



serviceable on the trail can be disputed. I personally wore fur 

 stockings ; Mr. Leffingwell always wore wool. As a rule, I think 

 that a man whose feet do not perspire very much will derive 

 infinitely more comfort from a pair of fur stockings, whereas a 

 man whose feet perspire freely must be careful not to wear furs, 

 which, if wet, are apt to be colder than woollen ones. 



Our foot-gear consisted of native kamick, a boot with either 

 a reindeer or a seal skin top and a sole made of Oogerook skin. 

 The sole is chewed carefully, so as to turn up the edges, and 

 the top is sewn on to it. 



As we were not quite sure of the durability of this kind of 

 footwear, we took out several pairs (four extra) for each member 

 of the party, but if the sole is good there is no need to take so 

 many. For extremely cold weather boots with sole and top 

 made of reindeer skin, and with the furs turned in, will be very 

 serviceable, but otherwise sealskin tops will be warm enough. 

 Just below the knee the boots are tied securely by means of a 

 poke string. A thick pad of sedge grass placed inside the 

 kamick is absolutely necessary to prevent the foot from 

 coming into too close contact with the snow. The sedge 

 grass absorbs a great amount of moisture which else would 

 be collected in the stockings, but it must be taken out of the 

 kamick every night, after which the moisture, when frozen, 

 can be beaten out of it. Overalls, as said, should be worn and 

 be large enough to be pulled on and off easily. 



To protect the hands we had fur mittens with the fur turned 

 in, but another and possibly better plan would be to wear a 

 pair of thin mittens of wool, and on the top of them a pair of 

 fur mittens with the fur side out. The mittens should never 

 be worn loose, as it may be highly dangerous to lose one and to 

 be without them even for a short time, but they must be 

 attached to each other by a string slung over the shoulder of 

 the wearer. Some mittens are lengthened so as to protect the 

 lower part of the arms, which makes a good joint, and is very 

 comfortable when the wind is blowing. 



A man equipped like this can go out in any kind of weather, 

 and may even get caught in a blizzard without freezing to 

 death. Of course, fur clothes give a little more work than 

 woollen ones, as the skin must be scraped every now and then 

 to prevent it from becoming stiff, and there may possibly be a 



A.I. N 



