154 
FOREST AND STREAM 
April, 1922 
BUILDING THE FISHERMAN’S TENT 
PRACTICAL INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO CUT OUT AND ASSEMBLE 
A LIGHT-WEIGHT, COMPACT SHELTER FOR USE NEXT SUMMER 
6 
By HARRY IRWIN 
T 
I HE outdoor season has come 
again and to many it means 
the pleasure of once more 
seeing familiar faces on the 
trails that lead to healthful recrea- 
tion. To some it will mean the 
keen joy of initiating the young- 
sters into their first camping trip. 
The irresistable call of the wander- 
ing road rings clear, and I person- 
ally hope to answer it with a better 
outfit than I have had in the past. 
It has been said that all of us 
are more or less insane ; each has 
his own personal brand of hobby. 
.\s far as I am concerned I ha\e 
suffered every known form from 
stamps to birds’ eggs, but I am 
now better satisfied to devote my 
efforts to the pursuit of the tem- 
peramental trout. 
In order to arrixe at the spot 
where I can find them, it necessi- 
tates toting my outfit, and, I have 
painfully discovered, that weight counts 
a good deal. I have therefore striven to 
have “just the outfit" and no )iiorc, but 
must confess that after some twentv odd 
years at the game I am still attempting 
to evolve the outfit which combines both 
comfort and lack of weight. I place 
comfort first and justly, I think, for if 
the ordinary human being is lacking 
that essential, the pleasure derived 
from a trip is considerably less- 
ened. 
Doubtless the “go-lighters” will 
sneer at the weight of my duffle, 
and the "battle-cruiser campers” 
turn up their noses at my lack of a 
folding bathtub and electric lights, 
but I hope that some suggestions I 
may make will be adoptable and 
give some camper added personal 
enjoyment. 
As my xvife accompanies me on 
most of my outings. I have given 
more thought to the things that 
would make my outfit a little more 
“comfy" than would have satisfied 
me alone. As a result, I have ex- 
perimented xvith nearly every tent 
and sleeping arrangement, light 
enough to pack, that I could find, 
and the attic has been rapidly filled 
with discarded gear, as nothing 
seemed to exactly fill our wants. 
The outcome xvas the building of 
our own. Two years ago we near- 
ly had it and last year we were a 
lot closer, while this year I feel 
sure we will enter the green woods 
as perfectly equipped as our needs 
demand. 
of years ago, in order to build by own 
canvas duffle. Anyone can learn how to 
work one. Your wife, mother, sister, or 
some one else's, will be only too glad to 
have you admit that there is some- 
thing that you do not know and be 
more than proud to show you. Having 
once acquired the knack, which I assure 
you is very simple indeed, especially if 
PIRST on our list xvas the tent. 
^ 'I'his called for the running of 
a sewing machine, which I am 
happy to state I learned a number 
you can drive a certain popular- 
priced car, you will find that a 
world of fnn has been opened up 
to you, as well as a sneaking ad 
miration for the stuff you turn out. 
As we were at our summer home 
in the mountains when I decided to 
build the tent I was obliged to do 
with what material I had on hand 
and could buy in the little village 
near us. This applied especially to 
the substitution of "D” rings for 
gromets. I was obliged to do this 
as some one had borrowed my 
gromet set and I never did care for 
the task of setting gromets with 
only the questionable aid of a big 
nail, even if I had been fortunate 
enough to have had the gromets on 
hand. 
I first bought six and two-thirds 
yards of the finest close-woven 
denim, costing 60c per yard. From 
this I cut a piece six feet seven 
and a half inches long, splitting the 
remainder down the center and sewing 
one of these strips to the long side of the 
first piece cut, with the selvage (finished 
edge) to the outside, trimmed off the end 
of the split piece and made a ^ inch hem 
at each end, which gax'e me a rectangular: 
strip, 6 feet 6 inches long by 4 feet wide, 
as a ground cloth. I next cut and made 
a duplicate as above. 
I then bought a quart of boiled 
linseed oil, which I rubbed into the 
cloth by holding between the 
palms and using just enough oil to 
thoroughly fill the weave of the 
cloth, but NOT to saturate it. Af- 
ter oiling the two strips, I hung 
them in the shade, where the wind 
could reach them, for three days, 
then dried them txx’O days in the 
sun, exposing one side for a day 
and then reversing. I then found 
the cloth to be about as near water- 
proof as cloth can be made. (I 
have tried both dipping and paint- 
ing the cloth with a brush, but 
without success). 
,'\fter the cloth was thoroughly 
dry, I sewed (with a double seam) 
the two pieces together along one 
side, across the end and back along 
the other side to within two feet 
of the other end, forming a sack 
open at one end and along one side 
for two feet. Along the opening of 
the bag I placed good-sized snaps 
every six inches or so (such as are 
used on glox-es). 
Next came fourteen yards of 
genuine airplane cloth. This I cut 
from a bolt of 50 yards, which I 
had bought in New York, paying 
42 cents per yard, 32 inches wide. 
(There is an inferior cloth offered' 
by many department stores under 
this name, but I believe the real 
