610 
over the flap opening. Mosquito netting is good 
enough to keep out flies and mosquitoes, but the 
coarse mesh will let the gnats or “no-see-ums” 
in, and hence it is better to be on the safe side of 
comfort and procure the finer material. Do so, 
and you will thank me for the suggestion. 
To the sportsman and sportswoman who have 
a liking for “doing things with their own hands,” 
tent making will offer no special difficulties pro¬ 
vided one can copy a good modef, or procure the 
measurements of one, and lay out a pattern before 
cutting the material. The ordinary sewing- 
machine, may be used for the lighter materials, 
but the heavy drill had best be hand sewed. A 
woman’s advice and assistance will help mere man 
over the hard spots. 
CAMP FURNITURE AND COOKING KITS. 
Camp furniture, including tools, cooking uten¬ 
sils and other necessary articles for outdoor liv¬ 
ing, should be chosen only after sober considera¬ 
tion. The first item on the list is the axe, and for 
the more permanent camp a full weight tool 
should be selected. The small pocket and belt 
hatchets are good little companions on a hunting 
or fishing trip, but for the permanent camp, where 
one is obliged to rustle frequently for fire wood, 
the three pound axe is none too heavy. The 
double-bitted axe, with two cutting edges, is per¬ 
haps the best for camp, since the flat side may be 
utilized for driving stakes, and such things. A 
good belt axe also should be carried along, one 
weighing one and a quarter to one and three- 
quarter pounds being the most useful and conve¬ 
nient. 
For the cooking kit the aluminum outfits made 
up for two to eight persons are by all odds the 
best, since they are of light weight, are easily 
cleaned, and nest compactly. A two-person outfit 
includes two cooking pots or kettles, coffee pot, 
frying pan with detachable handle, plates and 
cups, soup bowls, knives, forks and spoons. The 
entire outfit is self-contained, nesting in the larg¬ 
est kettle, is provided with a canvas case, and 
weighs less than seven pounds. Larger outfits 
include kettles and pans of greater capacity and 
additional spoons, and so on. A cheaper but very 
satisfactory outfit may be procured in tinned ware, 
but this is of course heavier in weight and less 
attractive to serve food in. The aluminum alloy 
ware is, considering the long service it gives, the 
most economical in the long run. 
The charms of camp life may be enjoyed with¬ 
out the special equipment described, and usual 
kitchen utensils will serve well enough for perma¬ 
nent camps. For fast, light trips, the boy scout 
cooking outfit makes a good and very light weight 
mess kit; the whole outfit, including a folding- 
handle frying pan, weighs but one and three- 
FOREST AND STREAM 
quarter pounds, and is contained in a canvas 
shoulder case but little larger than the common 
canteen. The Preston mess kit is also a good in¬ 
dividual outfit, though more expensive. The regu¬ 
lation army mess kit is also well adapted for 
“going light and afar off.” 
The detachable handle frypan and the folding- 
baker are two of the most important items of the 
cooking kit, and deserve special mention. There 
are two styles of frying pans designed for camp 
cooking. One is provided with a patented de¬ 
tachable handle carrying a hollow socket, in 
which a long stick may be inserted to lengthen 
the handle so that the cook can keep a comfort¬ 
able distance from the fire. The other pan is fit¬ 
ted with a folding handle which folds back flal 
on the bottom of the pan. This handle is provided 
with two rings, in which a stick may be inserted 
when a longer handle is wanted. 
The patent folding baker comes in three sizes, 
the smallest having an eight by twelve inch pan, 
and the largest measuring ten by eighteen. The 
smallest size weighs but two pounds and will 
bake a dozen biscuits at a time. It folds flat and 
is furnished with canvas case and shoulders'traps. 
A baker of this kind is much better than the aver¬ 
age stove, which is so bulky and heavy as to be 
out of the question in other than fixed camps. 
Anything and everything may be cooked to a 
turn in this simple device, and it will roast fish, 
meats and fowl as well as baking the most deli¬ 
cious “sinker” biscuits. , 
Camp luxuries in the way of folding chairs, 
tables, cots and so on are generally eschewed by 
the experienced camper who changes camp often. 
For the fixed camp, ready-made furniture and the 
hundred-and-one patent hangers and so on may 
possibly be worth packing. Two exceptions, how¬ 
ever, are the folding table and the collapsible 
bucket or pail. These handy articles should have 
a place in the camping kit whenever possible to 
arrange for their transportation. 
LANTERNS FOR THE CAMP. 
For the camp lantern one of the folding kinds 
for burning candles is the most portable, and is 
very satisfactory on light trips. Kerosene gives 
better illumination, but is less cleanly, and the 
fuel must be transported in screw top cans. A 
good camp lantern for kerosene is the tubular 
pattern and guarded globe type, used in the army. 
There is also a combination lantern, which burns 
kerosene, signal oil or candles, which the writer 
has used with much satisfaction. This lantern 
is of the tubular frame type with guarded globe, 
and gives about two candle-power light. Acety¬ 
lene and carbide lamps give a brilliant light, but 
are suited only for permanent camps. One of the 
small pocket electric flash-lamps is a handy thing 
to have in camp, and since the weight of the lamp 
and extra battery adds but little to the outfit, this 
little luxury is often included in my dunnage. 
FOOD OR PROVISION BAGS ARE CONVENIENT. 
When traveling by canoe or pack, provision 
bags for the different foodstuffs carried are a 
great convenience. A good size measures four¬ 
teen by nine inches, and is provided with a draw 
string at the top. These bags fit into the regular 
duffle bag, and friction top tins also may be pro¬ 
cured in suitable sizes to fit the food bags, thus 
enabling the camper to pack butter, lard, 
pork, etc. 
Equipped with two duffle bags and a tump-line 
pack harness the camper can pack his individual 
outfit over the hardest trail with less fatigue than 
when the common pack-basket or shoulder pack 
is used, and the pack is more easily stowed and 
balances a canoe much better than does the bas¬ 
ket. Both are extensively used, however, and the 
camper can take his choice. For shipping the 
outfit by rail or boat, packing cases of fibre are 
strong, light and durable. The usual trunk or 
wooden packing boxes will answer the same pur¬ 
pose, thus eliminating the expense of this luxury. 
EVERY CAMPER SHOULD HAVE A COMFORTABLE BED. 
A good bed is one of the necessities for an en¬ 
joyable trip in the woods, and for the permanent 
camp the folding cot is perhaps the best choice. 
The pneumatic or air mattress and bed is a posi¬ 
tive luxury, but its cost and weight are factors 
to be taken into consideration where lightness 
and economy must be observed. The sleeping 
bag makes a practical and comfortably warm bed 
to crawl into, and has many points to commend it. 
The best bags are of the type which may be 
opened out for cleaning and airing, and the usual 
size measures seven feet long by three feet wide. 
Sleeping bags are fitted with as many thicknesses 
of blankets as wanted, twelve giving sufficient 
warmth for winter, while four thicknesses are 
about right for summer use. The carry-all sleep¬ 
ing bag is an excellent bed for light trips, and the 
bed tarpaulin, recommended by S. E. White in 
“Camp and Trail,” makes a good bed, not too 
heavy or bulky to pack on long trips. For blank¬ 
ets, the regulation U. S. army and mackinaw are 
good, and a pair should be carried, wrapped up 
in a heavy pack cloth or poncho, provided you do 
not use the sleeping bag. 
The stretcher bed, made of stout brown canvas 
and provided with a double bottom which may be 
filled with hay or leaves, makes a comfortable 
bed. By running two stout flexible poles through 
the pockets at the sides, and resting the ends on 
stones or logs, a good couch is quickly made. For 
permanent camps a bed of this kind is good 
enough for anyone but the most particular, and 
the fussy individual who will not learn the philo¬ 
sophy of the woods has no place in camp. 
MAKING UP THE PERSONAL OUTFIT. 
For the personal outfit, made up of the “little 
things” which the individual will not willingly go 
without, there is naturally a rather wide diver¬ 
gence of opinion. The experienced camper is 
likely to strike the happy balance in making up 
his “ditty” bag to include only the few articles 
absolutely necessary for his comfort and well 
being while in the woods. The novice is prone to 
leave out many useful articles and pack numerous 
items of questionable utility. 
A watch is by no means essential in the woods, 
but as most of us have acquired the civilized 
habit of depending upon our timepiece, and would 
feel at a loss without it, it is a good plan to carry 
(Continued on page 629.) 
