FOREST AND STREAM 
989 
Note How the Outfit Can Be Concentrated Within the Smallest Possible Bulk for Easy Carrying. 
PLEASURE OF CAMPING NEAR HOME 
ALMOST ANY SPOT NOT OVER AN HOUR OR TWO BY TRAIN 
IS WAITING FOR YOUR OCCUPATION, AT LITTLE OR NO COST 
H OW many of us would go campting to-mor¬ 
row if we had the money to spend on an 
outfit and on the trip; also if we had the 
time? How many of us go through those cata¬ 
logues again and again, picking out the tent we 
would like and the cooking outfit that appeals to 
us, and the sleeping bag we want, only to “wake 
up” and say, “Oh! what’s the use? It all costs 
too much, and anyhow, when would I ever be 
able to get away long enough to use it!” And on 
the way to the office the next morning we sit in 
the car and figure up how many pounds “that 
outfit” would weigh, and how it should be packed. 
Perhaps I can help some of the dreamers make 
their dream come true. I am quite sure I can if 
any of them have about fifteen dollars they can 
spare. The first step to be taken is to pick out a 
friend who wants to camp as much as you do—if 
such a thing is possible; he should also be blessed 
with about fifteen that he can spare. Then call 
a meeting and appoint a committee of two to 
visit some good sporting outfitter, either in per¬ 
son, or through the mail. There are many styles 
of tents that are all good for some particular 
kind of camping, but you want one that is suit¬ 
able for camping near civilization; first, it must 
be water-proof and insect-proof; second, it must 
be such that can be closed up; third, the weight 
is not as important as if the tent were to be 
used in the wilderness. 
As to the first point, all tents should be water¬ 
proof—and insect-proof if used during the sum¬ 
mer. A camp near civilization is liable to have 
visitors at any time, both welcome and unwel¬ 
come, and therefore the tent should be one of 
the closed kind—not a lean-to with no front. As 
the near-home camp is what its name implies, the 
question of transportation is simple as a rule. 
The tent that I would recommend for this use 
would be the so-called “improved canoe tent” that 
is a “canoe tent” with a short ridge. This tent 
can be erected with either an inside pole and 
short ridge, or with two shear poles with a short 
ridge suspended from them. I have such a tent, 
7 x 4% feet, with a ground cloth sewed in, and 
bobbinet front, and I strongly recommend it for 
the work we are considering. Having the ground 
cloth sewed in makes the tent absolutely insect- 
proof in connection with the bobbinet front. A 
ventilator or window should be introduced into 
this tent; I have a ventilator at the rear end of 
the ridge, ventilator being covered with bobbinet, 
of course. The front flaps of this tent can be 
adjusted to either catch or ward off the wind— 
that is, the flaps overlap each other, and either 
side of the front may be used for the door, ac¬ 
cording to the wind. This tent as described, in 
a light green water-proof material, weighing 1 6 l / 2 
pounds when rolled in the tent bag, costs $13.70, 
including ventilation, and is a mighty good in- 
By E. V. Connett, 3d. 
vestment, sleeping two men comfortably, and 
more if necessary. 
The cooking utensils required depend upon the 
man who is to use them; some fellows need all 
the pots and pans they can get, and others time 
the cooking in such a way as to get along with 
less. There are very serviceable sets put up by 
the camping outfitters for any number of people; 
I have a set for two made of retinned steel which 
costs $3.50, weighs less than six pounds and packs 
up nine inches high by nine inches in diameter. 
I have had to add a few little items to this outfit, 
these items having been purchased at the five- and 
ten-cent store, and now, without any increase in 
the packed size of the set and very little increase 
in weight, I have a first-class cooking outfit. 
Buying one of these sets is undoubtedly the most 
economical way to get a full camp kitchen. It 
goes without saying that the aluminum sets, 
which are more expensive, are better sets, but we 
are figuring on a cheap but serviceable outfit, 
and aluminum is not for us. I might add that 
the set referred to consists of two cooking pots, 
a coffee pot, a frying pan, two of each, cups, 
plates, bowls, teaspoons, knives, forks and desert 
spoons. One pot fits inside the other to make a 
“dutch oven.” Add to this a good quarter ax 
for 65 cents and you are in a position to erect 
your tent and build your fire. 
Probably the most important item in the whole 
outfit is the bedding; even the man who goes to 
the wilderness every year will perhaps not sleep 
well the first night in camp, so do not be discour¬ 
aged. Sleeping bags do not appeal to me for sev¬ 
eral reasons, the chief one being their price. 
Perhaps my scheme is as good as any consider¬ 
ing its cost. Take a piece of water-proof canvas 
six feet wide by seven feet long, with grommet 
holes every six inches around the edge; fold it 
over, making a double piece 7x3. Lace this up 
all around the three open sides and you will have 
a water-proof browse-bag. Stuff leaves or grass 
into this and you have a dry, soft bed. When 
not in use as a bed this piece of canvas can be 
used for a dining fly or any other thing you wish. 
The reason this bed should be made of water¬ 
proof canvas is that often the leaves or grass 
used for stuffing are damp. One good, all wool, 
double blanket, costing $4.80, should be sufficient 
covering unless you strike real cold weather, then 
you will need two blankets. The browse-bag can 
be made for about $2.50. So far the total cost 
of the outfit is as follows: 
Tent .$1370 
Kitchen . 3.50 
Ax . 65 
2 beds . 5.00 
2 blankets . 9.60 
Total .$32.45 
or about $16.25 per man. I will not say much 
about the clothing needed for a near-home camp¬ 
ing trip; all you need in this line are any old 
clothes, and we all have them. If you have any 
woolen clothes that are suitable to use on a camp¬ 
ing trip, choose them to wear rather than cotton 
ones. If you get wet wearing woolen clothes you 
do not run so much chance of catching cold. Be 
sure you do not forget your woolen sweater; 
this you will find to be a most useful and wel¬ 
come piece of clothing. If the weather turns 
cold at night you will find that a pair of woolen 
trousers and a sweater make a very comfortable 
pair of pajamas. 
If you should get your shoes wet, and you will, 
do not dry them before the fire, as they will not 
be comfortable the next time you put them on. 
Fill them with hot pebbles or dry grass. I have 
heard it suggested that hot corn meal be used, 
but as most of us do not carry enough extra 
meal for this purpose, I do not think I would 
try this method. 
Now just what is near-home camping? I mean 
a camp that is within easy distance of where you 
live; a place that can be reached in an hour or 
so by train, wagon or otherwise. A wilderness 
camp means Maine, Canada, or some place that 
costs money to get to and costs more to get 
away from. By getting on a train with your 
outfit partly carried and partly checked in the 
baggage car, you can reach good camping 
grounds within two hours of any city, and the 
railroad fare will not be awfully high. How 
many of us can think of some good place right 
now that we know of not far away, where we 
could set up camp and get fairly good fishing? 
Pick a place with good water near it; that is, 
good drinking water, if possible. If you are in 
doubt about the water, boil it before drinking it 
and you are not running much risk then. Pitch 
the camp on the highest, dryest point you can 
find, and, to make doubly sure, run a trench 
around the tent to carry off water in case of a 
storm. 
Perhaps a few words on the conduct of the 
camp—words, which are not entirely original— 
would be in order. First, as to the camp-fire, a 
very important item in every camp. In order to 
make a fire burn right it must have plenty of air 
or draught. If the fire is built directly on the 
ground it is more difficult to furnish this draught, 
and therefore you must build it on a “grate,” 
which may be done thus: Lay two large sticks 
parallel, on the ground, and across these place a 
succession of small sticks to form a grate. On 
the latter build your fire. If there is no paper 
handy, birch . bark makes an excellent fire 
starter. If it is raining, and you cannot find any 
dry tinder, look for a tree which leans well to 
the south, and cut the bark from the under side. 
