October lo, 19 14 
LAND AND \\' A T E K 
CHOOSING KIT 
Practical Hints 
THE choosing of kit for ciimpaijining purposes is 
of more importance than would appear at first 
sight, and the path of the new recipient of a 
commission in His Majesty's Army is beset, as 
lie soon finds to his great mental inconvenience, 
with many doubts, queries, and difficulties when it conies 
to selecting the paraphernalia comprised in the average land 
kit. 
That the possession of a good kit is half the battle is 
generally conceded so far as experienced officers are concerned ; 
the man who has undergone the rigours of active service 
understands the real value of good boots, good glasses, 
perfectly fitting and thoroughly suitable clothing, and really 
portable accessories to personal comfort. These things, and 
an intelligent choice of them, go far to make up the difference 
between the successful man and the failure, for although a 
bad workman is said to quarrel with his tools a good workman 
cannot do good work with bad tools ; and in the peculiarly 
exacting conditions which active service entails, kit and 
equipment must be of the very best, and the choice of what 
to take and what not to take must be as nearly perfect as is 
humanly possible if a man is to give his very best to his work. 
It is fairly safe to say that the most important item of 
kit is boots ; smart footwear is useless for campaigning. It 
lies with the wearer to decide what size and fitting suits him 
best, but he should bear in mind that he ought to take only 
boots that he can " sleep in." Not literally, of course, but 
the boots ought to fit so loosely and easily that they can be 
worn for at least forty-eight hours without causing discomfort 
to the wearer. At the same time they must not be loose 
enough to chafe the feet ; a pair of heavy walking boots, well 
broken in before departure on Service, and roomy enough to 
be as comfortable at the end of a long walk as at the 
beginning, is the ideal to be striven for. Further, the owner 
of the boots should take care to obtain and take with him a 
small tin of ordinary motor grease, or of vaseline, in order to 
keep the feet in condition, together with a supply of boracic 
powder, with which to dress chafed skin when necessary. 
For the carriage of these latter articles an airtight tin is 
necessary, and this should be rounded in form, for corners 
are to be avoided in all articles of equipment, since they mean 
trouble either in the haversack or wherever else they may be 
carried. 
It is to be borne in mind in the selection of a kit — apart 
from the things that must be taken as a matter of course — 
that lightness and compactness are the first considerations, 
while another important point is the ease with which any 
article can be washed or cleaned. In the matter of drinking 
vessels, for instance, one should carry an aluminium 
collapsible drinking cup for field use ; it is the lightest form 
obtainable, it is easily kept clean, and it gives the greatest 
capacity in the smallest form. Again, in the matter of 
underclothing the lightest and smallest-folding articles should 
be taken, and a sufficiency only carried, not a super- 
abundance. In choosing from among these the probable 
climatic conditions must be taken into account, and 
with these kept in view the necessary minimum should 
be chosen, while if choice arises between two articles the one 
which packs more easily and in the less space must be chosen. 
A rainproof — and a real rainproof at that — is a necessity. 
The cape form of coat is not advisable, for the time may come 
when one needs all the freedom for the arms that can be had, 
and then the man with a sleeved coat has the advantage 
over the man with a mere cape. In the fitting of this coat 
]).irticular care should be taken to see that full play is allowed 
to the arms, and if the garment can be worn for a time before 
actually setting out for that vague region known as " the 
front " so much the better. It is a good rule, so far as 
lothing is in question, to take nothing new in the kit, but to 
take only articles which have been tested by actual wear. 
This is especially applicable to boots and riding breeches, 
3oth of which articles require to be " broken in " before they 
vill give the maximum of comfort to the wearer. As to 
iding breeches, much chafing will be avoided if the thinnest 
if pants are worn under them ; half the discomfort of this 
;ind that is experienced comes from the rucking and doubling 
if thick underwear at the points where riding breeches crease 
bout the inside of the knee and higher up the leg. Thin 
inderwear does not necessarily presuppose absence of the 
warmth required for winter campaigning, nor, conversely, 
Iocs the wearing of thick underwear mean always greater 
I'armth. {To be conlinueU next week.} 
KHAKI SHIRTS 
Regulation Pallern rj / 1 ^ < O /C i 
tor Officer, from 7/11 'o 1 /5/D «^ch. 
Khaki Handkerchiefs 
A nice sod Handkerchief j/j P^' dozen. 
A cheaper quality 1/11 J per dozen 
KHAKI COLLARS 
1/. each. 
WE also have a large stock of warm and durable 4 '5/ 
FLANNEL SHIRTS for MEN from ZfJo' 
WRITE FOR PRICE LIST. 
Robinson ^LCIeaven 
156 Regent St., LONDON and BELFAST 
SERVICE KITS 
— IN 48 HOURS. — 
Every detail guaranteed correct, in 
accordance with War Office regulations. 
P alter m and Estimate post free. 
A large number of half-finished Service 
Jackets always on hand, which can be 
completed in eight hours. 
WEST & SON, Ltd. 
,uij;- Military and Sporting Tailors, 
151 NEW BOND STREET, W. 
(Opposite Conduit Street) 
Phone Gerrard 8161. 
rr'- 
Everything for 
active service 
You can get practically everything 
you will require to wear — from 
sword to puttees, from cap to great- 
coat — at the old-established Bond 
Street House of Rimell & Allsop. 
The cut and finish and practical usefulness 
of your uniform will be of the character which 
h IS given Bond Street tailoring its reputation. 
The joUoivifx^ tire slafiittnt prices: — 
£ s. d. 
Khatfi Service Jacket 400 
Knicker Breeches 112 6 
Short Breeches for Infantry 2 2 
Do. for Cavalry 2 10 
Knees strapped Buckskin extra 12 ft 
Do. same material extra 7 6 
Thin Continuations extra 5 6 
Khaki Serge Trousers .. 176 
Khaki Flannel Shins 12 6 
Do. Collars each 1 6 
Khaki Ties (wide end) each 3 6 
Do. (narrow end) each 2 
Great Coat for Infantry 5 10 
Do. for Cavalry 600 
British Warm 440 
Cap 17 6 
Rimell & Allsop, 
sporting and Military Tailors, 
54, New Bond Street, W. 
TernDi t Caih on or before Delivery. 
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27 
