
Folding Tent Bed for Two 
HERE are many advantages in a 
folding auto tent bed for two which 
the usual single folding cot bed does 
not have. In the first place it is much 
warmer when two are sleeping to- 
gether, it is less, work to make up the 
bed for two than in making up two 
single cot beds. If plenty of sag is 
allowed in the canvas the bed will be 
quite comfortable. The complete unit 
will fold up more compactly and take 
up less room, in the auto camp out- 
fit, than two single folding cots. 
One can make such a bed if at all 
handy with tools. First procure some 
hardwood stripping one and one-half 
inch by three-quarters inch, of straight 
grain. Cut two 
strips 6% ft. long, 
two cross strips 
414 ft. long. These 
will form the top 
frame of the bed. 
Two cross brace 
rods for the legs 
4% ft. long and six 
strips 1% ft. long 
for the legs. The 
brace diagonal 
strip can be cut to fit of the same hard- 
wood bracing or you can have some 
made of galvanized iron if you prefer. 
On the ends of the side strips, a metal 
brace should be attached with screws 
and allowed to extend beyond the end 
of the strip so that the end cross rod 
will fit into same and a bolt will hold 
it in place if a hole is bored through 
the wood cross rod and the metal brace 
end. A thumb screw bolt can be pur- 
chased of the hardware dealer and you 
can also get metal strips and have 
them bored by the tinsmith. The cross 
brace rods as well as the shorter leg 
brace rods should have grooves to fit 
over bolts placed near the base of the 
legs. The groove fitting over the bolt 
of the legs will hold the bed firmly in 
place and will also be very quick to at- 
tach. 
The canvas should be of medium 
weight and sewed into a strip 45 inches 
wide and at least 75 inches long. If 
you allow a bit longer strip it will give 
sufficient length to wrap around the 
cross end rods and give the right sag 
280 
to the canvas for a comfortable bed. 
Do not make the mistake of not allow- 
ing for sag as this is one of the features 
of this type of bed and one which 
makes it very comfortable and adjust- 
able to individual desires for comfort. 
The canvas strip can be tacked along 
the cross end rods only. 
The tension upon the canvas can be 
adjusted by wrapping it around one 
cross rod to allow for the sag that you 
may desire. Tightly stretched canvas 
makes an uncomfortable bed. Sag simi- 
lar to that of a canvas hammock will 
be found to be about right for comfort. 
The long side rods can be hinged at the 
middle so that they will fold up to half 
their length when packing the bed. 
—~ 
rnd Bell 
Cross Brace ke 
Showing bolts, braces and rods. 
The legs can be bolted to the frame 
and the top end of the big leg brace rods 
should be bolted to the frame. It is 
wise to use galvanized iron for all metal 
parts to prevent rust. One can hinge 
the legs to the frame if he prefers this 
method to bolting them. In either case 
the legs will fold up on the frame when 
you pack the bed into a compact unit 
for the trip. The fact that all cross 
rods are detachable and the legs fold 
up, makes a very compact bed unit. 
The canvas can be rolled around the 
two top cross rods. The complete bed 
will fold up into a bundle not over five 
feet long with a diameter of one foot. 
A good protective covering for this 
bed could be made from rubber cloth or 
waterproofed light-weight canvas. ay 
ig essential to keep the canvas of the 
bed dry when en route. 
If you have not as yet slept in a 
canvas hammock similar to those used 
by the sailors in the U. S. Navy, you 
hardly realize how comfortable one can 
be in a cot as described which can be 
given any desired sag that one requires 
—approaching that of the navy ham- 
mock. 
A cotton puff will make an ideal mat- 
tress and give warmth from the cold 
air of the ground. Even a layer of 
paper will serve for this purpose. After 
two have been sleeping in this type 
of camp bed they will find that the can- 
vas will form two depressions with a 
ridge running down the middle of the 
strip which will prevent them from 
rolling toward each other. If you have 
formerly used the single camp canvas 
cot you can hardly realize what an im- 
provement this double cot is in every 
way. 
W. A. KIMBALL, 
White Plains, N. Y. 
Good 
Meals in 
4. 
YY Camp 
F there is any one 
thing that excels 
all others in making camp life a real 
pleasure it is good food—just like you 
get at home. The following described 
home-made meal cooker brings to the 
camper or tourist this pleasing ad- 
vantage: 
At my meat market I obtained an 
empty can which had contained lard. 
It was fourteen inches in diameter and 
eighteen inches tall, with the top cut 
out. I got the tinner to make me a 
tube of galvanized iron, ten inches in 
diameter and sixteen and_ one-half 
inches long. In the bottom of the lard 
can I built up a pad one and one-half 
inches thick of old newspapers cut to 
fit. On top of this pad I placed a disk 
of asbestos and above this a disk of 
galvanized iron. Around the tube I 
wrapped newspapers, cut to the length 
of the tube and fastened to each other 
with glue, until the diameter of the 
padded tube barely permitted its being 
inserted into the lard can. My lid con- 
sisted of a circular piece of pine board 
sixteen and one-fourth inches in di- 
