10 PREFACE
weight of one's pack and gives increased sleeping comfort in fly time.
Some sort of insect repellent is advisable, especially during the first part of the hiking season. Good results can be obtained with mixtures of some of the volatile oils such as lavender, pennyroyal, citronella, mixed with castor oil as a base. Flit is very good. An excellent repellent that is, however, somewhat messy, is one used by John Muir; three parts oil of pine tar, two parts of castor oil and one part of oil of pennyroyal.
CARRY IN POCKETS: Handkerchief, notebook, pencil, guide-book, money, matches, pocket knife, strong twine or rawhide, toilet paper, compass (one in party).
THE PACK is important. A medium-sized knapsack, pack frame, or pack basket with broad leather shoulder straps is best. Canvas straps, unless very heavy, are apt to curl and cause discomfort. A tump line when properly adjusted is very helpful, though not necessary. An old-style army knapsack makes a very satisfactory outfit. A knapsack is usually too small to take blankets, which should be rolled in a long thin roll, wrapped in a water proof cloth and attached around the pack like the tire on a wheel. A blanket roll across the chest is one of the poorest ways to carry duffle. It is hot, uncomfortable, and must be opened entirely to get out anything.
A good riddance to
MOSQUITOES!
Black Flies, Gnats and Midge - those pests of camp and trail. Best known and preferred by fishermen, hunters, campers, tourists, at Drug, Sporting and General Stores.
KIMBALL'S FLY OIL
KIMBALL BROS. & CO. INC., ENOSBURG FALLS, VERMONT
KIMBALL BROS. & CO. INC., ENOSBURG FALLS, VERMONT
99nd 35¢
PREFACE 11
A pack large enough to carry the blankets inside is considered more practical by many.
A very satisfactory combination of sleeping bag and pack, known locally in the Lake Pleiad Section as the Pleiad Sleeping Bag, may easily be made at home. It consists of a waterproofed outer cover or bag of long cloth of two layers, about the dimensions of a cot mattress, placed one above the other and sewed together at the edges, a slit being left extending from the middle of the top to about one-third of the way down the middle of the upper layer to serve as a means of getting in. Within this cover as many wool blankets as desired may be put, one inside the other. Each blanket is folded and basted or stitched to a shape like that of the cover and in such a manner that a slit for entrance is left where the edges come together and just in line with the slit in the bag. This combination of cover and blanket is rolled up tight to form a cylinder with all the duffle inside; around it is put a pack harness (a harness maker will make one) consisting of two cross straps carried about the cylinder like hoops on a barrel, and connected by two wider lengths of leather, looped at their ends so as to slide along the hoopstraps for adjustment. The latter are put over the shoulders like the straps of a rucksack. Thus the whole cylindrical pack can be comfortably carried on the back and the duffle will remain dry at all times.
The total equipment, including food, should not exceed thirty pounds, preferably less. With careful planning this can be reduced to twenty pounds.
CARRY ON BELT: Camera, sheath knife if used, field glasses to replace camera for one member of party, drinking cup.
CARRY IN PACK: Light waterproof groundcloth; two wool blankets, 72 to 84 inches long; light-weight sweaters; one extra suit underwear; one suit flannel pajamas; two extra pairs woolen socks; handkerchiefs; towel with toilet articles; trench mirror. In party, one sewing-kit (fol-
Illustration
Machine-read from the 1937 scan. Text is the OCR’d original, unedited — including its age and its typos.
