PERSONAL EQUIPMENT
IN discussion of the details of equipment, I shall first of all take up
in turn each and every item you could possibly need, whether you intend
to travel by horse, by canoe, or on your own two feet. Of course you
will not carry all of these things on any one trip. What is permissible
for horse traveling would be absurd for a walking trip; and some
things--such as a waterproof duffle bag--which you would need on a foot
tramp, would be useless where you have kyacks and a tarpaulin to protect
your belongings. Therefore I shall first enumerate all articles of all
three classes of equipment; and then in a final summary segregate them
into their proper categories.
[Sidenote: Concerning Hats]
[Sidenote: Stetson Hat the Best]
Long experience by men practically concerned seems to prove that a
rather heavy felt hat is the best for all around use. Even in hot sun
it seems to be the most satisfactory, as, with proper ventilation, it
turns the sun's rays better even than light straw. Witness the Arizona
cowboy on his desert ranges. You will want a good hat, the best in
material that money can buy. A cheap article sags in the brim, tears in
the crown, and wets through like blotting paper the first time it rains.
I have found the Stetson, of the five to seven dollar grade, the most
satisfactory. If it is intended for woods travel where you are likely to
encounter much brush, get it of medium brim. In those circumstances I
find it handy to buy a size smaller than usual, and then to rip out the
sweat band. The friction of the felt directly against the forehead and
the hair will hold it on in spite of pretty sharp tugs by thorns and
wind. In the mountains or on the plains, you can indulge in a wider and
stiffer brim. Two buckskin thongs sewn on either side and to tie under
the "back hair" will hold it on, even against a head wind. A test will
show you how this can be. A leather band and buckle--or miniature cinch
and latigos--gives added security. I generally cut ample holes for
ventilation. In case of too many mosquitoes I stuff my handkerchief in
the crown.
[Sidenote: Kerchiefs]
About your neck you will want to wear a silk kerchief. This is to keep
out dust, and to prevent your neck from becoming reddened and chapped.
It, too, should be of the best quality. The poorer grades go to pieces
soon, and their colors are not fast. Get it big enough. At night you
will make a cap of it to sleep in; and if ever you happen to be caught
without extra clothes where it is very cold, you will find that the
kerchief tied around your middle, and next the skin, will help
surprisingly.
[Sidenote: Coats]
A coat is useless absolutely. A sweater is better as far as warmth goes;
a waistcoat beats it for pockets. You will not wear it during the day;
it wads up too much to be of much use at night. Even your trousers
rolled up make a better temporary pillow. Leave it home; and you will
neither regret it nor miss it.
[Sidenote: Sweaters]
For warmth, as I have said, you will have your sweater. In this case,
too, I would impress the desirability of purchasing the best you can
buy. And let it be a heavy one, of gray or a neutral brown.
[Sidenote: Buckskin Shirts]
But to my mind the best extra garment is a good ample buckskin shirt. It
is less bulky than the sweater, of less weight, and much warmer,
especially in a wind, while for getting through brush noiselessly it
cannot be improved upon. I do not know where you can buy one; but in any
case get it ample in length and breadth, and without the fringe. The
latter used to possess some significance beside ornamentation, for in
case of need the wilderness hunter could cut from it thongs and strings
as he needed them. Nowadays a man in a fringed buckskin shirt is
generally a fake built to deceive tourists. On the other hand a plain
woodsmanlike garment, worn loose and belted at the waist, looks always
at once comfortable and appropriate. Be sure that the skins of which it
is made are smoke tanned. The smoke tanned article will dry soft, while
the ordinary skin is hardening to almost the consistency of rawhide.
Good buckskins are difficult to get hold of--and it will take five to
make you a good shirt--but for this use they last practically forever.
[Sidenote: Overshirts]
Of course such a garment is distinctly an extra or outside garment. You
would find it too warm for ordinary wear. The outer shirt of your daily
habit is best made of rather a light weight of gray flannel. Most new
campers indulge in a very thick navy blue shirt, mainly, I believe,
because it contrasts picturesquely with a bandana around the neck. Such
a shirt almost always crocks, is sure to fade, shows dirt, and is
altogether too hot. A lighter weight furnishes all the protection you
need to your underclothes and turns sun quite as well. Gray is a neutral
color, and seems less often than any other to shame you to the wash
soap. A great many wear an ordinary cotton work shirt, relying for
warmth on the underclothes. There is no great objection to this, except
that flannel is better should you get rained on.
[Sidenote: Underclothes]
The true point of comfort is, however, your underwear. It should be of
wool. I know that a great deal has been printed against it, and a great
many hygienic principles are invoked to prove that linen, cotton, or
silk are better. But experience with all of them merely leads back to
the starting point. If one were certain never to sweat freely, and never
to get wet, the theories might hold. But once let linen or cotton or
silk undergarments get thoroughly moistened, the first chilly little
wind is your undoing. You will shiver and shake before the hottest fire,
and nothing short of a complete change and a rub-down will do you any
good.
Now, of course in the wilderness you expect to undergo extremes of
temperature, and occasionally to pass unprotected through a rainstorm or
a stream. Then you will discover that wool dries quickly; that even
when damp it soon warms comfortably to the body. I have waded all day in
early spring freshet water with no positive discomfort except for the
cold ring around my legs which marked the surface of the water.
[Sidenote: Wear Woolen Underclothes Always]
And if you are wise, you will wear full long-sleeved woolen undershirts
even on a summer trip. If it is a real trip, you are going to sweat
anyway, no matter how you strip down to the work. And sooner or later
the sun will dip behind a cloud or a hill; or a cool breezelet will
wander to you resting on the slope; or the inevitable chill of evening
will come out from the thickets to greet you--and you will be very glad
of your woolen underwear.
A great many people go to the opposite extreme. They seem to think that
because they are to live in the open air, they will probably freeze. As
a consequence of this delusion, they purchase underclothes an inch
thick. This is foolishness, not only because such a weight is
unnecessary and unhealthful, but also--even if it were merely a
question of warmth--because one suit of thick garments is not nearly so
warm as two suits of thin. Whenever the weather turns very cold on you,
just put on the extra undershirt over the one you are wearing, and you
will be surprised to discover how much warmth two gauze tissues--with
the minute air space between them--can give. Therefore, though you must
not fail to get full length woolen underclothes, you need not buy them
of great weight. The thinnest Jaeger is about right.
[Sidenote: The Laundry Problem]
Two undershirts and three pairs of drawers are all you ever will need on
the most elaborate trip. You perhaps cannot believe that until you have
gotten away from the idea that laundry must be done all at once. In the
woods it is much handier to do it a little at a time. Soap your
outershirt at night; rinse it in the morning; dry it on top of your pack
during the first two hours. In the meantime wear your sweater; or, if it
is warm enough, appear in your undershirt. When you change your
underclothes--which should be one garment at a time--do the same thing.
Thus always you will be possessed of a clean outfit without the
necessity of carrying a lot of extras.
[Sidenote: Trousers]
The matter of trousers is an important one; for unless you are possessed
of abundant means of transportation, those you have on will be all you
will take. I used to include an extra pair, but got over it. Even when
trout fishing I found that by the time I had finished standing around
the fire cooking, or yarning, I might have to change the underdrawers,
but the trousers themselves had dried well enough. And patches are not
too difficult a maneuver.
[Sidenote: Moleskin and Khaki]
The almost universal wear in the West is the copper-riveted blue canvas
overall. They are very good in that they wear well. Otherwise they are
stiff and noisy in the brush. Kersey is excellent where much wading is
to be done or much rainy weather encountered--in fact it is the favorite
"driving" trousers with rivermen--but like all woven woolen materials
it "picks out" in bad brush. Corduroy I would not have as a gift. It is
very noisy, and each raindrop that hits it spreads at once to the size
of a silver dollar. I verily believe an able pair of corduroys can, when
feeling good, soak up ten pounds of water. Good moleskin dries well, and
until it begins to give out is soft and tough. But it is like the
one-hoss shay: when it starts to go, it does the job up completely in a
few days. The difficulty is to guess when that moment is due to arrive.
Anything but the best quality is worthless. Khaki has lately come into
popularity. It wears remarkably well, dries quickly, and is excellent in
all but one particular: it shows every spot of dirt. A pair of khakis
three days along on the trail look as though they had been out a year.
The new green khaki is a little better. Buckskin is all right until you
get it wet, then you have--temporarily--enough material to make three
pairs and one for the boy.
The best trousers I know of is a combination of the latter two
materials. I bought a pair of the ordinary khaki army riding breeches,
and had a tailor cover them completely--fore, aft, and sideways--with
some good smoke-tanned buckskin I happened to have. It took a skin and a
half. These I have worn now for three seasons, in all kinds of country,
in all kinds of weather, and they are to-day as good as when I
constructed them. In still hunting they are noiseless; horseback they do
not chafe; in cold weather they are warm, and the hot sun they turn. The
khaki holds the stretch of buckskin when wet--as they have been for a
week at a time. Up to date the smoke tan has dried them soft. Altogether
they are the most satisfactory garment of this kind I have experimented
with.
There remains the equally important subject of footwear.
[Sidenote: Socks]
Get heavy woolen lumberman's socks, and wear them in and out of season.
They are not one whit hotter on the feet than the thinnest you can buy,
for the impervious leather of the shoe is really what keeps in the
animal heat--the sock has little to do with it. You will find the soft
thick wool an excellent cushion for a long tramp; and with proper care
to avoid wrinkles, you will never become tender-footed nor chafed. At
first it seems ridiculous to draw on such thick and apparently hot socks
when the sun peeping over the rim of the desert promises you a scorching
day. Nothing but actual experience will convince you; but I am sure that
if you will give the matter a fair test, you will come inevitably to my
conclusion.
[Sidenote: The Ideal Footwear]
If a man were limited to a choice between moccasins and shoes, it would
be very difficult to decide wisely which he should take. Each has its
manifest advantages over the other, and neither can entirely take the
place of the other.
The ideal footwear should give security, be easy on the feet, wear well,
and give absolute protection. These qualities I have named approximately
in the order of their importance.
[Sidenote: Security of footing]
Security of footing depends on the nature of the ground over which you
are traveling. Hobnails only will hold you on a slope covered with pine
needles, for instance; both leather and buckskin there become as
slippery as glass. In case of smooth rocks, however, your hobnails are
positively dangerous, as they slide from under you with all the vicious
force and suddenness of unaccustomed skates. Clean leather is much
better, and buckskin is the best of all. Often in hunting deer along the
ledges of the deep box canyons I, with my moccasins, have walked
confidently up slants of smooth rock on which my hobnailed companion was
actually forced to his hands and knees. Undoubtedly also a man carrying
a pack through mixed forest is surer of his footing and less liable to
turned ankles in moccasins than in boots. My experience has been that
with the single exception mentioned, I have felt securer in the
buckskin.
[Illustration:
"Mountain on mountain towering high,
And a valley in between"]
[Sidenote: Ease]
As for ease to the feet, that is of course a matter of opinion.
Undoubtedly at first the moccasin novice is literally a tenderfoot. But
after astonishingly few days of practice a man no longer notices the
lack of a sole. I have always worn moccasins more or less in the woods,
and now can walk over pebbles or knife-edge stones without the slightest
discomfort. In fact the absence of rolling and slipping in that sort of
shifting footing turns the scale quite the other way.
[Sidenote: Wear]
The matter of wear is not so important. It would seem at first glance
that the one thin layer of buckskin would wear out before the several
thick layers of a shoe's sole. Such is not always the case. A good deal
depends on the sort of ground you cover. If you wet moccasins, and then
walk down hill with them over granite shale, you can get holes to order.
Boots wear rapidly in the same circumstances. On the other hand I have
on at this moment a pair of mooseskin moccasins purchased three years
ago at a Hudson's Bay Company's post, which have seen two summers' off
and on service in the Sierras. Barring extraordinary conditions, I
should say that each in its proper use, a pair of boots and a pair of
moccasins would last about the same length of time. The moccasin,
however, has this advantage: it can be readily patched, and even a half
dozen extra pairs take up little room in the pack.
[Sidenote: Waterproofing]
Absolute protection must remain a tentative term. No footwear I have
succeeded in discovering gives absolute protection. Where there is much
work to be done in the water, I think boots are the warmest and most
comfortable, though no leather is perfectly waterproof. Moccasins then
become slimpsy, stretched, and loathsome. So likewise moccasins are not
much good in damp snow, though in dry snow they are unexcelled.
In my own practice I wear boots on a horseback trip, and carry moccasins
in my pack for general walking. In the woods I pack four pair of
moccasins. In a canoe, moccasins of course.
[Sidenote: About Boots]
Do not make the common mistake of getting tremendously heavy boots.
They are clumsy to place, burdensome to carry, and stiff and unpliable
to the chafing point. The average amateur woodsman seems to think a pair
of elephantine brogans is the proper thing--a sort of badge of
identification in the craft. If he adds big hobnails to make tracks
with, he is sure of himself. A medium weight boot, of medium height,
with medium heavy soles armed only with the small Hungarian hobnail is
about the proper thing. Get them eight inches high; supplied with very
large eyelets part way, then the heaviest hooks, finishing with two more
eyelets at the top. The latter will prevent the belt-lacing you will use
as shoestrings from coming unhooked.
You will see many advertisements of waterproof leather boots. No such
thing is made. Some with good care will exclude water for a while, if
you stay in it but a few minutes at a time, but sooner or later as the
fibers become loosened the water will penetrate. In the case of the show
window exhibit of the shoe standing in a pan of water, pressure of the
foot and ground against the leather is lacking, which of course makes
all the difference. This porosity is really desirable. A shoe wholly
waterproof would retain and condense the perspiration to such an extent
that the feet would be as wet at the end of the day. Such is the case
with rubber boots. All you want is a leather that will permit you to
splash through a marsh, a pool, or a little stream, and will not seek to
emulate blotting paper in its haste to become saturated.
[Sidenote: The Most Durable Boots]
Of the boots I have tried, and that means a good many, I think the
Putman boot and the river driver's boot, made by A. A. Cutter of Eau
Claire, Wis., are made of the most durable material. The Putman boot is
the more expensive; and in the case of the three pairs I know of
personally, the sewing has been defective. The material, however, wears
remarkably well, and remains waterproof somewhat longer than any of the
others. On the other hand the Cutter shoe is built primarily for
rivermen and timber cruisers of the northern forests, and is at once
cheap and durable. It has a brace of sole leather about the heel which
keeps the latter upright and prevents it running over. It is an easier
shoe on the foot than any of the others, but does not remain waterproof
quite so long as the Putman. Although, undoubtedly, many other makes are
as good, you will not go astray in purchasing one of these two.
[Sidenote: Rubber]
No shoe is waterproof for even a short time in wet snow. Rubber is then
the only solution, usually in the shape of a shoe rubber with canvas
tops. Truth to tell, melting snow is generally so very cold that you
will be little troubled with interior condensation. Likewise many years'
experience in grouse hunting through the thickets and swamps of Michigan
drove me finally to light hip rubber boots. The time was always the
autumn; the place was always more or less muddy and wet--in spots of
course--and there was always the greater or lesser possibility of snow.
My native town was a great grouse shooting center, and all hunters, old
and young, came to the same conclusion.
But wet snow, such hunting, and of course the duck marsh, seem to me the
only excuses for rubber. Trout fishing is more comfortable in woolen
than in waders. The latter are clumsy and hot. I have known of two
instances of drowning because the victims were weighted down by them.
And I should much prefer getting wet from without than from within.
You will have your choice of three kinds of moccasin--the oil-tanned
shoe pac, the deerhide, and the moosehide.
[Sidenote: Shoe Pacs]
The shoe pac is about as waterproof as the average waterproof shoe, and
would be the best for all purposes were it not for the fact that its
very imperviosity renders it too hot. In addition continuous wear
affects the oil in the tanning process to produce rather an evil odor.
The shoe pacs are very useful, however, and where I carry but two pairs
of moccasins, one is of the oil tan. Shoe pacs can be purchased of any
sporting goods dealer.
[Sidenote: Moccasins]
The deerhide moccasin, in spite of its thinner texture, wears about as
well as the moosehide, is less bulky to carry, but stretches more when
wet and is not as easy on the feet. I use either sort as I happen to get
hold of them. Genuine buckskin or moose is rather scarce. Commercial
moccasins with the porcupine quills and "Souvenir of Mackinaw" on them
are made by machinery out of sheepskin. They are absolutely useless, and
last about long enough to get out of sight of the shop. A great majority
of the moccasins sold as sportsman's supplies are likewise very bogus.
My own wear I have always purchased of Hudson's Bay posts. Undoubtedly
many reliable firms carry them; but I happen to know by personal
experience that the Putman Boot Company of Minneapolis have the real
thing.
[Sidenote: Waistcoats]
Proceeding to more outer garments, a waistcoat is a handy affair. In
warm weather you leave it open and hardly know you have it on; in cold
weather you button it up, and it affords excellent protection. Likewise
it possesses the advantage of numerous pockets. These you will have your
women folk extend and deepen for you, until your compass, notebook,
pipe, matches, and so forth fit nicely in them. As it is to be used as
an outside garment, have the back lined. If you have shot enough deer to
get around to waistcoats, nothing could be better by way of material
than the ever-useful buckskin.
[Sidenote: Waterproofs]
I am no believer in waterproof garments. Once I owned a pantasote outer
coat which I used to assume whenever it rained. Ordinarily when it is
warm enough to rain, it is warm enough to cause you to perspire under
the exertion of walking in a pantasote coat. This I discovered. Shortly
I would get wet, and would be quite unable to decide whether the rain
had soaked through from the outside or I had soaked through from the
inside. After that I gave the coat away to a man who had not tried it,
and was happy. If I must walk in the rain I prefer to put on a
sweater--the rough wool of which will turn water for some time and the
texture of which allows ventilation. Then the chances are that even if I
soak through I do not get a reactionary chill from becoming overheated.
[Sidenote: Ponchos]
In camp you will know enough to go in when it rains. When you have to
sally forth you will thrust your head through the hole in the middle of
your rubber blanket. When thus equipped the rubber blanket is known as a
poncho, and is most useful because it can be used for two purposes.
[Sidenote: Slickers]
Horseback in a rainy country is, however, a different matter. There
transportation is not on your back, but another's; and sitting a horse
is not violent exercise. Some people like a poncho. I have always found
its lower edge cold, clumsy, and wet, much inclined to blow about, and
apt to soak your knees and the seat of your saddle. The cowboy slicker
cannot be improved upon. It is different in build from the ordinary
oilskin. Call for a "pommel slicker," and be sure it is apparently
about two sizes too large for you. Thus you will cover your legs. Should
you be forced to walk, a belt around your waist will always enable you
to tuck it up like a comic opera king. It is sure ludicrous to view, but
that does not matter.
[Sidenote: Chaparejos]
Apropos of protecting your legs, there remains still the question of
chaparejos or chaps. Unless you are likely to be called on to ride at
some speed through thorny brush, or unless you expect to ride very wet
indeed, they are a useless affectation. The cowboy needs them because he
does a great deal of riding of the two kinds just mentioned. Probably
you will not. I have had perhaps a dozen occasions to put them on. If
you must have them, get either oil-tanned or hair chaps. Either of these
sheds water like a tin roof. The hair chaps will not last long in a
thorny country.
[Sidenote: Gloves]
You will need furthermore a pair of gloves of some sort, not for
constant wear, nor merely for warmth, but to protect you in the
handling of pack ropes, lead ropes, and cooking utensils. A good
buckskin gauntlet is serviceable, as the cuffs keep the cold breezes
from playing along your forearm to your shoulder, and exclude the dust.
When you can get hold of the army gauntlet, as you sometimes can in the
military stores, buy them. Lacking genuine buckskin, the lighter grades
of "asbestos" yellow tan are the best. They cost about two dollars. To
my notion a better rig is an ordinary pair of short gloves, supplemented
by the close-fitting leather cuffs of a cowboy's outfit. The latter hold
the wrist snugly, exclude absolutely chill and dirt, and in addition
save wear and soiling of the shirt cuff. They do not pick up twigs,
leaves, and rubbish funnel wise, as a gauntlet cuff is apt to do.
That, I think, completes your wearing apparel. Let us now take up the
contents of your pockets, and your other personal belongings.
_SUMMARY_
_Minimum for comfort_
Felt hat
Silk kerchief
Waistcoat
Buckskin shirt or sweater
Gray flannel shirt
2 undershirts and drawers
Trousers--buckskin over khaki
3 pairs heavy socks
{3 pairs moccasins
{ or
{1 pair boots
{1 pair moccasins
Gloves and leather cuffs
_Maximum_
Felt hat
Silk kerchief
Waistcoat
Buckskin shirt and sweater
Gray flannel shirt
2 undershirts, 3 drawers (includes one suit you wear)
Trousers
4 pairs socks
1 pair boots
Moccasins
Slicker
Gloves and leather cuffs