CAMPING OUT
CAMPING
AND
CAMP COOKING
BY
FRANK A. BATES
(MATASISO)
AUTHOR OF “GAME BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA,” “STORIES OF
LAKE, FIELD AND FOREST,” “HOW TO MAKE OLD
ORCHARDS PROFITABLE,” ETC.
New and Revised Edition
BOSTON
THE BALL PUBLISHING CO.
1914
Copyright, 1909,
By The Ball Publishing Co.
A portion of this first appeared in a different form in the columns of
“The Amateur Sportsman & Sportsman’s Magazine,” and thanks are due the
publisher of that magazine for permission to republish.
The chapter on cleaning fish was written specially for this volume by
Mr. Leslie F. Bosworth. It needs no eulogy.
To my Friend
FRANK W. BRETT, M.D.,
THE COMPANION OF MANY CAMPS, AND THE FRIEND
OF MANY DAYS,
THIS LITTLE BOOK IS
AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED
BY THE AUTHOR
INTRODUCTION TO SECOND EDITION
In laying this new edition of “Camping and Camp-Cooking” before the
reading public, it becomes my duty--the most pleasant that falls to the
lot of a writer--to express my thanks for the kind reception of the
little book. That it has been a success is proven by the kind words of
practical people. Hence, but little change has been made in the body of
the book; but an appendix has been added on the care of the health, the
reason for which will be found therein expressed.
F. A. B.
INTRODUCTION
Vacation time brings to many the desire for out-door life, as a
refreshment for mind and body. There seems to be a strain of wild
blood in the most of us, that impels us to leave the haunts of man,
occasionally, and getting out into the wildwood, to live close to
nature for awhile. The expense of summer hotels and camps deters many,
and the cost of hiring professional guides for those who wish to get
rid of the formalities of such resorts and do not know how to care for
themselves, prevents others.
There are many who like to leave their work for a few weeks and go to
the woods or lakeside. They have neither the time nor the inclination
to adopt the life of the professional trapper who lives by the chase
and sleeps on the soft side of a slab. They want rest; they wish for
pleasure; they require three square meals a day, and they want the food
well cooked, not too full of ashes, and not too different from that
to which they have been accustomed for the other forty-nine or fifty
weeks of the year. To this class, the business man, the clerk, the
mechanic, to every one who wishes to camp out and does not know how to
do it and still keep his self-respect, this book is addressed.
It is the result of an experience of over twenty years, during which
the writer has spent many months in the woods, and fitted out many
other parties for their summer vacations. Over the camp fire, while
discussing methods with other campers, or instructing the learner “how
to do it,” he has been asked many times to put his ideas into shape for
publication. Here they are, and it is his hope that everyone who takes
this little book with him to camp, may enjoy himself to the limit.
FRANK A. BATES.
CAMPING
CHAPTER I
CAMP OUTFITS
A camping outfit should be light and compact with all unnecessary
articles eliminated and all needful ones included. That reads a little
funny, but it is the gist of the whole question and the biggest
question that was ever presented to a man. That is, you will think so
when you are trying to get a 100-pound outfit over a swampy carry on a
rainy day and while laying up over a spell of wet weather afterward.
In the first place, you wonder why you brought so much truck, and
in the second place, why you did not bring many other things. So it
seems needless to say that the composition of an outfit depends, to
some extent, on the individual taste of the camper, and more upon the
character of the trip.
No sane man would carry the same amount of “duffle” on a walking
trip that he would if he went with a team, or if he was to be in
a permanent camp during the whole of his trip. Hence, I propose to
classify them into two sorts--walking trips and permanent camps. But
before I set down the list of _impedimenta_ I want to moralize a little.
I confess that I enjoy the comforts of life, and as many of the
luxuries as my purse or circumstances will allow; and while I have
enjoyed many tramps with nothing but what I could easily carry in my
knapsack, I enjoy one much better if I have more conveniences, and very
few vacationists care to “rough it” too much in the short time they
have for their annual trips, and there is no need to do so.
One of the finest woodsmen and grandest of men, “Nessmuk,” has written
a book which is a criterion for the man who can stand that kind of
trip; but what sort of a vacation do you suppose a city clerk would
have if he patterned his trip after this model? The question was not
needed; he simply would not try it; for the average city clerk is not
so big a fool as he appears to the average country dweller. So let it
go at that. To get back on our trail again. A party would not need the
same outfit in July that he would require in October--and while there
is no sense in sleeping cold at night because of a lack of blankets,
there is also no use for a sleeping-bag for a July camping trip, and
in this judgment of the actual necessities is where the average camper
fails.
The majority of camping parties occur in the warm season when game
birds and animals are protected by law, and there is no need for a gun,
but most men will confess to a feeling of greater security when there
is a firearm in camp. A light revolver will serve all purposes to drive
away marauding animals or to while away a dull hour at target practice,
and a little practice will render it thus available.
In the fall of the year the fishrod will be replaced by the shotgun
and rifle, but it is always well to have a line and a few hooks in the
ditty bag. A few fish will make an acceptable change in the diet, even
if a deer hangs at the tent door.
The following lists have been compiled from the experience of many
years in fitting out parties for the woods and are intended to cover
everything that is needed and with the idea that the man who reads
them knows but little about the subject and wants to know all about
it; and as parties will vary in number of persons composing it, I have
individualized the items.
OUTFIT FOR A TRIP OF TEN DAYS ON FOOT--SUMMER OR FALL.
_For the Party._
Light tent
Light axe
Camera
Camp kettle
Fry pan
Coffee can
Tight can for condensed milk
_Clothes, bedding, etc., for each man._
Rubber poncho
Heavy blanket
Cloth bag for pillow
Some small cloth bags for provisions
Pack strap
Whetstone
Map
Rod, reel and line
2 dozen flies
2 dozen hooks on gut
Suit of woolen clothes
Wool outing shirt
2 suits of underwear
Soft hat
2 pair extra socks
Shoes
2 handkerchiefs
2 towels
Mosquito net
Belt and knife
Pocket knife
Compass
Watch
Tin plate
Fork, large and small spoon
Tin cup
Pipe and tobacco
Matches
Waterproof matchbox
Insect repeller
Cake of soap
Comb
Needle, thread and buttons
Pencil and notebook
Money in small change
1/2 pint brandy and Jamaica ginger
1 ounce Tinct. Rhubarb
_Food for Each Man._
5 lbs. hard bread
7 lbs. ham, bacon or pork
2 lbs. dried fruit
2 cans condensed milk
1/2 lb. salt
2 lbs. sugar
1 lb. coffee
1/4 lb. tea
After September 1st add a sleeping bag, gun and 50 cartridges, and omit
the fishing rod and reel, but carry a line and a few hooks.
OUTFIT FOR TEN DAYS IN PERMANENT CAMP--SUMMER OR FALL.
_For the Party._
To the previous list add:
Broiler
Baker
Iron bean-pot
Stew pan
Camp stove if you wish
Bucket
4 tin plates for service
4 glass fruit jars for butter, etc.
Lantern
Candles
Laundry soap
Soap powder
50 ft. 1/4-in. rope and some twine
Kit of tools
Nails and screws
Boards for table
Canoe or boat
_For Each Man._
To the list of clothes, etc., add:
Rubber boots
Table knife
Another tin plate, cup and spoon
_Food per Man._
2 lbs. crackers
5 lbs. flour
3 lbs. meal
1/2 lbs. baking powder
4 lbs. ham, bacon or pork
2 cans corned beef
1 lb. dried fruit
3 cans fruit
3 cans condensed milk
1 lb. rice
1 qt. pea beans
1/2 pk. potatoes
1 qt. onions
1/2 lb. salt
1 oz. pepper
1 lb. butter
3 lbs. sugar
1 lb. coffee
1/4 lb. tea
In regard to the cooking apparatus much can be said. There is a golden
mean between bare necessity and absolute convenience, that must be
estimated by the character of the trip. When walking, with the lightest
possible amount of “duffle,” a tin plate may be used to cook everything
that cannot be spitted or baked in the ashes. For a camp kettle on a
walking trip I use a common tin pail with riveted ears to hold the
bail. Do not let the water boil out of it while on the fire. Throw it
away when you get to the end of the trip. In permanent camp this is
replaced by a “graniteware” kettle, which forms the vehicle for many a
savory stew and chowder, besides the more plebeian potato and onion. I
prefer this form of kettle, even if it be a little cumbersome, for if
the water boils away, as it sometimes will in spite of all precautions,
you will not be left with a bottomless dish.
The coffee can may also be a tin pail, but in whatsoever form it may
be, see that it is so made that it can be hung over the fire. Eschew
all patent contrivances for making coffee; they are a delusion and a
snare for the feet of the unwary, and utterly unnecessary. The tight
can for condensed milk is a necessary thing when moving about; to
prevent waste a screw top is best.
The fry pan is an important part of the outfit, but not the most
important. In it may be cooked the entire food for the party--meat,
fish, bread and even the coffee. But look out that it is of a
convenient pattern for transportation. Get a ten-inch thin iron pan,
with a socket on one side for a temporary handle, or have the handle
entirely removed, and fit it with a portable handle to screw to the
side. This detachable handle may be used to lift any dish from the
fire.
But because you have a pet fry pan, with automatic accessories, do
not become a slave to it. Use the broiler on all possible occasions.
The stomach of the camper will stand many severe strains, but it will
finally rebel if treated to too much grease. Use as little of this
lubricant as possible, and you will be surprised at the small quantity
needed.
[Illustration: Fry pan]
The remainder of the kit, with the exception of the baker, needs no
special comment; and of that piece of apparatus, I have long been in
doubt whether it was a desirable article for the camping outfit.
Personally, I never use the baker, as I prefer to bake my bread in
the fry pan, and my fish I roll in wet paper or leaves and bake
in the ashes. With a desire to advise those who disagree with
me, I wish to say that I was with a party who used an oven which
accompanied a cooking outfit, and it worked nicely. In fact, the
whole apparatus was without reproach, and was evidently the result
of practical experience. If I could afford it, and had the room for
its transportation, I should use one just like it, when I had a large
party to provide for, as it saved time and some trouble; but it was no
better than the more primitive method of the “bean hole,” which will be
discussed later.
A rubber blanket of some description is very necessary, and I prefer
the poncho with a slit in the middle to enable it to be put over the
shoulders in case of rain as well as to lay beneath the blankets while
sleeping, to keep off the dampness of the earth. If this pattern cannot
be obtained have two eyeletted holes made in one edge of a rubber
sheet, far enough apart so that it may be looped around the neck. The
ordinary blanket may be of any character that is desired. I use a
light wool blanket together with a light cotton blanket, both double
and uncut, for summer use, and a regulation sleeping bag for cooler
weather. The latter may be made of oiled duck lined with the summer
blankets, or with one or more quilted puffs made of calico and cotton
batting.
The cloth bag--size of a pillow case--is a very convenient article
to be filled with leaves or fir spills; this, however, is not
indispensable, for a good pillow may be extemporized of a pair of
shoes with a person’s outer clothing laid over them. The small cloth
bags will be found convenient in packing remnants of food, sugar,
coffee, etc., which is so easily scattered by the ordinary paper
packages becoming broken.
Now a word in regard to clothes. Eschew caps, helmets and straw hats,
and wear a soft felt hat, the softer the better; it will stand rain,
will not get broken, will keep the sun out of the eyes and can be
used for a multitude of purposes from acting as holder for a hot pan
or kettle to stopping a hole in a stoven boat. Canvas clothes are a
delusion; they make a lot of noise in the brush and are uncomfortable
when wet. Wear a suit of old woolen clothes with a light flannel shirt;
no vest is needed. These garments are comfortable and warm, even when
damp, and are easily dried. Look out for your feet; wear good, solid
leather boots, and change your socks every night, washing out and
drying each night the pair worn during the day. This little attention
to the comfort will prevent sore feet on a long tramp. The remainder of
the articles seem to explain themselves. Never wear new boots.
FOOD.
There now remains the question of food, and it is the most difficult
of all to handle, since there is such a diversity of taste. I have
endeavored to apportion the ration to a healthy man’s appetite and
have considered that there will be more or less fish, game, berries,
etc., gathered by the party. If there is no one who can cook, of course
food must be procured already prepared. But it seems very improbable
that some of the party will not take sufficient interest in this most
important requisite of camping to secure information from his feminine
relatives or friends, and practice sufficient to enable him to make a
good cup of coffee, a respectable flapjack and to fry a pan of fish.
With the materials set down in the list, with what fish, etc., will be
brought in, an ordinary camp cook will, in a permanent camp, supply a
different menu nearly every day in the week. For instance, a party of
three would be provided with 18 pounds of meat for ten days; this would
include 3 pounds ham, 4 pounds bacon, 5 pounds salt pork and 6 pounds
corned beef. The pork would be used in baking beans and frying fish,
and the others for broiling and hashes, while flapjacks, johnny-cakes,
pan-cakes, rice and fruit puddings could be concocted from the list.