I Have A Smaller Carry-All Made On The Same
Plan, But On A Tiny Scale, In Which To Carry Small Articles And A
Change Of Clothing.
It goes into the pocket after the bed, chair,
and the heavier articles are packed away.
When the bag is rolled up
they are on the outside of and form a protection to the articles of
lighter weight.
The only objection to the carry-all is that it is an awkward bundle
to pack. It is difficult to balance it on the back of an animal, but
when you are taking a tent with you or carrying your provisions, it
can be slung on one side of the pack saddle to offset their weight on
the other.
I use the carry-all when I am travelling "heavy." By that I mean
when it is possible to obtain pack-animal or cart. When travelling
light and bivouacking by night without a pack-horse, bed, or tent, I
use the saddle-bags, already described. These can be slung over the
back of the horse you ride, or if you walk, carried over your
shoulder. I carried them in this latter way in Greece, in the
Transvaal, and Cuba during the rebellion, and later with our own
army.
The list of articles I find most useful when travelling where it is
possible to obtain transport, or, as we may call it, travelling
heavy, are the following:
A tent, seven by ten feet, with fly, jointed poles, tent-pins, a
heavy mallet. I recommend a tent open at both ends with a window cut
in one end. The window, when that end is laced and the other open,
furnishes a draught of air. The window should be covered with a flap
which, in case of rain, can be tied down over it with tapes. A great
convenience in a tent is a pocket sewn inside of each wall, for
boots, books, and such small articles. The pocket should not be
filled with anything so heavy as to cause the walls to sag. Another
convenience with a tent is a leather strap stretched from pole to
pole, upon which to hang clothes, and another is a strap to be
buckled around the front tent-pole, and which is studded with
projecting hooks for your lantern, water-bottle, and field-glasses.
This latter can be bough ready-made at any military outfitter's.
Many men object to the wooden tent-pin on account of its tendency to
split, and carry pins made of iron. With these, an inch below the
head of the pin is a projecting barb which holds the tent rope. When
the pin is being driven in, the barb is out of reach of the mallet.
Any blacksmith can beat out such pins, and if you can afford the
extra weight, they are better than those of ash. Also, if you can
afford the weight, it is well to carry a strip of water-proof or
oilcloth for the floor of the tent to keep out dampness.
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