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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