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gage[3] as you roll; then tie
it in a number of places to prevent unrolling, and the shifting about of
things inside; and finally tie or strap together the two ends, and throw
the ring thus made over the shoulder, and wear it as you do the strap of
the haversack,--diagonally across the body.
[Illustration]
The advantages of the roll over the knapsack are important. You save the
two and a half pounds weight; the roll is very much easier to the
shoulder, and is easier shifted from one shoulder to the other, or taken
off; and you can ease the burden a little with your hands. It feels
bulky at first, but you soon become used to it. On the whole, you will
probably prefer the roll to the knapsack; but if you carry much weight
you will very soon condemn whatever way you carry it, and wish for a
change.
A haversack is almost indispensable in all pedestrian tours. Even if you
have your baggage in a wagon, it is best to wear one, or some sort of a
small bag furnished with shoulder straps, so that you can carry a lunch,
writing materials, guide-book, and such other small articles as you
constantly need. You can buy a haversack at the stores where sportsmen's
outfits are sold; or you can make one of enamel-cloth or rubber
drilling, say eleven inches deep by nine wide, with a strap of the same
material neatly doubled and sewed together, forty to forty-five inches
long, and one and three-quarters inches wide. Cut the back piece about
nineteen inches long, so as to allow for a flap eight inches long to
fold over the top and down the front. Sew the strap on the upper corners
of the back piece, having first sewed a facing inside, to prevent its
tearing out the back.
WOOLLEN BLANKET.
Next in the order of necessities is a woollen blanket,--a good stout
one, rather than the light or flimsy one that you may think of taking.
In almost all of the Northern States the summer nights are apt to be
chilly; while in the mountainous regions, and at the seaside, they are
often fairly cold. A lining of cotton drilling will perhaps make a thin
blanket serviceable. This lining does not need to be quite as long nor
as wide as the blanket, since the ends and edges of the blanket are used
to tuck under the sleeper. One side of the lining should be sewed to the
blanket, and the other side and the ends buttoned; or you may leave off
the end buttons. You can thus dry it, when wet, better than if it were
sewed all around. You can lay what spare cl
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