st are those made of rawhide. They weigh very little,
will stand all sorts of hard usage, hold the pack rope well, are so
stiff that they well protect the contents, and are so hard that
miscellaneous sharp-cornered utensils may be packed in them without fear
of injury either to them or the animal. They are made by lacing wet
hides, hair out, neatly and squarely over one of the wooden boxes built
to pack two five gallon oil cans. A round hardwood stick is sewn along
the top on one side--to this the sling straps are to be attached. After
the hide has dried hard, the wooden box is removed.

Only one possible objection can be urged against rawhide kyacks; if you
are traveling much by railroad, they are exceedingly awkward to ship.
For that purpose they are better made of canvas.

[Sidenote: Canvas Kyacks]

[Sidenote: Lash Ropes]

Many canvas kyacks are on the market, and most of them are worthless. It
is astonishing how many knocks they are called on to receive and how
soon the abrasion of rocks and trees will begin to wear them through.
Avoid those made of light material. Avoid also those made in imitation
of the rawhide with a stick along the top of one side to take the sling
straps. In no time the ends of that stick will punch through. The best
sort are constructed of OO canvas. The top is made of a half-inch rope
sewn firmly to the hem all around. The sling straps are long, and
riveted firmly. The ends are reinforced with leather. Such kyacks will
give you good service and last you a long time. When you wish to express
them, you pack your saddle and saddle blankets in one, telescope the
other over it, and tie up the bundle with the lash rope. The lash rope
is important, for you will have to handle it much, and a three months'
trip with a poor one would lose you your immortal soul. Most articles on
the subject advise thirty-three feet. That is long enough for the
diamond hitch and for other hitches with a very small top pack, but it
will not do for many valuable hitches on a bulky pack. Forty feet is
nearer the ticket. The best is a manila half inch or five-eighth inch.
If you boil it before starting out, you will find it soft to handle. The
boiling does not impair its strength. Parenthetically: do not become
over-enthusiastic and boil your riata, or you will make it aggravatingly
kinky. Cotton rope is all right, but apt to be stiff. I once used a
linen rope; it proved to be soft, strong, and held well, but I have
ne