CAMPING OUT

Ladies' Mirror, Volume 4, Issue 5, 2 November 1925, Page 55

CAMPING OUT

THE VITAL BEDDING PROBLEM

THE night’s rest is the keynote of success or failure on the camping trip. If the camper’s bed is a good one, his sleep will be refreshing and the day’s trip will be made more enjoyable. Unfortunately, there has been implanted in the mind of many an experienced camper, the idea that when night comes, he has merely to spread his blanket beneath the sky, remove his shoes and sleep soundly until next morning. A few nights of this and he will decide that “roughing it” isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. With the many excellent types of beds, designed solely for camping, it is not necessary to sacrifice com-

fort on the camping trip as many of the beds are patterned after the ones used at home. One of the simplest, yet most comfortable of these, is the folding spring bed. The marked feature of this contrivance is the square link farbic used in its construction, designed to prevent sagging, thereby eliminating one of the most objectionable features found in most camp beds. There is nothing to get lost

or broken, as no bolts are used, and the legs are chained to the sides. When it is folded it takes up but little room on the running board of the car. The canvas cot ranks next in popularity due to its light weight and small size when folded. It really cannot be termed a comfortable bed unless completed with a mattress. If it is used without the mattress, a heavy piece of oil cloth or canvas

should cover it before bedding is laid. This will keep the cold air from coming up from beneath, but even with this the sleeper will want as many covers under him as over him. ANOTHER type of bed that meets with approval among many motor campers is the air bed or air mattress. This really is a combination bed for through its use no bed, mattress, or springs are needed, yet the same degree of comfort is afforded. Regardless of where it is laid, the camper is assured of a good bed, for it forms itself to the contour

of the ground and makes as level a bed on a pile of rocks as on a smooth surface. A large pump with a big air chainber may be had for this bed, so that it, requires but a few minutes’ pumping to fill it. The remarkable

feature about the air mattress is its compactibility. When it is inflated it makes a full-size bed, yet when the air is let out and the mattress is folded it makes a package so small that it easily fits under the seat cushion in the car. OUT the bed is only half the story -*-* —correct bedding is the other half. The poncho mattress is a very good type, as it has a waterproof pantasote backing which protects the bedding from the dirt. When the poncho is used all the bedding may be rolled lip inside it and the entire outfit can be carried on the running board.

The folding mattress is made in four sections, and is so constructed that when folded the sections lay one on top the other. This makes a bundle about the same size as the seat cushion, and on long trips many campers, to conserve space, leave the

cushion at home and substitute the folding mattress in its place. ISJOW the bed covering: By all means use woollen blankets, for cotton blankets are worse than useless on the camper’s bed. They absorb moisture and hold no heat. Cotton sheets are also not advisable as they too gather moisture. Wool blankets, preferably those with a loose weave designed for outdoor use, arc the best procurable for the camper. Take plenty of them, for if the sleeper is cold he will not enjoy his rest no matter how wonderful his bed may be.