The weight and bulk must be accommodated to the means of transportation at hand. Thus for a hike in the wilderness with full outfit carried on the back you must boil the necessaries down to that irreducible minimum consistent with comfort whereas were you travelling by wagon or canoe you could be more indulgent. You will have “boiled” it down to the essentials when you carry the outfit from season to season without adding to or subtracting from it. This then is _your_ ideal kit for it has withstood the “acid test” of experience. What one man calls a necessity another calls a luxury, yet this same luxury if the second man wants it bad enough becomes forthwith a necessity.
Having a proper equipment and enough courage for the undertaking it is astonishing to see with what confidence and independence two healthy men can cut loose from their civilized surroundings and with what comfort and happiness they can live out of doors during a considerable vacation trip.
In choosing clothing for a wilderness hike, style plays no important part: comfort and service are the main requirements. In general it is a safe rule to adopt that kind usually worn in the locality where you go.
The coat is to be at once eliminated. One never needs it: it is cumbersome, it impedes the swing of the arms and is no protection in inclement weather. It readily soaks up water or if made of waterproof stuff moisture is condensed inside. A good wool sweater is far preferable and should be included in every individual pack: you won’t use it much more than for a warmer at the evening camp.
The best headgear is an old felt hat of medium brim so the brush won’t forever be snatching it off. It will stay on the head better if you get the hat a size too small and rip out the lining so that the felt can cling to the hair.
Wear a coat style shirt always of wool or flannel and of a gray or tan color which won’t show dirt so badly as the popular blue does nor is it so conspicuous. To allow for shrinkage get it a size too large in the beginning and of medium light weight because if too heavy it becomes cumbersome in your work: two military bellows pockets with buttons are convenient for small stowaways.
It is quite advisable to waterproof all woolen items in the outfit after the following methods: secure three ounces of anhydrous wool fat and dissolve in chloroform. This is added to one gallon of benzine and the garments soaked therein for three minutes and then hung up to dry in a draft. The volatile benzine evaporates leaving the fibers of the wool encased in the natural oil. This is of particular advantage to the outdoor man since the woolen fibers thus treated do not soak up water and swell but only allow water to fill up the air interspaces of the fabric from which it can be readily expelled.