A sleeping bag really is no substitute for a roof overhead on a rainy night as alluring advertisements would lead you to believe. Its waterproof cover retains inside moisture from the air and the body exudations of the sleeper thereby adding appreciably to the blanket’s weight. Thus a waterproof cover is no more wholesome to sleep in than a rubber boot is wholesome for one’s foot. In ordinary weather the sleeping bag is too hot and in chilly weather it is not as warm as it is supposed to be. Its narrow shape makes it difficult to crawl into the head end and it is very inconvenient should one need to get up several times a night to fix a night fire. It is an unpleasant trap to be in when a squall springs up suddenly at night or the tent catches fire. No less famous an explorer than Peary discarded the sleeping bag for the reason that, aside from its being a weighty extra item of outfit, when sleeping in snow igloos he was in constant danger of a break in the icy floor from the formation of pressure ridges and if encumbered in the bag he would have extricated himself with difficulty. Quoting Mr. Harry Whitney--“On my winter ox hunt I started into the Barren Grounds with a bag of caribou and lined with rabbit skin--the very warmest robe possible, but I ripped it open before I had been on the road three days.” The choice between a loose blanket bed and the sleeping bag is a matter of individual preference. If the latter is chosen it should be made to air easily and be easy of adjustment to varying temperatures. The permanently closed bag is out of the question as it retains the accumulated condensed body moisture. The only kind worth considering is one which can be easily opened and spread wide apart in the sunlight or before a fire every morning. The bag should be closed on all sides as far up as the breast of the sleeper and the continuation of the bag in the shape of a flap which can be nicely tucked about the shoulders. Probably the best low temperature sleeping bag is of caribou skin with the hair inside. One lined with llama wool duffle is next best. The so-called Arctic or Fiala sleeping bag is the lightest one available from outfitters in the United States. If one prefers this kind of a bed the tramper can find nothing so excellent where the greatest amount of warmth with the lightest possible weight is imperative.