Made of the soft body wool of the South American llama it is about twice as light as any other wool of equal thickness. As sold by many outfitters the cloth cover is waterproof but this should not be. To get the greatest warmth it is necessary to have not only the blanket porous but the covering as well so as to throw off the moisture which otherwise condenses and chills the occupant of the bag. But the sleeper must be insulated from the ground’s cold, moisture, and wet and hence the waterproof browse bag or thatched balsam bed used under the sleeping bag is recommended. Any blanket combination can be made into a serviceable sleeping bag by folding lengthwise and securing one end and three-fourths of one side by blanket pins or by sewing. You will of course not carry a mattress with you on the hike yet it is really necessary that you have some sort of browse thatching, waterproof sheet or pad to insulate you from the bare ground. The bed springs par excellence of the woods are of thatched evergreen boughs or balsam. This, the trapper’s bough bed, is largely poetical with campers in sections of the country where balsam, hemlock or spruce are not available. It is difficult to make but when properly constructed furnishes a mighty comfortable place to lay tired muscles at night. Collect a heap of boughs “about the size of a small house,” according to Moody, stripping off the fans with the hands, using only the lighter tips. Build on the ground a quadrangle of poles somewhat larger than the intended bed and retain this in place by ground stakes. Beginning at the head lay your larger fans convex side up and butts toward the foot much as you would shingle a house with the bushy stems overlapping. Over these lay a similar cover of the smaller fans with the butt ends beneath the layer already placed, leaving the fan ends curving up and down toward the foot of the bed. When done place over all the floorcloth and blankets. As the boughs get pressed down and the bed becomes hard they must be replenished. The ground cloth is to a tent what a floor is to a house. It keeps out dirt, vermin, dampness and wind and in cold or wet weather, besides being an absolute health necessity, it will add greatly to one’s comfort. The ground beneath besides being wet and cold is hard as a board for sleeping purposes, hence some sort of pad is needed. Nothing meets this requirement so well as the so-called browse bag or tick. It is preferably made of waterproof balloon silk or paraffined muslin (a rubber blanket or poncho is too heavy) size 2½ by 6½ feet and weight 1 pound. It is open at the foot end and at each camp is stuffed with hay, grass, leaves or other browse dry or wet. The bag weighs but little, takes up small compass when rolled for the pack and is useful in packing. It is quickly made into an acceptable bed mattress each night and emptied each morning.