it was easier to _cut_ a stiff pole than to _carry_ either the pole or
rope.

You need not confine yourself exactly to the dimensions of the army
shelter-tent, but for a pedestrian something of the sort is necessary
if he will camp out. I have never seen a "shelter" made of _three_
breadths of drilling (seven feet three inches long), but I should think
it would be a good thing for four or five men to take.[14] And I should
recommend that they make three-sided end-pieces instead of taking
additional half-tents complete, for in the latter case one-half of the
cloth is useless.

Five feet is _long_ enough for a tent made on the "shelter" principle;
when pitched with the roof at a right angle it is 3-1/2 feet high, and
nearly seven feet wide on the ground.

Although a shelter-tent is a poor substitute for a house, it is as good
a protection as you can well carry if you propose to walk any distance.
It should be pitched neatly, or it will leak. In heavy, pelting rains a
fine spray will come through on the windward side. The sides should set
at right angles to each other, or at a sharper angle if rain is
expected.

There are rubber blankets made with eyelets along the edges so that two
can be tied together to make a tent; but they are heavier, more
expensive, and not much if any better; and you will need other rubber
blankets to lie upon.

If you wish for a larger and more substantial covering than a "shelter,"
and propose to do the work yourself, you will do well to have a