I believe it is, or was, official Boy Scout equipment. I have never had difficulty scraping together enough fuel for cooking even on the desert, so do not tote along a portable stove. Nor have I needed my small belt axe which weighs 1 pound, 6 ounces. However, a good knife is indispensable. Huge and warlike hunting knives look impressive, but are only in the way; all you need is a sturdy pocket knife with several blades in a 4-inch handle, weighing about 3 ounces. Then, a couple of bandanas are useful and can serve many purposes from a handkerchief to a pot holder. I always keep one in my hip pocket where the loose end protrudes as a sort of official expedition flag. One of the pleasures of knapsacking is that camp chores can be reduced to a minimum. My method of doing them the easy way is to take 25 or 30 sheets of paper towelling in lieu of dish cloths and towels. Pots. pans and plates can be scrubbed reasonably clean with warm water and a couple of sheets of the paper; you can dry yourself with it after washing; and it is easi1y disposed of or used to get the	fire started in the morning. I hasten to add, for the benefit of fastidious campers, that your cooking equipment can be thoroughly sterilized in boiling water upon your return to civilization -so that no bit of egg need adhere to the frying pan to mar your next trip. But, fastidious or not, I believe it is a maxim that an honest-to-goodness knapsacker never shaves while on the trail. As I said before, there is nothing scientific about my methods. That goes for food too. The fact that the daily U. S. army ration contains 3500 large calories and nearly 100 grams of protein leaves me cold. I have simply worked out various combination of light-weight foods, high in caloric content, which have proved to be sufficient fuel to propel me there and back without pangs of gnawing hunger. Here are a few food items with weights for a three-day trip: ITEMS LBS. OZ. 1/2 dz. eggs & cardboard container (I've never broken one yet!) 0 13 12 half slices bacon 0 4 6 slices bread 0 7 Butter 0 8 Dehydrated soup (about 4 oz. ca.) 0 8 Bouillon cubes (chicken and beef) and or tea bags 0 2	Instant coffee (2 oz. equals about 1 pound regular coffee) 0 2 Sugar 0 5 Cheese 0 8 Small can evaporated milk 0 8 Salt, pepper 0 1/2 Nuts, raisins, dried fruit 0 8 12 sugar cookies (my particular favorite dessert) 0 9 Other foods near the top in nourishment are peanut butter, with 2740 calories to the pound and chocolate, 2770 calories. Packaged macaroni products, prepared in seven minutes make a good evening dish, and I often carry hamburger or canned roast beef. Cans, however, weigh from a pound to a pound and a half, making them a luxury to be indulged in only on shorter trips. But combinations are endless and, of course, dehydrated and powdered foods as well as balanced army, Boy Scout and commercial rations are available. One advertised ration consists of precooked, dehydrated, packaged meals averaging about 2500 calories and over 90 grams protein per day. These include such civilized fare as chicken or beef and gravy, but each meal weighs from a pound to nearly two pounds and I have found them to

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