Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

202 CAMPING AND WOODCRAFTStill, a few general principles have been workedout:1. When going as light as practicable, and takingthe most concentrated (water-free) foods that willdigest properly and sustain a man at hard workin the open air, the ration should not be cut downbelow 2j4 pounds (a ration being one man's foodfor one day). This is the minimum for mountaineering,arctic exploration, and wherever equipmentmust be " pared to the bone," This sort ofprovisioning will be considered in Volume II.2. People leading an easy life in summer campdo not require so much actual nutriment as thoseengaged in hard travel, big game hunting, andthe like; but they should have plenty of fruitsand vegetables, and these things are heavy andbulky.3. Men working hard in the open, and exposedto the vicissitudes of wilderness life, need a dietrich in protein, fats (especially in cold weather),and sweets. This may not agree with theories ofdieticians, but it is the experience of millions ofcampaigners who know what their work demands.A low-proteid diet may be good for men leadingsoft lives, and for an occasional freak outdoorsman,but try it on an army in the field, or on a crew oflumberjacks, and you will face stark mutiny.As a basis upon which the supplies for a partymay be calculated, I offer, in the following table,tw^o ration lists, called '* light " and " heavy," forone man, one week. The first figures out about4,900 calories, and the second about 5,300 calories,per man, per day. Either of these is sufficient fora man engaged in hard outdoor work; so the terms" light " and '^ heavy " do not refer to food valuesbut to actual weights, the first being 3 pounds, andthe second a bit over 5 pounds, per man, per day.The difference is due chiefly to canned goods andfresh vegetables.Observe that both of these lists include fresh