Equipment notes (9) "ready for immediate erection"

 Alpine outfitting advice from the mid-1930s.

Tents —In the early days of Alpine climbing tents were a necessity. Later on, when huts became numerous, tents were no longer needed; now again, as the vogue of mountaineering increases beyond all previous measure, they become useful once more. Most of those who have tried to sleep at crowded huts in July or August have longed for a tent, but the possibilities of tents have hardly yet been realized. They can serve alternatively either as substitutes for hotels or for club-huts, and for both these purposes the Whymper tent forms an ideal compromise; it is neither too big nor too small.

A Mummery tent
Illustration from the Badminton Library: Mountaineering

Fortunately, Switzerland is a country well served by railway and postal communications, with reasonable rates for goods and baggage. Between Zermatt and Saas, for instance, tents in bundles can be transported for three francs per twenty-five kilos, and the same rate applies to other distances in Switzerland not exceeding a hundred kilometres.

It may be useful to know that the step of a twelve horse-power motor-car will carry two Whymper tents with the poles already in position, so that the tents are ready for immediate erection; that is to say, each tent (which will only require two pegs) can be put up ready for habitation in about two minutes. The fly-sheet, if used, will take about ten minutes more. Each tent with its fly-sheet and pegs weighs about 52 Ib. The same step of the car will also take two army folding stretchers, which make excellent camp bedsteads, although, as they do not fold across their length, they are not convenient to carry to a camp at any considerable distance from the car. The tents have the floor-cloth sewn into them and afford more than six feet of head-room: various sizes may be ordered from the makers (Benjamin Edgington, of 313 Regent Street). These tents will be most useful where the approach to the camp site consists of nothing more difficult than a mule-path.

The fly-sheet is chiefly of importance as protection against midday heat; it should have holes in it to receive the tips of each pair of poles, and the tips should have shoulders on which the fly-sheet rests. Stout durable strings should be substituted for the rings which are intended to receive the spikes of the poles. A gutter must not be forgotten and should be dug with an ice-axe all round the tent to drain away rain-water; it should run underneath the edge of the fly to receive the water pouring off it.

In very cold climates arctic tents are necessary. They are dome-shaped, supported on numerous ribs from which is suspended an inner tent. A flap extending all round on the ground enables the tent to be held down by weights. Such tents offer a minimum resistance to the wind and are warm, but for daily travel they are too elaborate and troublesome to erect. Camp and Sports Co-operators, Ltd., of 2 & 3 Greville Street, Holborne, are the makers.

On Kangchenjunga the gallant Bavarian expedition, toiling along the knife-edged ridges of this most formidable of mountains for weeks together, exposed to wind and cold, slept in caves which they hacked out of the ice. This method of camping has also been successfully adopted on the Dent d’Hérens and on the summit of the Moench. On Nanga Parbat, on the other hand, where the ascent consisted mostly of face-climbing under the full force of the Indian sun, it seems that the contrast between the grilling heat outside the cave and the icy cold of the interior was impossible to endure.

If a tent is only required as the substitute for a hut, a smaller one than a Whymper will suffice, and a Mummery tent will serve the purpose ; this type is supported by two ice-axes. In a larger-sized Mummery, extensions have been designed for lengthening the supporting ice-axes so as to give more head-room than in the standard pattern. Packed in a bag, a Mummery tent, 6 ft. 6 in. by 4 ft. by 4 ft. high in the centre, and made of green rot-proof canvas, will weigh 10 lb. Made of aero fabric, it will only weigh 6 Ib. Even this weight, however, is a considerable addition to a rucksack, and if ice-axes are used as tent-poles, the tent will have to be taken down every time that the occupants set out on a climb. This disadvantage may be avoided by employing ordinary tentpoles, which should then be jointed in sections for convenience in carrying. 

References

Chapter Three “Equipment” by C F Meade in The Lonsdale Library of Sports, Games and Pastimes, Volume XVIII, Mountaineering, London: Seeley Service & Co, 1934. 

Equipment notes (8): "some prefer rubber water-bottles"

Alpine outfitting advice from the mid-1930s.

How to carry food and drink— It is convenient to have a number of linen bags for holding provisions and other articles and keeping them clean in the sack. A large one will hold the bread. Butter, jam, or honey are best carried in aluminium boxes with double covers; aluminium bottles are good for wine or tea.

Felt coverings to the bottles are useful, as the felt may be dampened in hot weather to cool the contents, but some mountaineers prefer the rubber water-bottles made in Germany, for these take up less room when empty. The same applies to the leather Pyrenean “gourdes,” which may be procured from Paul Gleize of Chambéry. All these bottles can be cured by leaving wine and water or weak coffee in them for a couple of days before use.

Aluminium should never have tea, red wine, or spirits left in it for more than a day. Bottles made of this metal should be rinsed out with water and left to drain. The yellowish brown stains that form are protective and should not be scrubbed off; it is only the small white spots that must be removed. Neglected aluminium can he scoured with a 10 per cent. solution of carbonate of soda, followed by washing out with concentrated nitric acid.

Aluminium drinking-cups with handles are sold by most foreign outfitters and hold a quarter of a litre. The handles are indispensable if the cups are to be used for hot drinks. Leather has been tried as a substitute for horn or aluminium; it makes a compact though cheerless form of drinking-cup. An aluminium “egg,” for making tea, with a chain attached to it, saves using more than one utensil in the making; but the “eggs” usually sold are too small for any but the smallest party.

For carrying raw or lightly cooked eggs, special egg-holders are sold; as the holders are of aluminium, however, and are easily knocked out of shape, it is simpler to pack the eggs very carefully in paper in a tin.

References

Chapter Three “Equipment” by C F Meade in The Lonsdale Library of Sports, Games and Pastimes, Volume XVIII, Mountaineering, London: Seeley Service & Co, 1934. 

Equipment notes (7): "the most comfortable puttees are Indian"

Alpine outfitting advice from the mid-1930s.

Hat – A battered felt hat is one of the best forms of headgear, and a woollen passe-montagne or Balaclava helmet may be worn under it during great cold; but it will then be necessary to bind the hat on with a handkerchief, as it is unlikely to fit comfortably over the passe-montagne otherwise.

Felt hat without passe-montagne
Illustration from the Badminton Library: Mountaineering

Gloves – The question of gloves is important. The best kind are woollen, without fingers, and for high mountains such as Mont Blanc or Monte Rosa, waterproof over-gloves of the mitt pattern may be carried. The only form of glove that is at all possible for rock-climbing is a woollen glove with the tips of all fingers cut off.

Puttees or gaiters – For gaiters, all those who are accustomed to them swear by puttees. A hook sewn on to the lower corner of each puttee is needed, as it can be hooked on to the bootlace and will prevent the puttee riding up in crusted snow. For the lesser snow-climbs, half the usual length of puttee is sufficient. The most comfortable puttees are Indian and can be obtained from Arthur Beale of 194 Shaftesbury Avenue.

References

Chapter Three “Equipment” by C F Meade in The Lonsdale Library of Sports, Games and Pastimes, Volume XVIII, Mountaineering, London: Seeley Service & Co, 1934. 

Equipment notes (6): "liable to sag and let in cold air"

Alpine outfitting advice from the mid-1930s.

Shirts—Shirts for mountaineering should be made of a material that has been well shrunk. The best stuff, such as viyella, should not be heavy; two shirts that are of medium weight are more useful than a single thick one. In crowded huts at night it is unwise to hang up a coat or waistcoat with money in it; a pocket in the shirt, with a flap to button, is therefore convenient.

Sweaters—For extra clothing during halts or bivouacs there is nothing better than Shetland sweaters. The kind made in the shape of a waistcoat is inferior to the sweater type, as it is liable to sag and to let in cold air at the opening in front. Several Shetland sweaters can be carried on a big expedition, especially if there is to be any question of sleeping out. A woollen scarf, too, is most convenient and can be used in various ways. It should be wide and long, so that it can partly fulfil the functions of a plaid.

Stockings.—The perfect stockings for climbing are hand-knitted and must not be at all tight. The coarse goat’s-hair socks used by skiers are excellent for high ascents. It is remarkable that warmth from the foot will condense outside these socks, and even form ice, while the foot remains dry and warm inside; one pair of ordinary socks as well as stockings can be worn underneath them.

References

Chapter Three “Equipment” by C F Meade in The Lonsdale Library of Sports, Games and Pastimes, Volume XVIII, Mountaineering, London: Seeley Service & Co, 1934. 

Equipment notes (5): "invaluable for hot valley marches"

Alpine outfitting advice from the mid-1930s.

Shorts.—In order to avoid the discomfort of the great heat often met with on the way up to huts, one experienced mountaineer used to have his knickerbockers made so that when the knee-buckles were undone, the breeches could be turned up above the knees and worn as if they were shorts.Another plan is to have very thin flannel shorts made for wearing under the breeches, with tapes sewn on (as for drawers), through which the tabs of the braces can be passed. Thus it is possible to put the breeches in the rucksack and walk up to the hut clad in very thin shorts and without suffering from the heat. On arrival, it is only necessary to extract the knickerbockers from the rucksack, and put them on over the shorts, in order to be comfortably warm, even on a chilly evening. If a high peak is ascended next day the climber may be glad to wear both garments.

Shorts are also invaluable for the hot valley marches in the Himalaya. If the stockings are long enough, they can be turned up during halts, when the shorts can be tucked into them to protect the knees from biting flies. But those whose mountaineering takes them further afield than the Alps, and others whose Alpine campaigns are on an ambitious scale, will probably consult specialists in mountaineers’ clothing. Howard Flint of Avery Row, Bond Street, makes a special costume of Grenfell cloth, while Furcot Sports Wear of Holmbridge, Huddersfield, have produced a jumper and breeches at a very low cost. Both firms have used zip fastenings. In fitting these fastenings it is important to keep them from contact with the skin and to allow an ample under-flap of cloth, as the joining is not always weatherproof. The difficulty of repairing a damaged zip is another serious disadvantage.

References

Chapter Three “Equipment” by C F Meade in The Lonsdale Library of Sports, Games and Pastimes, Volume XVIII, Mountaineering, London: Seeley Service & Co, 1934. 

Equipment notes (4): "the most efficient device"

Alpine outfitting advice from the mid-1930s.

Cholera belt - Some may consider cholera belts a necessity in the tropics; they are no less so in the Alps for those who occasionally feel cold when wearing shorts, a form of garment which certainly exposes the stomach to chills. The chief defect of these belts is their tendency to ruck. For those who are obliged to wear something of this kind, the most efficient device is probably the long, wide, blue sash of the Chasseur d'Alpin, worn outside the breeches. Once the habit of wearing this protection is acquired, it is difficult to dispense with it. 

References

Chapter Three “Equipment” by C F Meade in The Lonsdale Library of Sports, Games and Pastimes, Volume XVIII, Mountaineering, London: Seeley Service & Co, 1934. 

Equipment notes (3): "some ... may prefer long trousers"

Alpine outfitting advice from the mid-1930s

Breeches —The breeches may be of the ordinary knickerbocker type, with tab and buckle at the knee, but if so, it will be best to draw the stockings up to the thigh, before putting on the knickerbockers, and thus avoid that chilly gap, which has been known to occur between the knee-buckle and the elegantly turned down stocking-top. Woollen garters, just below the knee, help to keep the stockings up without constricting the circulation. For those who like to dispense with braces the breeches should be provided with a buckle at the back, rather below the waist, in a position that is lower than usual, Some, on the other hand, may prefer long trousers, fastened with pressure buttons inside the calf of the leg.

References

Chapter Three “Equipment” by C F Meade in The Lonsdale Library of Sports, Games and Pastimes, Volume XVIII, Mountaineering, London: Seeley Service & Co, 1934.