Roadster and Coupé Beds
For the roadster and coupé there comes what is called the “Carefree Folding Outfit for Touring, Camping, Dining, Sleeping.” This is an attachment weighing 160 pounds which is easily attached to the rear of a roadster or coupé in half an hour by fastening four bolts. This outfit gives the camper a comfortable elevated bed, a storm-tight shelter, a folding dining table, handy while preparing meals and during meals, a writing or work table between meals, plenty of room for suit cases and camp equipment, [[36]]a special food compartment, a separate bedding compartment, a sun or rain shelter under extensible canvas during the day, and three minutes’ time converts the outfit into a thoroughly practical sleeping room.
One concern, the Auto Bed Manufacturing Company, makes what they call “The A.B.C. Sleeper” for Fords only. It provides means for making a real spring cushion bed for two adults in a car of this type. It can be used with the top up or down.
This same concern makes what they term the “Universal Car Bed” for every car, and which is also a perfect fit for a Ford. It is built on a patented principle of sagless tension, and has a bed mat of heavy canvas, olive drab in color. It is guaranteed not to scratch or mar the car. This bed is priced at $18.00. The A.B.C. Sleeper, for Ford cars only, is listed at $7.50. Prices referred to in this and other chapters are taken from catalogues, but are subject to change and are given that the reader may have a general idea of the cost.
The American Camp Equipment Company makes a car bed which is comparatively inexpensive ($11.45) and will fit a Ford as well as a Packard. It may also be set up outside of the car as a double cot for use in a tent or house. This appliance is called the Moto Bed.
A convenient and inexpensive piece of equipment for a Ford car of any model is the Carefree Luggagett. It fits on either running board. There is no drilling. It is fastened with a strap hook. It affords [[37]]a closed tight space for carrying loose articles. It has a smooth retainer wall with no rivets or lugs to tear or wear holes in luggage. Since container space is closed, no strapping or tying is necessary. It allows the doors to open over it. It may be attached or detached in a minute. It is substantial and weighs only 7½ pounds. [[38]]
CHAPTER V
A HOME-MADE CAMPING OUTFIT
Standing the Test of an 8,000 Mile Trip—Good Water Supply Everywhere—Army Cots and Canvas the Basis of Outfit—Complete Directions—Mosquito Netting Sides Permit Adequate Ventilation.
One of the most interesting experiences in motor camping of which we have known is that of Mr. Frederick W. Huntington of Brooklyn, N. Y. His trip is of particular significance, not primarily in being adventurous, but because it illustrates what any one can accomplish through ingenuity at very moderate expense.
Mr. and Mrs. Huntington traveled from New York City to California, on an 8,000-mile route, in nine weeks’ time, driving every day, and camping every night without a mishap.
They encountered wind-storms and rain-storms, but their equipment stood all the blasts and proved waterproof all the time. In some places the mosquitoes sang in the vicinage by night, but were never admitted to the society of the campers. The travelers report excellent roads all of the way to the Mississippi, and passable highways all the way across the continent. They were never more than forty miles from a good water supply. They found [[39]]camp sites in nearly all the towns beyond the Appalachians, but seldom used them, preferring usually to camp in some secluded spot near the roadside. In fact, they discovered that unless one arrives fairly early in the afternoon, many of the camping parks will be found to be crowded already, with little room for the late-comer.
The striking feature of this trip is the tent equipment which Mr. Huntington designed. It is simple and effective. With a little aid from a local machine shop, or even a blacksmith shop, it can be made by any prospective camper. Accordingly, a description is given herewith showing just how Mr. Huntington constructed his outfit. The drawings which accompany this chapter will serve to clarify the text.