A Camp Provision Box
While on a camping-and canoeing trip recently, I used a device which added a touch of completeness to our outfit and made camp life really enjoyable. This useful device is none other than a provision or "grub" box.
The Provision Box Ready for Use in Camp, the Cover Turned Back on the Brackets and the Legs Extended
From experience campers know that the first important factor in having a successful trip is compactness of outfit. When undertaking an outing of this kind it is most desirable to have as few bundles to carry as possible, especially if one is going to be on the move part of the time. This device eliminates an unnecessary amount of bundles, thus making the trip easier for the campers, and doubly so if they intend canoeing part of the time; and, apart from its usefulness as a provision container, it affords a general repository for the small articles which mean so much to the camper's welfare.
The box proper may be made of any convenient size, so long as it is not too cumbersome for two people to handle. The dimensions given are for a box I used on a canoe trip of several hundred miles; and from experience I know it to be of a suitable size for canoeists. If the camper is going to have a fixed camp and have his luggage hauled, a larger box is much to be preferred. A glance at the figures will show the general proportions of the box. It may be possible, in some cases, to secure a strong packing box near the required dimensions, thus doing away with the trouble of constructing it. The distinguishing features of this box are the hinged cover, the folding legs, and the folding brackets. The brackets, upon which the top rests when open, fold in against the back of the box when not in use. The same may be said of the legs. They fold up alongside the box and are held there by spring-brass clips.
The Brackets for the Cover as Well as Each of the Four Legs Fold Against the Sides of the Box in Such a Manner as to be Out of the Way, Making the Box Easy to Carry and Store Away in a Small Space
On our trips we carry an alcohol stove on which we do all of our cooking. The inner side of the top is covered with a sheet of asbestos, this side being uppermost when the hinged top is opened and resting on the folding brackets. The stove rested on this asbestos, thus making everything safe. The cover is large enough to do all the cooking on, and the box is so high that the cooking can be attended to without stooping over, which is much more pleasant than squatting before a camp fire getting the eyes full of smoke. The legs are hinged to the box in such a manner that all of the weight of the box rests on the legs rather than on the hinges, and are kept from spreading apart by wire turnbuckles. These, being just bolts and wire, may be tucked inside the box when on the move. The top is fitted with unexposed hinges and with a lock to make it a safe place for storing valuables.