"Woodcraft and Camping" by George "Nessmuk" Sears Part/Chapter 3

 Chapter III GETTING LOST—CAMPING OUT—ROUGHING IT OR SMOOTHING IT—INSECTS—CAMPS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM

 "roughing it." The last phrase is very popular and always cropping out in the talks on matters pertaining to a vacation in the woods. I dislike the phrase. We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it, we go to smooth it. We get it rough enough at home; in towns and cities; in shops, offices, stores, banks—anywhere that we may be placed—with the necessity always present of being on time and up to our work; of providing for the dependent ones; of keeping up, catching up, or getting left. "Alas for the life-long battle, whose bravest slogan is bread."

 I think a little roughing it can be fun now and then. Carrying a pack and chopping wood and what not is its own kind of work, different than "working" but still rough in its own way.

Take it easy, and always keep cool. Nine men out of ten, on finding themselves lost in the woods, fly into a panic, and quarrel with the compass. Never do that. The compass is always right, or nearly so.

Don't panic.

Nessmuk Bug Repellent: Three ounces pine tar, two ounces castor oil, one ounce pennyroyal oil.

The internet informs me that it does work.

Nessmuk: Don't rough it. Also Nessmuk: Don't wash off your bug repellant for weeks at a time. 

"Last summer I carried a cake of soap and a towel in my knapsack through the North Woods for a seven weeks' tour, and never used either a single time. When I had established a good glaze on the skin, it was too valuable to be sacrificed for any weak whim connected with soap and water"

 He devotes a lot of time to building shelter in this volume, complaining about the weight and discomfort of tents of the day. I'm glad tents don't suck anymore. He talks about chopping down trees, fashioning shingles, etc., etc. His "easily and quickly" made camp can take a couple hours to fully set up. (Although you could "rough it" with the basics in less time.) I'm glad I can be reasonably comfortable in 5 or 10 minutes with a couple poles, tent, and a fly.

To be fair, this appears to be mostly a winter camp for poor weather. I expect he spent many a summer night under the stars, or strung up a tarp. Still, a good three or four season tent is a modern luxury, and much less stuffy than the heavy old canvas ones he was used to.