Back to the 1700s

[Jarno Ronkainen]

I have studied myself 18th century fashion, military – hiking also. 18th c. tailors were not stubid, and were very skilled. I have seen Paris war museum collection of 18/19th century clothing. You may only find same type fabrics from modern tailors shops etc., like that horsehair (chest canvas), it was and it is used for interfacing. They usually don't make same type wool anymore – weight/weave tighness. Altought one british loom makes old style heavy weight weather resistant tweed fabric. Other british fabric shop (Kochan and Phillips Historic Textiles) says that they make 18c wool with period standards.

But, maybe we should be looking WW2 era finnish long range patrol gear, or 'hiking' style. Wool outer clothing, cotton canvas backpack with leather straps, cotton shirt, wool shirt, leather boots .. if I remember correctly the gear list.

Finnish book about long range patrol (kaukopartio in finnish) says that, they didn't have sleeping bag or pad at all in summer time. Soldier had their standard issue wool clothing and when sleeping, they simply wrapped cotton tarp canvas around themselves, if fire was impossible to make because of enemy.

Mark Baker, 18th 'historian', says in his book (Pilgrims journey), that hiker (hunter) simply carried (almost) waterproof wool blanket – no tarp. That doesn't necessarily mean that blanket is or should be heavy. Blanket weave was tight, but they also felted the blanket about 3 or 4 times so blanked trapped more heat and was more water resistant.

WW2 or 18th century – one thing is common – they made fire when they needed.

EDIT:

Samuel Hearne. Tried to walk to northern Canada with 18th century standard gear. First two times failed, because too much gear (starting sound familiar). Third time was succeeded when he used lighter weight gear style that he learned from indians. His notebook sould be found free from internet.

Youtube has very superficial(?) story – Ray Mears is telling story… this becomes closer and closer BushcraftUSA forum type…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNjAr4Zvsvc

Ryan Jordan SuperUltralight gear was intresting – he was using axe and no tarp.

[Jim Colten]

I never heard about Hearne before this. Thanks, Jarno

[Jarno Ronkainen]

Thank you.

—-

I was reading my own text again:

It was late in Finland when I wrote, so sorry everybody if my point was missing. I tried to say that if you try to use natural materials with normal modern style hiking with backpack, pad, sleeping bag etc., it propably will fail because of weight.

Because of that, you have to change your hiking style. If you have that waterproof wool blanket, then you don't need tarp, you don't necessarily need a backpack, because you can wrap gear inside it and carry with it in a strap. Multiuse gear.

Mark Baker in his book carried very, very small backpack (knapsack), blanket tied to the backpack straps. There is intresting photos, but book is different city that I am now, so it will take some time if anyone is intrested of those.

Anyway, if using 18th century gear, you have to use also fire.

Intresting thing about finnish military 'kaukopartio' in ww2. Those guys walked even over 500km behind enemy lines, usually only supplied (by air drops) consumables like with food. They did something right because nature elements were not problem and they didn't use indian style animal hides or anything like that. They base weight must have been low as possible… because all that ammo and explosives.

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