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Post by Sicilianhunter on Mar 25, 2022 5:50:36 GMT -7
This is more of a poll than anything else regarding blankets used while trekking. Mainly, I'm thinking of blankets used during more temperate times of the year rather than what we would bring along on a winter trek. My questions are: - What is the size of the blanket you use? - How many do you bring? - What color do you prefer? - What is your method of carriage? - Do you use an oil cloth/tarp with your blanket (as a bedroll or a separate roll)? - What do you tend to roll up inside your blanket? - Do you have a way that you find best of rolling up in you blanket to be the most comfortable? - Do you use blanket pins or stitch the blanket up in any way to form a sack?
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Post by spence on Mar 25, 2022 11:21:56 GMT -7
Sicilianhunter, I don’t have enough experience at carrying blankets to be of much help, but I’ll share what I can. I have never slept out in really frigid weather, I avoid nights much below 40F. I have done it in a couple of ways, with just a blanket and with a blanket and ground cloth. The latter worked very well for me. I spread my ground cloth, put a folded up blanket on half of it, got in the blanket, layer under and layer over, then pulled the ground cloth over all. I have done that on some wet and chilly nights sleeping with no other shelter, and stayed warm and dry. Sleeping with only the blanket, I spent some restless nights, but managed to get enough sleep. I can’t say I enjoyed it all that much, but it worked reasonably well. I’ve never carried two blankets, too bulky, but that would have helped. My ground cloth is one I made using boiled linseed oil and iron oxide, is 8’ x 8' and weighs 6 pounds. I used one of two basically white blankets, one plain, 62” x 82”, weighing 3+ pounds, the other striped, 61” x 72”, weighing 4+ pounds. When carrying only a blanket I always used the smaller but heavier/thicker striped one. Both were large enough, I’m 5' 9” and weigh 185. I never pinned the blankets into a bag, but did fold the foot under to keep my feet in. I carried only the ground cloth a few times in warmer weather, and had no problems with that except the ground was harder. When carrying both I rolled the blankets inside the ground cloth, over a leather thong or cord which I slung diagonally across my back, found that to be a comfortable way to carry it. I did the same when carrying only a blanket. I learned that I definitely do not like sleeping with nothing under my head. I resorted to rolling anything reasonable up, or stuffing stuff in my haversack and using that. Puny city boy. I was never really comfortable with the HC/PC aspect of this method. I can imagine the old boys using that gear, but I think in the majority of cases they would have carried it in on a horse, not shank’s mare. Spence
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Post by Sicilianhunter on Mar 25, 2022 13:00:09 GMT -7
Spence, Thank you for an excellent reply!! I have used your blanket and oil cloth roll method and found it worked well. I have also used the method of laying on the blanket oriented in a diamond underneath you where you pull the bottom point over your feet and calves the wrap one side, the other around your body to put multiple layers beneath you while the remaining point should be large enough to cover your head somewhat. I did this with the oil cloth spread out on the ground. I run into 2 problems: I'm 6' and I toss and turn just about all night. If I've had the sufficient dosage of rum then I usually wake up with my feet sticking out of the roll and barely any blanket actually covering me!! LOL If I haven't had the sufficient dosage then I just wake up sooner...
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Post by spence on Mar 25, 2022 13:44:56 GMT -7
If you wake up at all, the dosage is insufficient. Have a pity for us who don't have the rum to help. Spence
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Post by brokennock on Mar 26, 2022 7:35:14 GMT -7
I don't have enough experience with this subject to help that much. But I am quite interested in what you get for answers. I have been lately wondering about warmer weather matchcoats,,, basically a lighter weight blanket. When I do carry a blanket with me it is rolled and carried using a hopus strap around the upper shoulders and across the chest. I found slung off one shoulder as one would a shot pouch or haversack, to be extremely aggravating. I have rolled stuff up in the blanket, and probably will again some day, but, will put a lot more thought into what is in there. It makes the blanket roll up funny and means you have to unroll the blanket, even if you don't need it, to get the stuff. I'm thinking of making a snapsack and rolling the blanket around that, and carrying it the same way mentioned earlier.
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Post by paranger on Mar 26, 2022 8:17:40 GMT -7
I don't have enough experience with this subject to help that much. But I am quite interested in what you get for answers. I have been lately wondering about warmer weather matchcoats,,, basically a lighter weight blanket. When I do carry a blanket with me it is rolled and carried using a hopus strap around the upper shoulders and across the chest. I found slung off one shoulder as one would a shot pouch or haversack, to be extremely aggravating. I have rolled stuff up in the blanket, and probably will again some day, but, will put a lot more thought into what is in there. It makes the blanket roll up funny and means you have to unroll the blanket, even if you don't need it, to get the stuff. I'm thinking of making a snapsack and rolling the blanket around that, and carrying it the same way mentioned earlier. I carry a hair-on goatskin snapsack as part of my regular kit. If I don't have to carry much (e.g.short trek, scout/patrol, etc.) I have found that I can roll up one blanket and put it in the snapsack with a spare shirt and pair of stockings. It is a tight fit, but has the advantage of streamlining my kit as well as waterproofing everything. As I said, that works if you don't need much extra stuff. If I need more space in the snapsack for gear, I roll the blanket, tie it in a tumpline/hoppes, and sling it alongside the snapsack. Obviously, you can roll up additional clothing, etc., inside the blanket as well, but with firelock, shot pouch, horn, haversack, canteen, axe, and potentially a belly box (depending on impression), things can start to get cumbersome at that point.
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Post by hawkeyes on Mar 26, 2022 8:56:04 GMT -7
My methods are essentially as Spence has already described in great detail. However I have stayed out in January and February nights far North and even with two heavy woolen blankets it's not entirely a comfortable endeavor. If one hadn't the need to tend a fire regularly all would have been well but as expected, a must in those temperatures. For staying warm besides a woolen blanket a few other key points should be addressed. Loose clothing, layered and not tight which restricts blood flow and serves no purpose of trapping air. So, my night ensemble is that of a linen shirt, loose breeches and a looser pair of woolen stockings, woolen cap and woolen fingerless gloves if needed. I don't like sleeping in moccasins. For me a loose pair of wool stockings is adequate. Eat before bed, jerk, bread or whatever you have just snack a little before bedding down to give your body added fuel to burn. Don't hold your wee! If ya gotta go, get up and go. Other than that all my articles I like to keep extra clean and free of debris are rolled within my blanket(s) and the ground cloth covering the blanket roll. I am somewhat anal about my blankets getting dirty so I do take extra care in clearing the area I intend to sleep. I do also pack spare hemp rop in my bedroll, gives me the ability to use the groundcloth as a shelter. Also I favor evergreen or cedar as bedding along with leaves as insulation and cushion. Nothing more dreadful than an uncomfortable night when your dog tired...
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Post by Sicilianhunter on Mar 26, 2022 9:42:14 GMT -7
I’m glad you brought up the snapsack Nock, I like them but actually haven’t used one on a trek just yet. PARanger, Do you have a pick of your goatskin snapsack? I like the idea of using the bedroll to cart extra items but so far it’s usually just my bed clothes. Guys like Capt John Curry carried just about all their kit in their bedrolls it seems from what was in his books.
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Post by paranger on Mar 26, 2022 10:00:37 GMT -7
I’m glad you brought up the snapsack Nock, I like them but actually haven’t used one on a trek just yet. PARanger, Do you have a pick of your goatskin snapsack? I like the idea of using the bedroll to cart extra items but so far it’s usually just my bed clothes. Guys like Capt John Curry carried just about all their kit in their bedrolls it seems from what was in his books. Here is my snapsack. I based it on the mid-18th c. calfskin ones issued to the British Army as illustrated in the period paintings David Morier and Edward Penny (see below).
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Post by Sicilianhunter on Mar 26, 2022 11:13:20 GMT -7
Hawk, To several of your points: I roll up a Monmouth cap, wool stockings and a wool shirt in my bedroll as a standard. Even in decent weather I have no problem hauling two blankets as I feel it’s worth the comfort and I’m strong enough to do so!! Depending on the time of year one of them may be lighter weight than the other. I’m also particular about my expensive blankets getting too dirty as they are white!! As far as draining the proverbial Dragon in the night, I totally agree!! Just do it when it needs to be done and get back to the blankets!! Otherwise you will definitely not get any rest!!
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Post by lenapej on Mar 26, 2022 11:13:24 GMT -7
I have trouble staying warm, so I carry more blankets than most, but most of my overnighters have been by canoe so I can afford the luxury. I make a bed by lying down branches then leaves and grass on top to keep myself off the ground, so a ground cloth is not needed in that situation, I also carry a matchcoat and use it to help keep my feet warm as that is where I have the most problems with the cold, I sleep in the blankets sandwich style but lay the matchcoat down half under my legs and fold the rest up over the top of my feet & legs, keeps that draft from coming in the bottom of the blankets. I roll the blankets up and carry with a tumpline across the chest.
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Post by Sicilianhunter on Mar 26, 2022 11:39:54 GMT -7
PARanger, Very cool!! I like that hair on look. Looks like it could make a good pillow when not on duty!! What are the dimensions?
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Post by paranger on Mar 26, 2022 11:57:52 GMT -7
PARanger, Very cool!! I like that hair on look. Looks like it could make a good pillow when not on duty!! What are the dimensions? If I recall, the trimmed hide was 35" × 25" so, that would be a shade less than 3 ft long, with about an 8" diameter. I could never find dimensions of the originals, but scaled it as best I could based on the period paintings. And yes, I have used it as a pillow many nights, with my spare clothing as the "stuffing."
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Post by spence on Mar 26, 2022 12:25:35 GMT -7
Off topic Alert!! For your general information...
Thinking about the dawn raid, I was curious as to how a flintlock would function after being left primed all night in high humidity. On quite a few treks when using the blanket and the ground cloth I slept with my rifle. I loaded and primed, then laid it alongside me outside the blanket but inside the ground cloth, muzzle to my feet. I never paid any attention to how the gun was oriented as far as the pan, just let it be however. On most any night it's pretty humid inside that ground cloth, since it's waterproof. Next morning, first thing, when I woke I sat up, quickly cocked and fired the gun. In at least a dozen such tests the gun never failed to fire in what seemed a perfectly normal way. Let's hear it for flintlocks.
Off topic alert has expired, back to your regularly scheduled thread.
Spence
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Post by brokennock on Mar 26, 2022 14:59:15 GMT -7
"Tonight,,, you men will sleep with your rifles. You will give your rifles a girl's name. Because...." - Sgt. Hartman
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