lenapej
City-dweller
Posts: 328
Member is Online
|
Post by lenapej on Mar 31, 2021 15:10:46 GMT -7
We have a group of guys made up of myself, my two brothers, a buddy, and two cousins that enjoy doing 18th century activities together. The cousins live in north west Tennessee and have access to a farm that is in their family, and the place has a good sized spring on it, so we decided to gather this past weekend and set up a camp by the spring and practice some period skills etc. We arrived on Friday afternoon and set up camp, hoping to do most of our activities on Saturday, I woke up around 4 AM and crawled out of my bedroll to go kill some bushes, when I noticed a lot of lightning not far away, so I woke one of my cousins who has a phone permanently attached to his body and after checking the radar he yelled out something about having about 20 min until we get hit with a gully washer of a storm, so because we were not really prepared for a bunch of rain, we threw our stuff together and retreated to the house like the brave, skillful, woodsmen that we are! Long story short it did not rain until about noon...so much for weathermen...and tough talking woodsmen. Here are the few photos that we got.
|
|
|
Post by paranger on Mar 31, 2021 16:02:04 GMT -7
Sounds like a good time. I am itching to get out again!
As an aside, I once spent the night at an event during a Nor'easter under a tarp much like the one in your pictures. The temp dropped 40 degrees and we had gale force winds. Luckily I had a stockade wall as a windbreak, but when I awoke at daybreak, my outer blanket was frozen stiff and molded around my body like a carcophagus lid! It was April Fools' weekend, appropriately enough. Strangely, I really enjoyed the experience ☺
|
|
Keith
City-dweller
Bushfire close but safe now. Getting some good rain.
Posts: 990
|
Post by Keith on Mar 31, 2021 18:12:42 GMT -7
You are very lucky to has such a close knit group to trek with. The images are great, thank you for sharing. Regards, Keith.
|
|
lenapej
City-dweller
Posts: 328
Member is Online
|
Post by lenapej on Apr 1, 2021 5:51:58 GMT -7
Sounds like a good time. I am itching to get out again! As an aside, I once spent the night at an event during a Nor'easter under a tarp much like the one in your pictures. The temp dropped 40 degrees and we had gale force winds. Luckily I had a stockade wall as a windbreak, but when I awoke at daybreak, my outer blanket was frozen stiff and molded around my body like a carcophagus lid! It was April Fools' weekend, appropriately enough. Strangely, I really enjoyed the experience ☺ I understand what you mean, once my cousin (the one in the photo by himself with a beard) and myself went on a late winter deer hunt in period gear, we had to break ice to float the canoe and the night was around 12 deg. those are the ones you remember.
|
|
lenapej
City-dweller
Posts: 328
Member is Online
|
Post by lenapej on Apr 1, 2021 5:54:52 GMT -7
You are very lucky to has such a close knit group to trek with. The images are great, thank you for sharing. Regards, Keith. Yes sir, I am fortunate, not all of them are really interested in being period correct but a few are slowly coming around, Lol... but we do have a good time.
|
|
|
Post by Black Hand on Apr 1, 2021 17:14:44 GMT -7
More than one night has been spent wrapped in a blanket huddled under a tree in a vain attempt to stay less wet...
|
|
|
Post by Sicilianhunter on Apr 2, 2021 3:54:54 GMT -7
LenapeJ, I am learning that the fellowship is the most important thing!! Its some hard times we're all living under currently and if we can get out and practice our craft with some dear friends then we should count ourselves lucky. I just came back from an event and it seemed like every pic I took had some kind of modern fouling in it!!! You can't drive yourself too crazy about that kind of thing but you can hold smaller scouts or treks and make being PC/HC a part of the goal "just for exercise" and that can lead the way to instilling the habit. GREAT pics and EXCELLENT video!!!
|
|
|
Post by armando on Apr 2, 2021 5:16:38 GMT -7
I love it man. That is what its all about.
Can I ask you about your oilcloth? The shelter looked great. Did you make that tarp? Did you guys just bring what you would normally carry? Can you please share some tips (size? material? process? etc)
|
|
lenapej
City-dweller
Posts: 328
Member is Online
|
Post by lenapej on Apr 2, 2021 16:40:04 GMT -7
LenapeJ, I am learning that the fellowship is the most important thing!! Its some hard times we're all living under currently and if we can get out and practice our craft with some dear friends then we should count ourselves lucky. I just came back from an event and it seemed like every pic I took had some kind of modern fouling in it!!! You can't drive yourself too crazy about that kind of thing but you can hold smaller scouts or treks and make being PC/HC a part of the goal "just for exercise" and that can lead the way to instilling the habit. GREAT pics and EXCELLENT video!!! Thanks! I hear ya! Lol The modern stuff in photos drive me bonkers as well!! ...Great tip about smaller events.
|
|
lenapej
City-dweller
Posts: 328
Member is Online
|
Post by lenapej on Apr 2, 2021 16:57:06 GMT -7
I love it man. That is what its all about. Can I ask you about your oilcloth? The shelter looked great. Did you make that tarp? Did you guys just bring what you would normally carry? Can you please share some tips (size? material? process? etc) The cloth is from my Civil War reenacting days, it is an old canvas dropcloth that we used as a fly in front of our tent, The only thing I have done is sewn a number of loops around the edges, it is still a work in progress, lol I have not treated it with anything or made it into oilcloth for several reasons, one is that I have learned that if it is a tight enough weave it will shed rain as is, and wetting causes the weave to swell and tighten, two is, if treated it will make it much heavier, and may cause it to become brittle after awhile and tear easily, I have kept it rather large because our buddy still does not have a shelter yet so he usually bunks with me, the size is roughly 9 ft by 13 ft. (it's had pieces cut off it ) As far as what we bring, I am constantly trying to down size, and have got down to where I can get all my food, cookware, and gear into a box, which you can see part of in some of the photos under the shelter, and it's just small enough that I can pack it on my shoulder if need be, then I have my bedroll and shelter, sometimes rolled together as one, sometimes separate ,depending on weather and/or event. The amount of gear I take depends on the activity or event, and means of transportation, just as in the period, if your traveling by canoe you take more gear than if you are traveling by horse or foot etc.
|
|
|
Post by Black Hand on Apr 3, 2021 6:20:26 GMT -7
My recommendation is to find a piece of tightly-woven canvas and carry this instead of an oilcloth. As mentioned, a good quality canvas will shed water without any treatment, is lighter and less prone to ripping. If you are determined to make an oilcloth, use LINEN or HEMP cloth (NOT COTTON) which can be easily turned into an oilcloth by using oil-based red barn paint. Using the paint is faster than using the linseed oil method many use in our hobby...
All that said - unless it is actively raining (or snowing), I don't bother with a shelter. My canvas is used as a groundcloth - folded in half with my blanket(s) inside. In the last 20 years, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've set up a shelter on a scout. My thought is a shelter is more of a psychological aid - says to the wilds "This is my spot and no one is allowed in". Historically, I suspect the use of an oilcloth/canvas for a shelter was less than common except in specific locales (near water where a sail or oilcloth covering might be easily available). Tents are not unknown, but unless with a military unit or used by someone wealthy, I also suspect they were not common among the general "woodsmen". Shelters improvised from local brush/wood seem more likely.
|
|
|
Post by Black Hand on Apr 3, 2021 6:56:35 GMT -7
I have one tarp from Sherwin-Williams (10x12) where I hand-sewed grommets along the edges. When I need a fly, this gets used or it can be easily configured as a small shelter (think pup-tent). I also have a 12x14 that will get hand-sewn grommets at a later date.
|
|
lenapej
City-dweller
Posts: 328
Member is Online
|
Post by lenapej on Apr 3, 2021 15:57:32 GMT -7
My recommendation is to find a piece of tightly-woven canvas and carry this instead of an oilcloth. As mentioned, a good quality canvas will shed water without any treatment, is lighter and less prone to ripping. If you are determined to make an oilcloth, use LINEN or HEMP cloth (NOT COTTON) which can be easily turned into an oilcloth by using oil-based red barn paint. Using the paint is faster than using the linseed oil method many use in our hobby... All that said - unless it is actively raining (or snowing), I don't bother with a shelter. My canvas is used as a groundcloth - folded in half with my blanket(s) inside. In the last 20 years, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've set up a shelter on a scout. My thought is a shelter is more of a psychological aid - says to the wilds "This is my spot and no one is allowed in". Historically, I suspect the use of an oilcloth/canvas for a shelter was less than common except in specific locales (near water where a sail or oilcloth covering might be easily available). Tents are not unknown, but unless with a military unit or used by someone wealthy, I also suspect they were not common among the general "woodsmen". Shelters improvised from local brush/wood seem more likely. I agree that probably most people on the frontier did not have a tent/shelter and have seen several references to a blanket being used as a shelter in nasty weather such as in these videos by Nathan Jeffery, I still want to try this. www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQsFeErJGjEwww.youtube.com/watch?v=fHCPrU8-8_4
|
|
|
Post by hawkeyes on Apr 4, 2021 5:49:03 GMT -7
To say that I'm jealous is an understatement... Can feel the fun, smells and experiences through those images. Thanks for sharing!
|
|
|
Post by spence on Apr 4, 2021 13:15:00 GMT -7
Off topic, run away, run away... Lenapej, thanks for the link to the Nathan Jeffery videos. He is a new one to me. I've been looking at some of his others, and I like his approach. He tries things he has read about in the old literature, and describes them well. His videos on insulating moccasins with cattail fluff and of trying various materials to make char for fire starting are educational and interesting to watch.
Spence
|
|