Before camping got wimpy.
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Wonderful. A walk down memory lane. Some of the more modern glimpses into car camping remind me of my childhood.
Somewhere in our archives, pictures of my family lakeshore tent camping approx 1910.
They had homesteaded in 1884 on the Regina Plains, approx 20 miles south of Last Mountain Lake.
Somewhere in our archives, pictures of my family lakeshore tent camping approx 1910.
They had homesteaded in 1884 on the Regina Plains, approx 20 miles south of Last Mountain Lake.
In North America, that camping activity became the stimulus from the preservation of spectacular scenic locations as National Parks and National Monuments.
It served its purpose well.
Maybe all too well as increasing tourism can't be accommodated nor serviced by staff, due to restrictive development planning,
even in the town sites. Jasper National Park is a classic case. Another few blocks of land for accomodations will not spoil the view
any more than what's there now. I'm close enough to drive over for the day but McBride is like Jasper except for the crowds and the prices.
It served its purpose well.
Maybe all too well as increasing tourism can't be accommodated nor serviced by staff, due to restrictive development planning,
even in the town sites. Jasper National Park is a classic case. Another few blocks of land for accomodations will not spoil the view
any more than what's there now. I'm close enough to drive over for the day but McBride is like Jasper except for the crowds and the prices.
I very much like this quote.
. I suspect that many of us are, after all, really camping temporarily in civilized conditions; and that going into the wilderness is an escape, longed for, into our natural and preferred state, wrote Warner.
A good sigline I think.
. I suspect that many of us are, after all, really camping temporarily in civilized conditions; and that going into the wilderness is an escape, longed for, into our natural and preferred state, wrote Warner.
A good sigline I think.
As it says - the campers usually hired a team of pack horses or burros .
Equipment in those days was bulky and very heavy. They brought with them lots of equipment we today would see as unnecessary luxury. Camp beds, stoves, large tents, lamps, cooking boxes...
I counter by saying that the Victorians were wimpy, compared to many of us.
Equipment in those days was bulky and very heavy. They brought with them lots of equipment we today would see as unnecessary luxury. Camp beds, stoves, large tents, lamps, cooking boxes...
I counter by saying that the Victorians were wimpy, compared to many of us.
They got things done though. "I would like a bridge to drive my train across the Firth of Forth".
"No problem good sir, it'll be done for 8.00 tomorrow morning".
The era isn't renowned for being wimpy, but well renowned for ingenuity, exceptional planning and skill, and generally never defeated by a problem that appeared almost impossible.
I had a lot of that early camping furniture = a table, three chairs, folding bed frame and a little folding camp stool which I kept.
Any vehicle would be overloaded with the furniture. They had no choice. It was wood with heavy metal fittings. No choice.
But, they went out. Time and time again. The photographic archives of travel camping in Jasper and Banff National Parks are huge.
I expect that I'd see much the same thing in Britain.
Here's the difference:
The province of British Columbia = 944,700 km^2, the population is about 4.6M people
The entire UK = 243,600 km^2, the population is about 65.6M people.
BC is nearly 4X the size of the entire UK and just about empty. We like it that way.
Any vehicle would be overloaded with the furniture. They had no choice. It was wood with heavy metal fittings. No choice.
But, they went out. Time and time again. The photographic archives of travel camping in Jasper and Banff National Parks are huge.
I expect that I'd see much the same thing in Britain.
Here's the difference:
The province of British Columbia = 944,700 km^2, the population is about 4.6M people
The entire UK = 243,600 km^2, the population is about 65.6M people.
BC is nearly 4X the size of the entire UK and just about empty. We like it that way.
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At a festival book stall, I picked up a second hand copy of 'The Ladybird Book of Camping'.
Printed around 1970, with what was probably the typical campink kit available in the UK at the time. And we passed it around our tribe, to giggle at.
It was all huge canvas rucksacks, heavy cotton tents (though I recall from my short time in scouts, in the late 70's, we were still using canvas mil surplus things from the 50's) and gas stoves, packed in steel boxes.
How things have moved on!
Though they did have ex mil wool blankets, so at least some things stand the test of time. And the leave no trace ethos was being pushed.
Printed around 1970, with what was probably the typical campink kit available in the UK at the time. And we passed it around our tribe, to giggle at.
It was all huge canvas rucksacks, heavy cotton tents (though I recall from my short time in scouts, in the late 70's, we were still using canvas mil surplus things from the 50's) and gas stoves, packed in steel boxes.
How things have moved on!
Though they did have ex mil wool blankets, so at least some things stand the test of time. And the leave no trace ethos was being pushed.
I started my outdoor venturing in mid 60’ with dad.
We used a thin cotton fabric tent, aluminium cookware, alcohol burner, his backpack of some synthetic with aluminium frame, mine an old army small one of canvas, feather filled sleeping bags.
We had no mules.
Mum and sis stayed at home.
We used a thin cotton fabric tent, aluminium cookware, alcohol burner, his backpack of some synthetic with aluminium frame, mine an old army small one of canvas, feather filled sleeping bags.
We had no mules.
Mum and sis stayed at home.
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That sounds like an average modern uk bushcrafters overnight load out
Yes it does. And was.
The headline on that article is wrong, we are not wimpier than the Victorians. We have lighter, less lasting equipment.
No family back packing. Others did, though. Car camping in the late 50's and early 60's with a Woods 9x12 canvas tent and Coleman appliances.
My grandparents generation had used the whole spectrum of big tents and wood-framed furnishings. Looked quite luxurious, actually.
I bought my things from Recreation Equipment, Seattle in 1967(?) ripstop nylon tent with rain fly, external frame pack.
sleeping bags, boots, butane cartridge stove and other things.
My grandparents generation had used the whole spectrum of big tents and wood-framed furnishings. Looked quite luxurious, actually.
I bought my things from Recreation Equipment, Seattle in 1967(?) ripstop nylon tent with rain fly, external frame pack.
sleeping bags, boots, butane cartridge stove and other things.
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