DIY Camp - planning

[John Fenna]

I am planning to spend a weekend out in the woods without using a single item (bar safety kit like 1stAid and mobile phone etc) that I have not had a hand in crafting myself.
To this end I have been planning my kit list....
Kitchen Kit
Billy cans - old tea/coffee/biscuit tins, modified

Frying pan

Pot hooks

Hobo Stove

minus the mug!

Meths burner

Mug

or

Bowl

KFS


continued soon...

 

[John Fenna]

continuation...
Meths burner

Kitchen carry-all



Cutting Kit
Forged knife


Stock removal knife

saw

Axe - only the handle and cover made by me...

more to come later....

 

[John Fenna]

Camp
Tarp

Made from cotton Cambric
Hammock

made from an MOD Shelter sheet with a foam camping mat enlarged in width with a section from another glued to it .
Blankets
A choice here - depending on the weather
The Beast


or my All Weather Blanket

plus my canvas undersheet and waxed cotton oversheet...

Camp furniture
in place already
Chair

Table

fireplace

Lighting (I will take a torch for Safety - but will try not to use it)

To be Continued!

 

[John Fenna]

Clothing
Footwear
A bit of a choice here depending on the weather...
Iron Age, Moccs or turn shoes worn with or without blanket wool inners


Headwear
Again the choices depend on the weather

or just a linen square as a "Pirate" headscarf .... also usable as a kitchen pot grab ...
Or I could use my kitchen pot grab (knitted by my wife from yarn I spun from fleece... perhaps not!)
Warmwear
More Choices!
Blanket Bush Shirt - as in the picture of my Blanket Beret
Blanket Fleece

Blanket bodywarmer

And wool Iron Age overtrousers if it is really cold!

More later

 

[Woody girl]

I realy love all this home made stuff. Have had a similar idea for this summer myself and been making things I used to make as a kid like a fray bentos pie tin frying pan. I am trying to source some hessian sacks to make a paliasse. When I was a kid I needed two sacks... as an adult I find I need three!

 

[John Fenna]

To continue....
Clothing
Shirt - wool, linen or cotton smock if hot

Trousers
Ventile

Shell clothing
Ventile smock and overtrousers

Possible extras
Trivet
To support the frying pan

from strap hinges
Communal tarp
designed by me, and then altered by me to add internal hanging loops but sewn up by Kathmandu Trekking for my 2000AD canoe exped.

 

[John Fenna]

To carry it all
Again - choices
Soft pack


Canvas and leather collection

Roycraft

or - as the kit is bulky - all three!
Plus some waxed cotton tote bags/stuff sacks

I am sure I will want to add other stuff - but it will have to be home made!
I am not sure when this camp will come off - probably later in the year - which will give me time to design, make and test bits I am missing.
You may have noticed there is no underwear mentioned - do I go for Oetzi style, Roman or silk boxers ... or go commando?
If anyone thinks of some item of kit I have missed off the list I will either think about making it, explain why I do not want it or produce photos of the already completed item to prove I just forgot to mention it

 

[Woody girl]

I used to do iron age stuff at the peat moors centre near glastonbury . I made all my kit for that including the shoes and socks Linnen nettle dyed shift and blanket type overdress. Belt shawl penanular and belt pocket. Great fun! I quite miss iron age life.

 

[Mesquite]

Sounds like you've got it all sewn up John

 

[John Fenna]

Oh! Steve ...just... Oh!
More of my Iron Age kit for a laugh - I have had to make new breeks and tops since losing the weight but as yet have no new photos....

The tunics here are a bit short... I now have better ones!

 

[Toddy]

You're a productive fellow great range too

Mind me to sketch out "Neolithic cut" tunic for you
It's supposed to be a remnant design from when garments in the north were made from skins, but it survives still as a babies vest....no seams to rub.

M

 

[John Fenna]

You're a productive fellow great range too

Mind me to sketch out "Neolithic cut" tunic for you
It's supposed to be a remnant design from when garments in the north were made from skins, but it survives still as a babies vest....no seams to rub.

M

That sounds very interesting!

 

[John Fenna]

My latest Iron Age/Romano British linen wear...

 

[SaraR]

Camp
Tarp
View attachment 53636
Made from cotton Cambric
Hammock
View attachment 53635
made from an MOD Shelter sheet with a foam camping mat enlarged in width with a section from another glued to it .
Blankets
A choice here - depending on the weather
The Beast

View attachment 53637 View attachment 53638
or my All Weather Blanket
View attachment 53639
plus my canvas undersheet and waxed cotton oversheet...

Camp furniture
in place already
Chair
View attachment 53640
Table
View attachment 53641
fireplace
View attachment 53642
Lighting (I will take a torch for Safety - but will try not to use it)
View attachment 53643 View attachment 53644
To be Continued!

All very impressive!

Have you considered making a lantern of some sort for your candles? With your skills I'm sure you could make something really nice, but short term even a hollowed out fodder beat would keep that flame sheltered.

 

[John Fenna]

Right - it looks like next weekend is the weekend...
So here is my kit selection, chosen to cover every eventuality of weather!

Kitchen and candlestick

Packed into a "trug" for handcarrying and hanging up in camp


Hygiene and Safety kits



Sharps

Bimble belt kit and meths for the stove plus glasses and spares ... and my flint and steel firelighting kit


Spare clothing and footwear

Waterproofs


Toys for the weekend - I need to make a load more charcloth and have a variety of tinders to play with


XXXXXL rollmat, "The Beast" fur and wool blanket, canvas under sheet, waxed cotton over sheet

Communal tarp (designed and part made by me, mainly made by Kathmandu Trekking) my tarp, homespun cord and rope

Continued...

 

[John Fenna]

Food in trugs

how it all packs into my home made rucksacks etc ... a bit too much in the way of hand luggage but everything is bulky - and I am travelling DIY not light - but everything should go in two trips ... and the site is not far from the parked cars The carrier bag on the left is water (none on site) and other drinkables...

Clothing to be worn - Ventile trousers, linen shirt, wool "fleece",wool booties "Iron Age " shoes, sheepskin hat, linen scarf/headscarf.

Underwear is still an issue - as I have not got much time it is either going to be "Cheat" or go commando!

 

[John Fenna]

Oh - I will also be toting my camera - but my hammock lives up in the woods and the toilet trench is already dug and ready - so no need of a shovel this trip

 

[John Fenna]

Can I ask.... why do people wear Boxers as underwear?
I have just spent an afternoon cutting a pattern (following a trades standard handbook for pattern cutting) using up the remains of some silk that I picked up in Thailand and sewing it into a very recognisable pair of Boxers...
Trying them on they fit fine and the fabric is luxury - but as far as support for the Family Jewels is concerned I might as well be wearing nothing at all!
As a life-long wearer of briefs, not boxers I just cannot adjust to the lack of support - so why does anyone bother with them?
Ah well - at least I have my DIY underwear sorted for the trip....
And yes the silk is green - well green on the warp and brown on the weft so the light plays interestingly with the colour....the last square yard is now a neckerchief so folk might get to admire the fabric!

 

[Janne]

I can answer that, I hope the Mods do not ban me because of 'smutty insinuations"!
Nature intended for the male gonads to hang loose, as they need to be a little bit cooler than the rest of the body, specially when the body gets hot when running after Antelopes and other food.
If the gonads are pressed against the body, the function of them suffers.
We all know that the sperm count is sinking rapidly, and quality of the remaining ones is decreasing. The thought is that tight underwear and/or tight Jeans are a contributing factor.

Boxers are more airy and let them hang better than the tight underwear.

They are made to hang freely. You will get used to the feeling.

Underwear is a fairly new invention. Late Middle Ages, or even later?

 

[John Fenna]

Oetzi wore a nice supportive loin cloth....
Romans wore briefs/jockstrap type things ...
Mind you - I have bred no offspring ,by choice, but the briefs may have helped