Now when it comes to kit and style, I prefer the old school stuff! I have grown very fond of 18th century woodsman skills and kit. This time period was when the likes of famous trapper Daniel Boone and all the Native Indian tribes thrived in the American frontier. This style of kit is simplistic and gets the job done but depending on what you require and the time of year can get quite weighty, but that is expected. Currently during the summer months my 18th century long hunter kit consists of a canvas haversack, water bladder, tomahawk or trade axe as otherwise known, fixed blade knife and a bedroll.
This is my shelter system, is is pretty basic, a large good thickness wool blanket, canvas tarp and also I use another canvas tarp as a ground sheet however it is not shown in this picture.
The picture above shows my haversack with all the contents I need, whether it be a day trip or 3 days this haversack will get me by. Now don't get me wrong, for the people that like having all the kit under the sun and don't like roughing it a bit, this is not the kit for you! In here I have:
- Billy can and wooden spoon
- Fire pouch
- Journal
- Medical kit
- Tomahawk head (only when travelling in public)
As for food, the majority of the time only period correct food will be taken on trips. This is food that will have been taken out into the bush by trappers, hunters, explorers etc. Potatoes, rice, hard tack (bread), cheese and dried/salted meats were all common staples on the frontier. Depending on how much food is taken it will either be stored in the haversack, bedroll or occasionally a canvas backpack when a few larger items are also required like extra clothing for the cold.
Now comes one of the most important aspects.. Fire! For the 18th century woodsman Flint and Steel was the main way of starting a fire, whether it be with a standard piece of flint and steel or by putting tinder into the pan of a flintlock rifle and firing a shower of sparks onto the tinder. When people think of traditional flint and steel fire lighting they assume char cloth was used. In fact this is a common mistake, char cloth was not used by woodsmen for many reasons. Cotton cloth would of have been a much to valuable resource to waste just on fire and even if they did have it it would eventually run out, so what did they use to char?
Woodsmen would char plant tinder's to use with their flint and steel, anything from cat tail seeds to the amadou layer from fungus because these charrable materials were easy to access and in great abundance. Another thing to point out when it came to traditional charring is that tinder's were not charred in tins as it is often done today. Woodsmen would of had tinder tins but they would of never thought of making a hole in the top of their tin to char something. Making a hole would defeat the point of the tin and allow moisture to enter the tin and dampen the dried tinder. So what they did was put their tinder on the end of a stick, hold over the flames until it has charred then put it in the tinder box with the lid on to block the oxygen and extinguish the smouldering tinder ready for use again.
For my period correct cooking system I just use a zebra billy can. This is because it can be used for easily collecting water, quick boiling and perfect for cooking just about anything. Especially period foods such as rice, potatoes and stews. It also comes with a small pan which I use as a plate. Now utensils wise I just have a wooden spoon in this picture but do not feel you need to replace a good metal knife and fork set with a pair of improvised chopsticks!
Now when it comes to a medical kit, any person who uses a frontier kit will tell you you are stupid if you do not carry a modern medical kit. Your always going to do something one way or another so it is always better to have plasters and bandages at the ready instead of running round the woods with a trail of blood following you whilst you look for a polypore fungus and some cordage to make your own plaster! What I have done to make the medical kit blend in better with the rest of my kit is wrap it in a dyed burlap sack.
A woodsman's best companions across the frontier would of been their knife and axe. They would of carried a fixed blade knife known as a butchers/hunting knife for game preparation, a small folding clasp knife for whittling and of course a trade axe. The trade axe or tomahawk was also a formidable weapon used across the frontier. The knife shown here is my Condor Bushcraft 4, I have removed the black coating and put a patina on it to make it look period correct. The tomahawk is a Cold Steel Trail Hawk, again I have removed the black coating and added a dark stain to the shaft along with some burned engravings for a bit of character.
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