The area where I grew up had a lot of trappers. To carry traps - it is nice to have a pack that will stay open (easier to throw the traps in - without having to take the pack off). Many folks used ash split pack baskets. Many of the Norsk, Svensk, and Soumolina used birchbark pack baskets.
These were quite easy to constuct. You harvest the bark, cutting one inch strips horizontally around the trunk. the bark should be harvested end of June/beginning of July. It will pop right off.
Best to use bark from a tree with a thick girth. Less splicing of your pieces. This isn't particularly good for the trees, but 80 % survive. Many of the older birch trees in our area have had the bark harvested. When I've done this in recent years, I've gone to a cut and asked the feller if I could harvest the bark before he fells the trees.
You splice the bark strips, sewing them together with watape. Watape is scraped and split spruce root. You get this by digging up pencil size, or slightly smaller, root. In a spruce bog, you can sometimes get a 30 foot piece of root. 12 to 15 feet is more common. You scrape off the bark using two 1/2 inch square pieces of hardwood - like maple. You hold them something like chopsticks and pull the root between them with the other hand. You halve or even quarter the root and then (if you've quartered them) split away the center. Soak them overnight and you can sew with them. Makes good lace, but dries stiff.
When weaving the basket, it is best to do it over a form. I fill up one of my canvas packs, with firewood, or something stiff, set it upside down, and use it for a form. The weaving is easy - one over, one under. To finish off, just sew with watape and spiral wrap the top with the same. Leather shoulder straps or tump can be added with a little reenforcement.
PG
These were quite easy to constuct. You harvest the bark, cutting one inch strips horizontally around the trunk. the bark should be harvested end of June/beginning of July. It will pop right off.
Best to use bark from a tree with a thick girth. Less splicing of your pieces. This isn't particularly good for the trees, but 80 % survive. Many of the older birch trees in our area have had the bark harvested. When I've done this in recent years, I've gone to a cut and asked the feller if I could harvest the bark before he fells the trees.
You splice the bark strips, sewing them together with watape. Watape is scraped and split spruce root. You get this by digging up pencil size, or slightly smaller, root. In a spruce bog, you can sometimes get a 30 foot piece of root. 12 to 15 feet is more common. You scrape off the bark using two 1/2 inch square pieces of hardwood - like maple. You hold them something like chopsticks and pull the root between them with the other hand. You halve or even quarter the root and then (if you've quartered them) split away the center. Soak them overnight and you can sew with them. Makes good lace, but dries stiff.
When weaving the basket, it is best to do it over a form. I fill up one of my canvas packs, with firewood, or something stiff, set it upside down, and use it for a form. The weaving is easy - one over, one under. To finish off, just sew with watape and spiral wrap the top with the same. Leather shoulder straps or tump can be added with a little reenforcement.
PG
