Outfit for Travelling in the South American Wilderness - T Roosevelt - 1914

[Beer Monster]

Not sure if this sould go in Kit Chatter or Other Chatter. Mods please feel free to move it.

Seems that Theodore Roosevelt was as interested in kit as most of us are! Makes for an interesting read.

Three or four good axes, several bill-hooks, a good hatchet with hammer head and nail-puller should be in the tool kit. In addition, each man should be provided with a belt knife and a machete with sheath.

The Outfit for Travelling in the South American Wilderness (link)

Some other good links to his other books on this page (here) including:-

Hunting Trips of a Ranchman. 1885.
Roosevelt’s 1885 ode to the beauty, vigor and challenges of the Dakota Badlands and the frontier life.

Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail.1896.
From 1884 to 1886, Roosevelt records the joyous experiences on his ranch in the Dakota Territories.

A Book-Lover’s Holidays in the Open. 1916.
These impassioned essays encourage the average man to cross the line of comfortable and traditional travel to discover the vitality of outdoor life.

 

[Jared]

Heh, very interesting.

Especially the mention of billhooks, thought they were more of a British item. Though guessing billhooks are older than the independence day.

 

[Beer Monster]

Interesting to see that he carried a three barreled combo shotgun/rifle. 2 shotgun barrels with a .22 rifle inbetween them?!? He even states that there is a 4 barrel version available!

A new gun has just come on the market which may prove valuable in South America where there is such a variety of game, a four-barrel gun, weighing only eight and one fourth pounds. It has two shotgun barrels, one 30 to 44 calibre rifle and the rib separating the shotgun barrels is bored for a 22-calibre rifle cartridge. The latter is particularly adapted for the large food birds, which a heavy riflebullet might tear. Twenty-two-calibre ammunition is also very light and the long 22 calibre exceedingly powerful. Unless in practice it proves too complicated, it would seem to be a good arm for all-round use—sixteen to twenty gauge is large enough for the shotgun barrels. Too much emphasis cannot be placed upon the need of being provided with good weapons. After the loss of all our arms in the rapids we secured four poor, rusty rifles which proved of no value. We lost three deer, a tapir, and other game, and finally gave up the use of the rifles, depending upon hook and line.

Never knew such things existed. Just found this kit online that will convert one of you shot gun barrels to fire .22LR

 

[Jared]

Interesting to see that he carried a three barreled combo shotgun/rifle. 2 shotgun barrels with a .22 rifle inbetween them?!? He even states that there is a 4 barrel version available!

Never knew such things existed. Just found this kit online that will convert one of you shot gun barrels to fire .22LR

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combination_gun

Seems even 5 barrel versions available

 

[Injati]

I read in the article that they also advise all members of the party to carry a "possibles pouch-type" of content, including salt. Why exactly salt?

 

[RobertRogers]

I read in the article that they also advise all members of the party to carry a "possibles pouch-type" of content, including salt. Why exactly salt?

When you are away from civilization for a length of time you will find you start craving salt due to its lack in natural environments far from the sea. In some places of the world salt is still of very high value and is rationed out very carefully.

 

[Injati]

When you are away from civilization for a length of time you will find you start craving salt due to its lack in natural environments far from the sea. In some places of the world salt is still of very high value and is rationed out very carefully.

Thanks for the info RR, didn't know that. Would that have been the ony reason? Just to satisfy a craving?

 

[British Red]

Combination rifle shotguns are still made. Indeed I have many times debated the perfect combination

A good friend of mine has a beaty - an over & under design - top barrel is a 12 bore, bottom is a rifled .243 Winchester. The gun has a "QD" Leupold scope that is on and off in 1 second - carry without for a quick shot at bunny or bird and flick on for deer.

To be honest, in the UK, if we set deer aside (and I probably would) a 20 bore / .223 would strike me as a great combination (or even .22RF). Savage make them at a very reasonable price. Great "walked up" game getters,

Red

 

[Mastino]

Heh, very interesting.

Especially the mention of billhooks, thought they were more of a British item. Though guessing billhooks are older than the independence day.

I'm sorry Jared, the billhook is pretty much universal in Europe. I practically grew up with one of these in Italy: http://www.niccolai.it/pennati.html.

And this one goes even further. Archeological evidence of billhooks in early Tuscany: http://www.comune.pisa.it/gr-archeologico/musvir/rawt/map3.htm

 

[born2roam]

Thanks for the info RR, didn't know that. Would that have been the ony reason? Just to satisfy a craving?

Nope basically your body needs an amount of "salt". I do not have enough knowledge about all the specific details (wether it is salt, a combination of crystals and what chemical stuff ) but like sugar your body needs it. Wether you get it from an animal (blood) or plant form.

Old cultures traded it, as a currency and as a matter of trust/respect (salt was exchanged in many desert tribes (middle east iirc).

Many 'old survival manuals' speak of keeping a portion of sugar and salt and that is NOT just for taste ;-)

S-orry that I can not be of much more help with indepth knowledge...

Grtz Johan

 

[Jodie]

Every 'twitch' of every excitable cell (nerves, muscles) in your body is powered by the
movement of sodium ions (and some other ions too, including chloride) so salt's pretty
important for that in addition to its role in regulating fluid volume. The movement of ions
is fairly similar to an electric current. Sodium currents feature in all cells, not just the
excitable ones.

There are tiny channels in the membrane of the cells which can open and close to
allow sodium in, or not. The opening / closed status of the channels can be manipulated
using drugs, some of which come from natural products. For example Wikipedia informs
me that aconitine (from aconite / wolfsbane) is a nasty alkaloid that causes the channels
in the heart to stay open for too long, leading to uncontrolled heart-beat rhythms and
then death.

 

[John Fenna]

Your weekly pay packet (unless you are a manual worker) is named after salt - "salary".
Salt is so important to the body that if you are "not worth your salt" you are worthless.
Hot Chicks (in Italian) are not "sweet" but "SALTY".....
You gotta have salt!