Camp suggestions

[Cpl.Parker]

Folks for the past couple of years I have been unhappy with my camp.   I have gone from a 16x12 wall tent to a 10x10 wedge tent and I still feel that I am missing the point.   I have ended up with a huge amount of items that are required to erect and maintain these types of camps.   I feel that I have veered away from the spirit of what a fur trade traveling camp would be.    I am thinking of going to a single tarp lean-to.   I have been using a wood-frame bed but I would like to make faux fur bales to kip on.   I have found that the plastic wrapped wood chip bales you find in feed stores are an approximate size of a bale.   I plan to cover three chip bales with  white canvas and label them as pieces.   These bales would provide my chair, table and bed.   My object it to minimize my camp to better reflect the conditions of the voyageur.   Any ideas, critiques or suggestions gratefully appreciated.

[Riley/MN]

I have actually looked at those "bales" at Fleet Farm (aka "The Man Mall") with that very thought in mind.... well, not for a bed, but for sittin and workin on.

[2 Locks]

Cpl. Parker – In the case of Rocky Mountain fur trappers, at least those that went out with trapping brigades, they would have been outfitted fairly well in the beginning.  Brigades were divided into messes with 4 to 6 men per mess.  Each man would have started with two or three animals, usually a horse for himself and a mule or two for his equipment, and he would have been expected to carry his share of the camp goods for his mess.  In 1830 Bill Sublette took the first wagon based trading brigade (10 wagons) to the mountains.  Those guys would have probably camped in high style, relatively speaking.

Now I know little of the voyageurs, but I would imagine that they could take quite a bit with them in their canoes, and if they had a keel boat, that might have compared to the wagons.

In both cases, the Mountain Men or Voyageurs would have started out fairly well outfitted.  Exactly how well is up to you to figure out.  In the case of the Mountain Men there was near constant predation from the Indians, and they would often be reduced to what camp equipment they could still carry after they already had rifle & traps in hand.  And sometimes they didn’t even have that.  One could surmise that similar losses happened to the voyageurs over the course of an expedition.

I have thought about your same questions as to the items in my camp.  I decided that the minimalist camp might reduce my enjoyment of attending rendezvous & maybe even cause me to loose interest, so I decided that I would not go that way.  My own camp is based on setting out with mess mates using horse & mule. Basically I have a wedge tent & blankets covering a modern backpacker’s mat.  (Sorry guys but a good sleep goes a long ways to the next days enjoyment :rt th

[MrFox]

Just so that you know, Fleet Farm established antigun no-carry (neither legally allowed open, not concealed (when it's allowed here at Wisconsin).

[Loyalist Dave]

I am lucky to be a serjeant so I get to use a straw tick..., a cloth container that holds straw, or leaves or what have you, to use as a mattress.  I dump the straw when I am done and it rolls up nice.  Insulates better than just straw, and I don't have to hide a thinsulate pad.  

Do you not like the camp as it looks when it is set up, OR do you not like hauling it around?  If it's the set up would not a trapping brigade bring tools with it, and make furniture when they got someplace?  I don't know; that's why I ask.  If the British went into garrison some place and built a fort, they'd soon fashion benches and stools and tables.  Take a piece of split wood, plain one side to sit on, and add three hardwood legs.

Just some ideas...

LD

[2 Locks]

LD - The straw mattress sounds great.  How I manage to overlook some of the most obvious answers I'll never know.  

I'll have to get a few yards of pillow ticking & make one up.  Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

[Loyalist Dave]

OK well some pointers..., Make it wide enough, and I use a 1/2 bale of straw (I'm 5'10 and wide at the tummy) and the "tick" is 6'6".  Shake the straw loose when you put it in; it will fill about half of the tick.  I put a small flap, as well as few buttons and button holes on the end, so it's easy to close.  Then I shake it around a bit to spread out the straw.  When I lie down it compresses to about 2" but it soft and insulates from the cold and damp coming up from the ground.  You may have to fluff-and-sqaush a few times to evenly distribute the straw and avoid lumps.

[Sir Michael]

If I may toss my 2p into the fray.  Going light requires rethinking what you are doing.  My recommendation is that you layout everything your have and then start separating what you need from what you have.  When identifying what you need consider this what will fit on the back of one or two pack horses/mules.  Examine closely what you think you need.  You might also want to go over several different books on backpacking.  They will tell you what you need all you need to do then is translate this to the 19th century.

You'll be surprised at what you need vs. what you have or want.

One thing to consider for a mattress is that a Thermarest or other self inflating mattress wrapped in pillow ticking makes a great substitute for a straw pailliasse.

[Cpl.Parker]

"Now I know little of the voyageurs, but I would imagine that they could take quite a bit with them in their canoes, and if they had a keel boat, that might have compared to the wagons."

In all the 19th century paintings I have seen of the Voyageurs their camps were very simple, canoe, tarp, wooden box and stick tripod.   My thoughts are to replicate a camp that would be carried in a canoe where space was a premium.

Sir Michael, I agree, I am to old and fragile to sleep on the ground:-)

[Captchee]

I think it all boils down to what your wanting to do and the context in which your doing it .
 Are you in base camp ?
  If so you would probably see the fur bails ,  canvas , chairs and such .
 But away from base camp or a impromptu camp set up  for a day or two .
 Most likely not .

 When it comes to the voyager . I think one has to remember that these folks  primary  reason for being , was to carry freight. As much of it as they could haul . The more comforts you take , the less   room you have for product .

Myself , what I take to a Vooo, is no where comparable to what I take  when im hunting or on a 2 or 3 day trek.

[Sir Michael]

What Capt said.

[Le Loup]

Specific personas have specific needs as you well know. The Rock Mountain beaver trapper of the 19th century has to have a horse if you are historical trekking. The voyager should have a canoe, and a large one at that. But I guess if you only use your gear at Rendezvous, you can get away without it.
Oilcloth/tarpaulins were used to cover and protect the goods they carried, so I think that would be the way to go.

[Rick Villerot]

I started with a bunch of stuff & have whittled down to the basics & still am very comfortable.

What I did was to start a journal writing down what I used & did not, what I ate & what I wish I would have brought. It has worked well. One problem I have is sleeping on the ground, It usually hurts my back. So I use a wedge with a cot. Unless I'am going real lite with some compadres.

Be safe, have fun !

[Puffer]

Ahh the  voyageur.

Although their "camp gear" varied, when in the "canoes" VERY sparse.

A community cook pot,  & poss. a tarp. If they had a com. tarp then a lean to. (sometimes in conjunction with the canoe) Most often they, if the weather was "good", they just "hunckered on the ground or if it was not, then found shelter under the canoe.
Where there "tents" ? yes, but ONLY the Company "honchos" had them. That is why portray a "Comp. Honcho"

BTW, in my younger years I did a LOT of "roughing it' ( BSA, Mil. & until my 30s "back packing") But as I got older, I got "soft". Now in my "advanced years" COMFORT is the rule.
My rondy camp, if in the "time", would require a "few" mules to haul.
As Jim,Michael,etc, will attest, 1 mule just for my "attire"

Puffer

[Trois Castors]

Ahh the  voyageur.

Sorry fellas but I have lost track of my books.....
IIRC you were only allowed 40 lbs. of personal kit on a trip.