Blanket Roll

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Eledhwen
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Blanket Roll

Post by Eledhwen »

Not so much a how to, but a how I am currently doing it.

Here it is, partially laid out. For real there'd be a bag of parched corn, or corn meal, or similar inside the boiler, in the colder months probably a pair of pants or leggings, and perhaps another shirt/tunic. These are for demonstration only. The bright yellow things are shoepacks, not yet dulled with use.

Image

The blanket it laid out, folded in half. The bottom foot or so is turned up and pinned in place. Another pin secures the open side. The items are laid in the center area of the blanket and the two edges folded in over them.
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Eledhwen
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Re: Blanket Roll

Post by Eledhwen »

Here I have laid the shoulder strap cords across the blanket. In this case, the main shoulder strap is a solid strap of elk hide that has two smaller straps attached to it. It is these smaller straps laid across here as you can see.

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Eledhwen
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Re: Blanket Roll

Post by Eledhwen »

Rolling it up. Not much to it, really. Keep it even and tight. You can see the larger portion of the shoulder strap here.

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Re: Blanket Roll

Post by Eledhwen »

The roll is tightly set and now I am applying the first of three retaining straps to it...these straps can be used for other things in emergencies and I find three of them really holds the roll together nicely.

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And all three in place:

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You can see the broad portion of the shoulder strap and the cord straps coming out of the two sides.
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Eledhwen
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Re: Blanket Roll

Post by Eledhwen »

Here I am pulling the strap cords through the roll, ensuring the other broad end is tightly against the roll. Then I will thread the cords through a hole in the free end of the broad portion, snug it all down, and knot it, like so:

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And so;

Image

Finally:

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Eledhwen
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Re: Blanket Roll

Post by Eledhwen »

Here is the completed bedroll or blanket roll. I have found this extremely comfortable and practical to carry. I prefer it to a pack most of the time. You can add a ground sheet or oil cloth if you like, up to you.

Image

Yes, it has taken far too long for me to post these. Hope they are of some benefit.

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Ringulf
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Re: Blanket Roll

Post by Ringulf »

Thank you for posting that Eledhwen,

One would think that is very basic and common knowledge, but one would be wrong!
In the day of sleeping bags and all, most don't know the first thing about a good bedroll, even scouts!

A cowboy's bedrole is fairly familiar, but I wonder if there are other ways to do it that people know about.

What say yee Rangers?

How many ways do we know to make a bedroll? Snapsacks can be an addition(and have been covered on their own) but what can you do with the basic blanket+?

:mrgreen: :?:
I am Ringulf the Dwarven Woodsman, I craft leather, wood, metal, and clay,
I throw axes, seaxes, and pointy sticks, And I fire my bow through the day.
Come be my ally, lift up your mead! We'll search out our foes and the Eagles we'll feed! :mrgreen:
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Re: Blanket Roll

Post by Eledhwen »

The more I use it, the less interested I become in carrying more stuff. It is fairly light in weight, carries all the camp essentials that one needs only in camp, and the haversack or pouches carry the rest. The quiver rides right alongside it without trouble, and either can be worn with a cloak if you feel the need for extra coverage.

Bed is as simple as piling up leaves, bracken, or pine needles, laying out the blanket, covering it with more of the same, and then sliding into it like a sleeping bag. Feet get four layers of wool due to the doubling at the bottom. Rest of body has two plus all the insulation of the material piled under and on top of it.

If you're in really frigid weather you can dig a pit, burn wood to coals in it, spread them out, cover with dirt, lay out sleeping gear on top. You can do this simply by building an in ground firepit between your legs as you sit against a tree, draping your blanket around you. Control the burn in the pit with the size of the air holes; done right it will burn slowly all night long.

Might not be comfortable as we define it today, but you'll live through the night.

Once I am done with the knapsack I'll give that field trials too; one thing I can do well, and that is field test the gear. :)

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Last edited by Eledhwen on Sat Jun 09, 2012 10:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Blanket Roll

Post by Eledhwen »

By the way; the blanket comes from James Townsend & Sons. Extremely inexpensive so I expected the usual blanket. Surprise! This one is made from long fiber wool so is not scratchy at all. Thick too, without being fuzzy. Large, which is needful for this sort of use.

The elk hide...I *think* I got it from Brettun's Village a long while back; two hides of it. Good stuff too. The shoulder strap is two inches wide. I have found that to be the minimum width for a load bearing shoulder strap, especially in my case with the displaced left clavicle.

The copper corn boiler...from a sutler in the Midwest, damned if I can recall his name. He's a tinker and makes these things to order. I have two of them, but the second came from Jame's Townsend; it is for my lass. I have used them to cook and they work fine..just do not let them go dry over the fire as it will melt the tin lining.

Those shoepacks are from Crazy Crow Trading Post. I have been giving them a bit of a field test..they are good, for commercial type footwear of this sort. I will be adding sole material and eventually making a whole new set from brain tanned leather. Brain tan leather breathes, which modern commercially tanned stuff does not.

I have unsweetened chocolate, muscovado sugar, make my own parched corn, and of course here we have sugar maples so maple sugar is available. I get green coffee beans as well as already roasted. This sort of stuff all goes in the blanket roll as if I have time to whip up coffee or hot chocolate, I have time to break up and remake the bedroll. Jerky and whatnot, if I do not make it myself, goes into linen bags which hang from hooks until I need them; the air being able to get to them lets them keep much longer.

Of course, there are the trail biscuits...iron age bread for me, that's the recipe I use.

If I wear a cloak with all of this, it gives me an extra 'blanket' for really cold nights and a cover for short stops where I may get chilled.

Hope it helps.

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Ringulf
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Re: Blanket Roll

Post by Ringulf »

Have you posted the trail buiscut recepe before? It sounds like a good "Cram-like" food. I would love to know how you make it. :mrgreen:
I am Ringulf the Dwarven Woodsman, I craft leather, wood, metal, and clay,
I throw axes, seaxes, and pointy sticks, And I fire my bow through the day.
Come be my ally, lift up your mead! We'll search out our foes and the Eagles we'll feed! :mrgreen:
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Eledhwen
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Re: Blanket Roll

Post by Eledhwen »

I believe I have. Not sure under which thread though. Or maybe I linked to the YouTube video I got it from or something.

Iron Age Bread. You can find it on YouTube. Simple enough recipe. Doesn't require kneading at all. Damned tasty..although I warn you, if you eat too much of it you wind up with a case of scrubbing bubbles; it's seriously high in fiber. ;)

No, no, I don't anyone who actually did that. Nope. Not at all. *whistles*

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Re: Blanket Roll

Post by Eledhwen »

Wholemeal flour, whole wheat flour, millet flour, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, grated carrots, and a bit of olive oil.

Total of 650 grams of flour, proportions up to you. About 50 grams each of the seeds, three or four grated carrots. Oh, and about 7 grams of yeast.

About a liter of water, mix a slurry with some of the flour, add yeast. Then add in seeds. Mix well. Add in the rest of the flour and mix to a sticky dough. Paint the top with oil and stick in the fridge for ten hours so it can leaven.

Take it out, take spoonfuls and put them on cookie sheets using parchment or in muffin tins. Bake at 200 C for about 30 minutes.

There you go.

The original discussion was in the Woodcraft & Bushcraft thread.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J47AyO8fyms

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Mirimaran
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Re: Blanket Roll

Post by Mirimaran »

Many thanks for the how-to and pics, Eledhwen! I will have to try that!

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Greg
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Re: Blanket Roll

Post by Greg »

Nicely done. A rolled-up blanket can carry a multitude of useful things; agreed. I love the setup.
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Dailir
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Re: Blanket Roll

Post by Dailir »

Nice how-to/walkthrough! Thanks! I'm sad to admit but Ringulf is right. So very many people don't know how to do a blanket role and I was one of them till I read your post, even though I'm an eagle scout. So thanks! It was easy to follow, effective, and had the things us rangers love so much, pictures! :)
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