What's your ideal trekking kit?

For discussion of knowledge of the wood; this means camping, tracking, and other outdoor pursuits.

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caedmon
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What's your ideal trekking kit?

Post by caedmon »

You have a 200 mile 10 day trek. You have no horse or mule, no expected enemy, it's an easy walk along a maintained trail. There will be not inns, food must be caught, foraged or carried. It will rain and get down to the 40's. List your kit down to the underwear.
-Jack Horner

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Impression: Cædmon Reedmace | bronze founder living in Archet, Breeland. c. 3017
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Greg
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Re: What's your ideal trekking kit?

Post by Greg »

Clothing:

Body Linens (long braies, long tunic)
Wool drawstring pants
Wool Over-tunic
Wool Socks
Wool-lined snug hood
Shearling-lined mittens
Wool Cloak
Shin-high turnshoe boots

Bedroll+Contents:

Woven Wool Blanket (vintage Italian army surplus, to be exact)
Oilcloth Tarp/Groundcloth
Hand-braided hemp Cordage
Bean sock containing measured amounts of beans, dry cut oats, and fingerling potatoes; approx 3 lbs.

Portmanteau (need-wallet; never leaves my person)+Contents:

Trail foods: jerky, dates, nuts, 3 hardtack.
Fire Kit (flint, steel, etc.)

Sword Belt+Contents:

Type XVI
'Bush Knife' Seax
Utility Byknife

Haversack Contents:

Knit wool scarf
Copper Boiler+Spoon
Hammered Frying Pan
Waxed Linen-wrapped Smoked Salt Pork (approx 2.5 lbs.)
Pipe+Old Toby Leaf
Pennywhistle (optional)

'Short' Bow
Quiver+6 Arrows

Costrel+Water

[hand H20 pump]
[Map]
[necessary licenses/permits/ID]

Beans and potatoes make for easily ration-able, stew-able items; the potatoes can be roasted in a pinch, and both keep well. I state fingerling potatoes specifically, because larger russet, etc., potatoes are difficult to ration with. Once cut/peeled, they spoil quickly, so bringing potatoes small enough to be used in their entirety for each meal is helpful. Hobbits wouldn't approve of such small potatoes, but then again, they never approved of three-meal days, either.
Oats are for fiber-inclusion, and make for an easy breakfast. Salt pork can be used as a dinner entree or breakfast staple; hardtack fried in grease afterward. The pork, potatoes, and hardtack can all be cooked together/in succession in one pan to make a complete meal of sorts...toss in a small handful of trail-won black berries and you're dining like a king.
Now the sword shall come from under the cloak.
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wulfgar
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Re: What's your ideal trekking kit?

Post by wulfgar »

Great kit Greg! I would say mine would be very similar, with the addition of winingas or
puttees, sewing and fishing kit, and replace the sword with a spear.
Last edited by wulfgar on Wed Dec 10, 2014 2:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Manveruon
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Re: What's your ideal trekking kit?

Post by Manveruon »

I love it! Thanks for starting this thread, Wulfgar! It's a great reference for me when putting together a functional kit of my own.
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caedmon
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Re: What's your ideal trekking kit?

Post by caedmon »

Ok, here's my kit... It feels so bulky may have to try and pare it down some...

Clothing:
15th c short braies - 2 pair
Wool socks - 3 pair
Winningas
Split hosen
Linen St. Louis Shirt
Linen Kyrtle (outer shirt)
Wool Cote
Belt
Long Wool Cloak
Wool Hood
Medieval High Shoes

Pouch:
Belt pouch
Tinderbox (flint, steel, charcloth)
Skinning knife
*money
*ID
*Cell Phone

Bedroll + Contents:
Canvas 1935 Army Bedroll (to be eventually replaced with fishskin in same style)
Wool Blanket
Leather belt

Food & Sundry:

cram 5 lbs.
smoked salmon 3lbs.
costrel
*water treatment tablets
1.5 qt. bronze cauldron


Personal Care

*dental floss
linen wash clothes
cottonwood balm oitment

Pointies:
Longbow
fishskin longbow bag
25 arrows
Quiver
Tomahawk
Seax or Bauernwehr
Byknife
Sheath
Bootknife
-Jack Horner

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Impression: Cædmon Reedmace | bronze founder living in Archet, Breeland. c. 3017
Straelbora
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Re: What's your ideal trekking kit?

Post by Straelbora »

I'm wondering what you mean by a fishskin bedroll- like, leather made out of fish?
Vápnum sínum skala maðr velli á
feti ganga framar því at óvist er at vita
nær verðr á vegum úti geirs um þörf guma
Hávamál
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Greg
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Re: What's your ideal trekking kit?

Post by Greg »

I'm guessing it's woven material in a herringbone pattern...



Sorry I posted so hastily last night. There was a crying baby, then the two-year-old started whining...so I hit the 'post' button without having finished yet. Archery equipment hadn't hit the list yet, and I like to think of it as an insurance policy. The bow comes into play when squirrels get over-comfortable around my camp in the mornings, etc., and is insurance against things like the expected rain getting into my hardtack and spoiling it, or the unexpected attack by orcs which requires me to grab bow, sword, and take off. My portmanteau is worn in my sleep, and I hug the sword, bow close-to-hand, so that's what I'd have to work with. I'd prefer having a useless bow to having a few handfuls of nuts and jerky to live on for the next X number of miles. I only carry six arrows, because a dozen is a significant amount of weight when distance-trekking, and if there's an engagement, I'll be insanely lucky to shoot six times, so they're nearly 100% dedicated for hunting in this scenario.

The pipe+old toby, and Pennywhistle are pure creature comforts, as I find treks without such things to become a bit mundane. First time out is fun because setting up camp is new and exciting. Once you've accumulated a few weeks' worth of trail time doing this sort of thing, setting up camp is routine, firemaking is work, and once that's set, there's the inevitable "I got started too early, and nightfall is still an hour away" syndrome. What to do, in an area where no attack is likely?

Light a pipe, have a tune, and stretch your legs. Keeps you sane.

I also got a few food quantities wrong, so I've updated those as well. I ration my home-smoked salt pork in pre-sliced increments so that I consume approx. 1/8 lb. daily. The oats and beans keep it from plugging me up. Seems like a lot of "bacon" to a modern audience, but the average American doesn't cover 20 miles a day, either, so a lot of this is burned up in travel. The rest goes into warmth at night...my hawks lose more weight at night when it's cold...humans are no different.

I am happy to say that I officially possess all but THREE of the items on this list. One of them, the mittens, will be purchased and modified in short order from a local leather shop. Arrows, embarrassingly, I possess ZERO of at the moment, but that store will be replenished shortly...order's already been placed. Lastly, the tarp, is in the mail on its way, so this kit, almost in its entirety, will be given a nice solid day hike in similar weather to this scenario in a week and two days.
Now the sword shall come from under the cloak.
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Rifter
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Re: What's your ideal trekking kit?

Post by Rifter »

Some great thoughts here for my own practical kit for something other then trekking round a ren faire or a day hike
'Just because I don't like to fight...doesn't mean I can't'
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wulfgar
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Re: What's your ideal trekking kit?

Post by wulfgar »

Fish skin is another term for oilcloth.
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Udwin
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Re: What's your ideal trekking kit?

Post by Udwin »

Straelbora wrote:I'm wondering what you mean by a fishskin bedroll- like, leather made out of fish?
Mark Baker talks about using a 'fishskin' in some of his early articles; basically seemed like an oilcloth poncho.

Realizing that this is basically my Anduin woodman kit.
CLOTHING:
I'd rather have my core be wrapped in wool with my arms and legs slightly cool, than have my extremities in a layer or two of damp/wet linen (however quicker-drying-than-cotton it may be). Temps in the 40s aren't that chilly once you get moving.
Wool breechclout & linen waistbelt
Wool Emmererfscheidenveen-ish tunic (heavy or medium weight)
wool inklewoven sash
Hand-knit wool hat
probably a pair of knit wool mittens.
braintanned leggings
Footwear I'm not sure about; my bogshoes-over-felted-boots were meant more for deep winter.
I'm giving serious consideration to making a pair of 'Fort Ligonier shoepacks' and blanketwool liners this winter. Let's say that I'll be barefoot during the day or when it's dry; at night or while raining, I'd wear my hypothetical well-greased shoepacks. Maaayybbee with a pair of wool winningas to keep shoepack flaps wrapped over leggings.

SLEEPING GEAR (to be supplemented with natural insulations, environment providing) :
thin '4-point' wool blanket (carried horseshoe over right shoulder)
cattail sleeping mat
russian groundcloth/shelter/raincape

'First line'gear (never leaves my person)
Belt knife and ‘zip bag’ on belt sash:
four acorn/flour/honey hardtacks, fruit leather, large roll of 1/8" basswood cordage/tinder, firesteel and flints, smooth creekstone, spare locust thorn ‘pins’, rivercane straw for drinking.

WATER
2+ liter gourd, cane tube of purifying tabs (hangs over my left shoulder on a nettle strap)
Turtle shell drinking cup (hangs outside pack)

meshok-pattern backpack:
spare wool tunic
spare wool breechclout
Book of poetry
Sewing/gear-repair kit
odd bits and thongs of buckskin
Tin of leather dressing
whetstone
smoking kit
a big hank (25'?) of pinkie-sized nettle rope

FIRE KIT (goatskin pouch)
firesteel + flint, rustic modern firesteel, charred cloth or wood in a tin, once-dipped candle wicks, tinder (linen bag of a bird’s nest (literally!), cedar bark, flax tow, ‘fatwood’ slivers), matches, 'burning glass’, beeswax candle.

HYGIENE (linen pouch)
To keep myself (relatively) clean, I carry basic hygiene items packed in a linen bag:
bundle of Equisetum/‘horsetail’ (for scouring kettle or brushing teeth), a bar of plain lye soap, hand-woven towel and washcloth, coarse wooden comb; fresh Mullein leaves (when I find them); and cathole digging tool (calf’s scapula).

FOOD: based on the assumptions that I'm not going to be spending time/energy hunting; dried meats lighter and easier to keep than fresh (although if it's going to be in the 40s I would probably take my chances); some light foraging for vegetables/herbs &c at most.
Carried in a large goatskin food-bag:
ticking bag of dried fruits: strawberries, apples, raisins, prunes (fiber!); apple or grape fruit leather
ticking bag of spelt flour (1/2 pound?)--for dumplings or bannock
ticking bag of shelled English walnuts, hazelnuts, chestnuts, and/or pecans
ticking bag of jerked venison, beef, or ham
crystallized honey (horn container)
small wheel of cheese (wrapped in waxed linen)
dry tea (horn container)
Salt (small goat horn)
hand-carved wooden spoon

Brass ‘trade kettle’ (tin-lined) hangs out on top of my pack--mostly needed for purifying water via boiling as none of ^ requires cooking

Backpack and contents ^ weigh less than 15 pounds.

Defense/offense
Ash spear--7' is better than 5' staff; plus pokey bit of metal on the end always helps if I'm (unexpectedly) attacked.
Last edited by Udwin on Thu Dec 11, 2014 3:12 am, edited 2 times in total.
Personae: Aistan son of Ansteig, common Beorning of Wilderland; Tungo Brandybuck, Eastfarthing Bounder, 3018 TA; a native Man of the Greyflood, c.850 SA
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caedmon
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Re: What's your ideal trekking kit?

Post by caedmon »

Straelbora wrote:I'm wondering what you mean by a fishskin bedroll- like, leather made out of fish?
Udwin has it right. Fishskin is home-made oilcloth.
-Jack Horner

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Impression: Cædmon Reedmace | bronze founder living in Archet, Breeland. c. 3017
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Greg
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Re: What's your ideal trekking kit?

Post by Greg »

I consider myself educated.
Now the sword shall come from under the cloak.
Cinead
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Re: What's your ideal trekking kit?

Post by Cinead »

Be careful with oil cloth around open flame.....it will go up like a rocket!
Here I stand...unbowed, unbent, unbroken.
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Ringulf
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Re: What's your ideal trekking kit?

Post by Ringulf »

Cinead wrote:Be careful with oil cloth around open flame.....it will go up like a rocket!
"Here Mr Halforc, take my pipe and my fishskin cloak and go stand by the campfire a moment to get warm."
Said by Djolimar Badjerbrock, Overheard by Fatty Bolger during the scouring of the Shire.
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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Greg
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Re: What's your ideal trekking kit?

Post by Greg »

Cinead wrote:Be careful with oil cloth around open flame.....it will go up like a rocket!
An issue I intend to address in an upcoming article, in fact.
Now the sword shall come from under the cloak.
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