Your usual setup

[Jon]

Hey everyone,
I just wanted to talk a bit about what type of camp setup you use when you go rangering. Do you use a heavy canvas tent? a lean-to with your cloak? An ultra-lightweight bivvy-bag type of thing?
For those of you (like me ) who don't have a full kit yet, what modern camping setup do you use and how could that apply to rangering?
I suppose these are some of the factors to keep in mind:
-warmth
-waterproof
-privacy?
-discretion and/or defense (considering we may want to hide form them orcs!)
-how quickly you can set it up and take it down

This setup I used this previous December in the Sahara, where at night the temperature went down to 3 degrees Celsius. I had my basha pegged out in a lean-to fashion, mosquito tent underneath it, carry-mat, sleeping bag, bivvy bag, full clothing.
I also had a fire and a reflector (hope it did actually make a difference!)
And it did rain down there!

[Ringulf]

Very nice!
Looks compact and comfortable! Is it all pretty easy to transport?

[Greg]

What I've found is that the less of your camp setup you carry, the better off you'll be. Simplicity is everything. Now, what I'm about to describe might not work for everyone, particularly in the sahara, but in a woodland environment, it's hard to make it not work.

For starters, you don't want to weigh yourself down exponentially, so ditching a full-blown canvas tent in favor of a dual-purpose canvas cloak was an easy choice, though it took some time to actually arrive at the decision. I used to wear a cloak and carry a tarp, but the weight of a tarp, blanket, and groundcloth all rolled together was heavier than necessary, and very bulky.

Now, I simply carry a thick groundcloth made of heavy cotton duck, as per Andy's suggestion on his site back in the day, and a heavyweight wool blanket cut from a military surplus blanket. It's just big enough to cover me and wrap around a little bit...no need to carry more blanket than you'll actually use.

From there, I let the forest provide everything else. Tent poles are unnecessary weight. I don't carry a spear, though I'm in the market for a short-ish quarterstaff. I probably won't carry it much. The woods have too much fallen wood and standing trees available that can easily make a perfect shelter setup without the need to cut anything. Less impact on the woods, less of my own trail left behind for others to follow. In addition, I often find naturally-occurring shelter which enables me to use the cloak as a garment for warmth rather than for an overhead. Similarly, rocks and other formations readily provide reflecting surfaces so one needn't carry anything for that. The simpler you can make it, the better off you'll be.

[deadextra]

Alright, I'll write out my plan and see what you guys think of it. My persona really isn't the sneaking around in the words sort, this is more campaign gear but I shouldn't have much more than the rangers.

In addition to armor, shield, primary weapon, and clothing.

waterproofed bag
-quartz
-tallow container
-striker
-tinterbox
--tinder
--spare wicks
terra cotta lamp
hemp cord
linen canvas tarp/cloak
dagger
needle and stout thread
water bottle
cooking pot
wool blanket
spoon
food bag
handkerchief/cloth scrap

Ok, notes on some items..the waterproofed bag will either be beeswax impregnated linen or the same with leather. I've read that the inside of rushes were used for wicks, but we don't have any of the good sort in america so I'm not sure what I'll do there. I might just fall to cotton. :/

The lamp is a little thing, pretty much a 7cm wide pot with a stout spike on the bottom to push in the dirt and a spout for the wick to lean against. Light, sturdy, hopefully will put off enough light to see by.


Hemp cord, a few lengths that are braided that I can use for whatever.

Canvas cloak- Here's where my main uncertainty is. I'm looking at some 7.1oz linen canvas here http://www.fabrics-store.com/first.php? ... bric_id=14 which is really pretty cheap but I'm really not sure if that is heavy enough. I'm also a bit torn on the size. That fabric is not quite five feet wide which is enough to wrap around myself, make a rather low pup tent sort of deal, or use as a cloak...or I could make an 8' by 8' or so tarp with a seam up the middle and be able to make a bit more spacious tent. I'm 6'3" btw.

Needle and thread, probably bone needle and I'm not sure what the thread should be wound about.

Water bottle I have ordered

Cooking pot, I've seen a bit of conversation about this recently but I didn't get any clarity for what I should use. I might omit this altogether.

Wool blanket, maybe cut from an army blanket

Food bag. Linen of course, I might waterproof this with beeswax too, just depends.

I might add some more sacks presumably for looting and general use.

Edit: Now at work I remembered I forgot to put a bowl and cup on here. I have both, it's just a matter of replacing the varnish on the bowl with linseed oil. I'm probably forgetting something else.

[Eledhwen]

Mine is little different to my Longhunter's kit, just a few swapouts here and there. Ranger knapsack, bedroll on tumpline, bow, quiver, longknife and 'hawk, a 'blanket' cloak, clothing, rations, minimal cooking gear, and so on. Single blanket type stuff. Minimalist kit. Sundries like arrow repair and sharpening stuff, extra bowstrings, firemaking gear, and so on. The usual.

Now that I have a good tripod for the camera I can perhaps get some pics...although carting camera and tripod along adds weight not only physically, but the weight of having inappropriate kit along.

Eledhwen

[Greg]

I carry my camera on every trek now...and I bring a small bungee cord with hooks on both ends. I use that to strap it down when I don't have an even surface to set the camera on. The time-delay shooting mode, with 10-second countdown gets used more than any other shooting mode on that camera. Pretty much all of my trekking photos ever posted here, short of those from treks with David and Odigan, have been taken by myself. A small modern allowance for the greater good of research and report.

[Eledhwen]

Aye, but it is something that troubles me personally. I will bring it along; one of those spindly tripods that can adapt to pretty much anything is what I have...so not too intrusive as such things go.

I just tend not to like bringing tech stuff with me into the wilderness. I go out there to get away from it, in part. LOL

I'll do it...occasionally.

Eledhwen

[Ringulf]

Aye, but it is something that troubles me personally. I will bring it along; one of those spindly tripods that can adapt to pretty much anything is what I have...so not too intrusive as such things go.

I just tend not to like bringing tech stuff with me into the wilderness. I go out there to get away from it, in part. LOL

I'll do it...occasionally.

Eledhwen

Here is an idea you might try, it is a very minimalist kind of solution and you have to look around a bit to make it work but I have used it on Boyscout hikes years ago and recently adapted the more modern equipment to work for me at SCA events.

I carry a small digital camera when doing any hiking or camping I even made a belt pouch that matches another on my belt to house it seperately, but unobtrusively. Make sure that the camera you select has the timing element of course and a tripod screw hole.

Then find a rat tail tang boot knife (the kind that have the threaded end to screw on the pummel). If you are fortunate you can sometimes find a matching size to the screw hole of the camera. If not you can do what I did and weld a small screw onto the tang and re-tap the pummle.

Keeping it in your boot, it is a somewhat extra peice of kit and it should not be missed in the picture. It is then rather simple to stick it just about anywhere to get a shot with the camera mounted on it. Dead wood, fence post, stump, all become your silent photographer.

Likewise as we run around with dozens of arrows in our quivers, one could be specially modified to do this or make a small "adapter" out of three peices of aluminum tubing just slightly larger than your arrows and drill a hole in the top using a bolt and wingnut to attach them together with a small platform. The whole thing can go in a pocket or pouch and your arrows can be stowed in the quiver.

One might also disguise a telescopic antena with bolt end as and arrow.
Flech it and all and put that in the quiver, (good on the ground)

a tiny, modified roll of duct tape can also work wonders on three arrows if you get desperate!

Just be creative!
There are many variations on this theme I have not even begun to try!

[Eledhwen]

As I say, I'll bite the bullet and deal with it. Occasionally. While I am not anti-tech...obviously, I use a computer...I do not like to have it with me when I get out in the forest. Unobtrusive or not, *I* know its there, and that's enough.

My camera is digital..but one of the larger ones since I use it for taking macro photos of certain insects and plants...part of an identification process I use with those of my Clan. The tripod is one of those 'gumby-like' pieces that can bend every which way, so easy enough to pack and not too big.

I'll get some pics while out in the forest, finally...and I have to use it for St. Hubert's Rangers when I record a kill.

Evil necessity, unfortunately.

Eledhwen

[BrianGrubbs]

For my modern shelter, I carry the modern equivalent of the cloak, a poncho! Used one for years in the army, and it's a really versatile piece of kit. I go for weatherproof first, warmth second, and security third. If I have security then privacy is not an issue...if they can't find you they can't see you! As I use a diamond style shelter where three of the poncho corners are staked to the ground, and the other is tied about three feet up a tree, it is very quick to set up. Since it is a poncho, if I'm wearing it in the rain, I can set the shelter up without ever taking it off (which is a fun trick in the rain, especially when you're camping with other people who have to pull out a tarp/tent).

A large part of the shelter setup is site selection though. In the winter I try to find an area gives me a natural reflector for my fire, as well as a wind break. In the summer I'm looking for shade and cross breeze. Drainage is always a consideration, plus staying away from low lying areas where flying insects abound.

Brian

[theowl]

I have a hammock, wool blanket, and length of waterproof canvas strapped to my quiver. I've used this setup camping a few times and it works great.