100 Year Old, Three Pound ULW Gear List

[BOWSINGER]

I think that these old light and right gear lists deserve their own thread. I will start with Kephart, but he is not the only source for old ULW backpacking.

In 1916, Horace Kephart published his two-volume edition CAMPING AND WOODCRAFT. Much of this work was based on his previous books and his many magazine articles. Along the way he became aware of and began to study ULW camping as practiced in Europe and especially England.

“I first heard of this of this campestral marvel in 1910…that introduced me to a new Old World scheme of tent life very different from what I was used to, but one developed to the last line of refinement and full of canny tricks of the outers’ guild. For me it was an eye-opener to find the lightest camp equipments of the world in England”…

Here is the lightest gear list he came up with:

“T. H. Holding, London

“A” Tent, 6 ft. by 5 ft. 9 in. by 5 ft. 9 in._____ 2 lbs. 0 oz.
Set of 2 tent poles_______________________1 0
Set of pegs (ordinary skewers)_____________0 3
Oil stove “Baby Primus”_________________1 3
Aluminum pans “So Soon” pattern_________1 1
Piece of waterproof for tent______________ 0 2
2 Aluminum cups and sauces (plates)_______0 4
2 sets Aluminum knife, fork, spoon_________0 4
Candlestick and candle__________________0 2
Aluminum box of soap___________________0 1
6 lbs. 4 oz.
The piece of waterproof is two feet square. It is to roll up the tent in when wet, and serves otherwise as a washbasin, seat, etc.
Each man carries half of this company kit, making his share 3 pounds 2 ounces.”

And splitting the weight with your partner is exactly how Ray Jardine came up with his lightweight gear lists in 1992. Then Kephart added the personal gear back in, including a one pound 10 ounce eiderdown quilt, all rolled up in a holdall ready to strap on a bike. Total weight is 9 pounds 2 ounces, about 10 pounds if you substitute a frameless rucksack for the holdall.

[holyphenol]

i've noticed various posts here @ WB referencing Kephart...
i'm actually interested in reading some of these older pieces and plan on checking out the library(albeit small) and ebay tomorrow...
any other authors i can check out while i'm at it?

[saimyoji]

Piece of waterproof for tent______________ 0 2

so this piece of waterproof by 1910 standards was made of what? and it really weighed 2 oz.? and was the size and strength they say it was?

[fiddlehead]

mmmmm.
Fork, cups, plates and soap dish, but no sleeping bag. (or pack but of course he could carry it all in the tent)
And had nylon been invented by that time? Apparently so.

Maybe this was his 10 essentials list.
I'm surprised though that a lot of that stuff was available back then in such lighweight versions (stove, tent stakes, ground sheet)

[Ol Mole]

i've noticed various posts here @ WB referencing Kephart...
i'm actually interested in reading some of these older pieces and plan on checking out the library(albeit small) and ebay tomorrow...
any other authors i can check out while i'm at it?

Colin Fletcher wrote "The Complete Walker" and other books about his adventures in hiking. The Complete Walker wass dubbed the Hiker's Bible. era late 60's early 70's.

[Hikes in Rain]

i've noticed various posts here @ WB referencing Kephart...
i'm actually interested in reading some of these older pieces and plan on checking out the library(albeit small) and ebay tomorrow...
any other authors i can check out while i'm at it?

One of Horace's contemporaries and rivals in the literary world was George Washington Sears, aka Nessmuck. His Woodcraft has been in print since he wrote it in the late 1800's. Dover, I think, has an inexpensive paperback reprint. Enjoyed that one very much.

I have several shelves of the old stuff in my library. Tell you what, in the next day or so, I'll scour through it and post a list of what in my never to be humble opinion, are the best I have.

Ebay is a great source for these old books. I have on-going saved searches for "camping" and "hiking" in the classic and antiquarian book section. Curiously, there's pretty fierce competition, or at least people who aren't as cheap as I am. Actually met one of my competitors at Pecks Corner shelter in the Smokies. He collects them, as well, and told me he probably did outbid me from time to time because "they're for his kids,we have money, so I don't care what I pay." He was hiking with his 70+ father, a retired aerospace engineer. Fascinating folks, and I was hard pressed to keep up with them the next morning!

[daddytwosticks]

I'm probably wrong (as my wife so often reminds me...), but I though nylon wasn't invented until around WWII?

[Dr O]

so this piece of waterproof by 1910 standards was made of what? and it really weighed 2 oz.? and was the size and strength they say it was?

Wax paper maybe?

[russb]

An online version of Nessmuk's "woodcraft" is available:

http://books.google.com/books?id=MCgoAAAAYAAJ

[holyphenol]

Colin Fletcher wrote "The Complete Walker" and other books about his adventures in hiking. The Complete Walker wass dubbed the Hiker's Bible. era late 60's early 70's.

Yeah, I recently purchased, from another WBer, The Complete Walker IV with Chip Rawlins as co-author. Thus far, I've really enjoyed how thorough this book is. Are there any comparisons between I and IV that should compel me to go and purchase it(I've noticed Fletcher continually references the first edition, wondering if it;s that different minus the generational gap for gear...)

[holyphenol]

One of Horace's contemporaries and rivals in the literary world was George Washington Sears, aka Nessmuck. His Woodcraft has been in print since he wrote it in the late 1800's. Dover, I think, has an inexpensive paperback reprint. Enjoyed that one very much.

I have several shelves of the old stuff in my library. Tell you what, in the next day or so, I'll scour through it and post a list of what in my never to be humble opinion, are the best I have.

Ebay is a great source for these old books. I have on-going saved searches for "camping" and "hiking" in the classic and antiquarian book section. Curiously, there's pretty fierce competition, or at least people who aren't as cheap as I am. Actually met one of my competitors at Pecks Corner shelter in the Smokies. He collects them, as well, and told me he probably did outbid me from time to time because "they're for his kids,we have money, so I don't care what I pay." He was hiking with his 70+ father, a retired aerospace engineer. Fascinating folks, and I was hard pressed to keep up with them the next morning!

Thank you, I look forward to having a new listing of books to look for!

[holyphenol]

An online version of Nessmuk's "woodcraft" is available:

http://books.google.com/books?id=MCgoAAAAYAAJ

Beautiful!
I completely forgot about searching for e-books.
Saves me a library trip and money, thanks again!

[Snowleopard]

A link to online text of Horace Kephart, Camping and woodcraft:
http://www.archive.org/stream/campin...hrich_djvu.txt
The book is still in print:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw...ephart&x=0&y=0

There are links to online versions of Nessmuk at:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...8&postcount=57
Some of his writing is also still in print.

[Kerosene]

Yeah, I recently purchased, from another WBer, The Complete Walker IV with Chip Rawlins as co-author. Thus far, I've really enjoyed how thorough this book is. Are there any comparisons between I and IV that should compel me to go and purchase it(I've noticed Fletcher continually references the first edition, wondering if it;s that different minus the generational gap for gear...)

I devoured CW I in the 70's. I skimmed CW III at a bookstore awhile ago, but it seemed to only be marginally better, mostly with regard to new equipment of course. I wouldn't bother to read the first edition unless you want to pick it up and try to complete a set.

If you are interested in first editions as well as the AT, then you should also pick up an original copy of Edward Garvey's Appalachian Hiker. This was the book that taught me all about the AT in the early 70's.

[Surplusman]

so this piece of waterproof by 1910 standards was made of what? and it really weighed 2 oz.? and was the size and strength they say it was?

It may have been oilcloth or rubberized fabric. I've found a reference to oilcloth being used during the Civil War to keep things dry. Union Army issue ponchos were rubberized cloth. So, the technology was around for quite a while for Kephart and others to use.

[holyphenol]

If you are interested in first editions as well as the AT, then you should also pick up an original copy of Edward Garvey's Appalachian Hiker. This was the book that taught me all about the AT in the early 70's.

Duly noted.
Between cookbooks and hiking books I'm slowly amassing a small library!
Always good reads though.

[OldStormcrow]

Wax paper maybe?

He mentions that the "waterproof" is two feet square.....that's 1 foot by 2 feet. He was using it to roll his wet tent in when packing it. He mentions that he also used it as a seat. I would assume that a piece of 1'x2' waterproofed canvas would quite possibly weigh just 2 ounces. Turkey hunters used to carry pieces like this for sitting on the ground against a tree. They also used sheepskins for the same purpose in the winter, hanging them off the back of their belts so they could just sit down and not have to unpack them.

[Seeker]

i've noticed various posts here @ WB referencing Kephart... i'm actually interested in reading some of these older pieces and plan on checking out the library(albeit small) and ebay tomorrow...
any other authors i can check out while i'm at it?

other authors can be found at openlibrary.org. they include SE White, Warren Miller, Dillon Wallace, Pinkerton, Fordyce (edgar?), and Edward Breck. If you sort openlibrary by publisher, and insert the house kephart helped found (the outing publishing company) it will help you find some of them. you can sort by digital (ie, free) versions too... i've got about 20 of them. great reading.

two feet square is 2 x 2, or 4 square feet. 1 x 2 is 2 square feet.

[Snowleopard]

Seeker: Very nice link for old outdoor books (and probably other books).
"The shameless diary of an explorer" by Dunn, Robert is a great title.

openlibrary.org
http://openlibrary.org/search?wtitle...kens=&_save=Go

[holyphenol]

Wow, thanks again!
This is an excellent online book repository.