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Possible bags

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Good info here, good photos too. Thanks.

On a related note, the responses re a haversack per se for additional gear, a little larger than the shooting bag, caught my eye. I’m pretty sure none of you just throws stuff in without any way to keep it all straight, and i’m even more sure that very little goes into ziplock baggies.

My question is, with the intention of being at least century-correct if not wholly pc, how do y’all keep the contents of a haversack organized? Photos?

Going camping for a few days and i want to spend some of that time hiking, shooting, making some gear and becoming a little more organized.

Squirrel season opens today 😃. Not gonna hunt in moccasins (yet) but i am going to load a .45 flint down some and see how i do.

Looking for an old .32 or .36 now.

Cheers!

don
 
I've read over that list many times. How many of us could plunge into the wilderness and survive, with kit like that?

Actually it's not "survival" for us that would be the problem with such a kit....

Survival is often a situation of ornery-ness as well as skills. Simon Kenton is known to have cached sets of knives and tomahawks buried near certain markers near obvious landmarks, so that if he was cut off from his gear, he could move overland to one of the cache points, and get a few tools that would make his survival more likely. He did this, I was taught, after he had been cut off from his gear by Indians, and had to go overland without anything but a layer of clothing. He survived the first situation by being determined to reach a settlement and not die....,

The problem would be how much comfort we could produce for ourselves while in the wilds with such a kit. ;)

I confess that if I was a contestant in the TV show ALONE..., I'd like to be in upstate New York, and I'd take with me a forged hawk, a carbon steel knife, a small file to keep them sharp, a flint and steal, a copper pot..., as part of the 10 or so items in my kit. Just to see how long I'd last but ALSO to show that the old school basic kit of flint/steel, knife, hawk, and file were quite good compared to all the modern gadgets that one sees on the show.

LD
 
The zip lock has been replaced with a small tin for patches...

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Here's my smoothbore pouch...

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My question is, with the intention of being at least century-correct if not wholly pc, how do y’all keep the contents of a haversack organized?
A few small bags of various sizes and materials, buck skin, linen/cotton, muslin. Paper sack, waxed.
Similar to modern stuff sacks. Not hard to make a simple bag to fit a specific need.
 
My question is, with the intention of being at least century-correct if not wholly pc, how do y’all keep the contents of a haversack organized? Photos?

Going camping for a few days and i want to spend some of that time hiking, shooting, making some gear and becoming a little more organized.

Cheers!

don
Fabric, buckskin, or items wrapped up in brown paper make organizing you bag easy. Food, which is dried goes in cloth bags, which were one of the first sewing project I attempted. They're difficult to screw up, and you can make them any size you want.
 
I have a small problem with the distinction between possibles and shooting, I often went without knowing how long I would be away, In the event I might stay overnight [or two or three] I would carry a rather large 'shooting' bag. With that, a horn, bullet board, patch knife, skinner, powder measure [or two], turnscrew, nipple wrench, patch puller, ball screw, hatchet or hawk and food [usually jerky or pemmican and dates]… I did not want a second bag of any kind. I looked like a traveling snake oil salesman as it was. My answer was to make each of those things light and simple and carry small, leather pouches in my one bag to contain each separate category of things not often needed. I spent as much as eight days walking in Colorado and Idaho's wilderness areas. At that time, it was legal to shoot small game, in or out of season, to sustain your life. It is also a good idea to know which plants are edible and easily found in your hunting area. BTW, sometimes I rode a horse which made it all much easier. I seldom did that however. If I were twenty years younger I would do it all over again. Approaching 90, I think it better I just drive to a quiet spot with Li'l Sparrow and make a bit of smoke once in a while. Polecat
 
Here is the bag I’ve been squirrel hunting out of this year. It has my horn attached, a block of patched balls, a few spare flint, a strip of leather if I need to change flint, a brass rod with a notch in it to knap flint, a powder measure, a toggle and a few cleaning patches, a piece of wire I poke through the strap for a vent pick, and a powder measure.
 

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I use linen bags of different sizes these have been water proofed with bees wax and have a tie of some sort to keep them closed, the ones I use for food stuff I will place the food items in small brown paper wrappings tied shut with butchers twine, items such as ships biscuit, jerky, dried fruit, nuts, dried corn some times a chunk of hard cheese and a salami of some type also a bit of salt cured ham depends on the temperature also use small tins to carry tea, oatmeal a bit of corn meal a piece of hard cone sugar block of Mexican chocolate also a spice kit with pepper, salt, red pepper flakes and garlic. The modern items such as prescriptions, small first aid kit cell phone for extreme emergencies has their own bag placed in the bottom of the haversack, also a small file and a flat river stone I came across years ago as a sharpening stone, a few concrete nails or horse shoe nails a length of copper wire small diameter comes in handy sometimes also, my copper boiler has a cup that fits inside with a combination folding spoon and a two tined fork ( this is one of my most prized possessions was made by a friend long ago whom has now gone to the great rondy) wrapped in a cloth that is used as a pot holder napkin hand rag. If I do not feel like toting a haver sack these items are put in a snap sac or placed in my blanket roll, If I take a back pack this contains my trail tarp two light wool blankets two pieces of 20 foot hemp rope two pairs of mocs with a repair kit, light weight wool shirt and a spare linen shirt and a pair of wool socks and a wool liberty cap for sleeping in cooler weather. my fire kit is secured to the out side of the haversack in its own bag, containing flint and steel and a burning lens with two bees wax candle stubs, char in a tin container along with some tinder fungus and dry birch bark and used tow from cleaning the gun. This allows me to change items and methods of carrying them depending on the weather and length of journey. Shooting bag has measure attached to strap, on hand made chain is vent pick and pan brush long enough to allow them to be placed inside the bag no dangleys, leather waxed cows knee, leather bag with 20 spare balls if toting the fowler a leather shot bag with #5 shot enough for about 20 shots and pre lubed wads in a small tin, a small tin of pre lubed patches along with a roll of pre lubed patching material, small priming horn, both the rifle and fowler are .62 cal. folding knife, extra pair of period correct glasses or as period correct as I could find. a leather wallet with extra flints and flint leathers, ball puller, worm and different sized turn screws usually two sizes filed to fit the screws particular to the weapon out side and inside of lock, main spring vice also a hand made pair of pliers, oil bottle and a small bottle of rubbing alcohol and clean tow for bottles I use insulin bottles with a small cork stopper that my dad gave me, small linen square for quick wipe down of rifle if needed soaked in a light oil hung out and left to dry. I also use GOD FORBID a shooting block this is placed in my pocket . My belt knife on my waist and my hatchet in its own shoulder slung harness and powder horn on its own strap Seems like a lot but once everything is situated it works well and really is not that heavy to carry. This set up as I stated can be adjusted as to seasonal changes and rifle or fowler, along with a wayward squirrel or grouse I can live rather comfortable.
 
Appalachian Hunter, thanks for all the info! I have a friend who wants to hike in to a piece of timber a ways and spend a weekend shooting, fishing and just hanging out living out of a small knapsack or haversack - it ain’t the mountains and the creek has catfish instead of trout, but the campfire smoke still smells good and the coffee tastes pretty good too.

It’d be great to see sone photos of the gear you mentioned. I’d particularly like to see pictures of your hatchet carrier. I watched somebody make very quick and neat work of a deer pelvis last fall - sold me completely on a tomahawk.

don
 
I would like to post pictures but am really a computer dummy , do not know how to get them from a cell phone to the computer then to the forum. the cell phone I only make calls and the computer well we are having a conversation on that's about it.
 
I carry a small hawk in my pack even when hunting with a unmentionable rifle just for that purpose yes a small well placed strike or two and split pelvis, works great.
 
Antler powder measure, brass priming charger, patches/mink oil, vent pick/brush, screw driver/flint knapper, spare flints, ball board (6), cleaning patches, small rag, small brass container(With jag, screw/ball remover, worm, breech-scraper). Knife. Cows knee. Bag shown in avatar.
 
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