Knapsack size & blanket

[Pvt.S.D.Swart]

Call me Crazy, but I stripp completely down. Removing all my clothing. I then dry off, and put on a dry set of drawsers, shirt, socks. Before bundling back up. Dampness is the number one problem in staying warm, in my opinion.

S.D.Swart

[AZReenactor]

Have you tried Blanket in compartment, rubber sheet under flap, blanket on top with shelter half wrapped around it? When I carry overcoat, blanket, shelter half, and poncho I usually wrap the shelter half around the blanket and strap it on top, with the overcoat folded and placed under the flap with gum blanket, not inside the four fold compartment. This is especially true when I am using the frame with the pack.

[Pvt. Sanders]

I am a skinny Reb and I like two blankets as well. However, do not put both blankets in the double bag. Instead carry one in the bag and do a blanket roll as well. Also, like Lewis said, loose one blanket and cover up with half of your ground cloth, it traps in heat and keeps out moisture. I also sleep in less clothes like Mr. Swart said, my dad showed me that trick as a kid when we camped. It never made since to me then because you would think more clothes the better, but less is better. But make sure to put your clothes in the blanket with you so they aren't wet or freezing when you go to put them on in the morning, haha.

[Yellowhammer Rebel]

I need two blankets to be warm as well. I wear a pack AND a blanket roll. One blanket in the pack and the other in a roll. Plenty of documentation for that as well including the drawings of A. C. Redwood.

[Curt Schmidt]

Hallo!

I would add to Herr Paul's comment...

Yes. What one needs to learn, and learn by researching, experimenting, and doing, is to find how to make Period Correct choices from historical options that work for you.

Based upon our body morphology, health, conditoning, age, and "regional climatization," we can all "feel the cold" differently and have different personal tolerances and threshholds.

I was referring to extreme cold. Two of the worst things one can do are:

1. "Go to bed" wearing wet or damp clothes.
2. Wear too many clothes (hense knowing how to layer up and down to match the weather and the exertion) and end up sweating oneself damp

Both will convect heat away from the body makng one colder.

One aside... wool is remarkable in its abiity to wick moisture away from body, and in itd abiity to retain 80-85% of its heat retention value even when wet.
Howver, while there are times when wearing wet wool is a plus, there are extremes of cold where one is better off naked in dry blankets (one such instance documented in the 18th century). And some mdoern survival manuals recommend a person who has fallen through ice in water be stripped and then wrapped in blankets and/or bundled with another naked person or two... )

I have done several April and November events where the temps were in the low 30's. I found that I was toasty warm lying dressed on my blanket on my gum blanket, with my greatcoat used as a blanket not a coat.
But again, that is just me with my expectations, tolerances, threshholds, and regional weather ranges... so others' mileage will vary...

Curt

[relivin1861to65]

Curt,

I believe part of the problem could be the size of the knapsack. In the recent past I couldn't afford the authentic gear and used a sutler row knapsack and had problems fitting gear as well. I recently purchased a high quality knapsack and found it to much larger than my other one. I currently have Federal issue blanket folded against my back and my mess gear 2 extra shirts 2 pair socks lenght of rope personel items with room to spare. Just a thought.

[BobRoeder]

Um......correct knapsack, correct blanket, correct clothing and make due - move closer to the fire, or if possible as Paul suggested (post # 10), "....It is even more effective when bundling with a pard. " Very simple, just do what they did.

One Battle Too Many: The writings of Simon Bolivar Hulbert, Private, Co. E 100th NYSVpg. 191, from a letter dated Folly Island, May 6th, 1863 - "....One year ago yeasterday was the battle at Williamsburg. Last evening the rain poured in torrenyts, which made me think of that day & the night , though we slept in our tents last night & it was very warm. But one year ago last nightthe most of our Regiment come very near to perishing with the cold. I lay my canteen down by a tree & set down on it & leaned my back against the tree. Then Henderson was very near freezing, shivering & shaking. I had him set down on my lap. I put my arms around him & held him as close to me as I could till he went to sleep & was quite warm again. But last night it was pleasant to be sheltered in a tent." An excellent example of how the original fellows helped each other survive.

Also, review the information in the campaigning tips section. The suggestion of lining the wool blanket with a piece of lightweight cloth (linen) is also a good idea too - there are period references for this somewhere around here.

[JSchnak950]

Pardon the war story, but I've heard this question throughout my military career. Before going to the field for the first time, there would always be the newbie who would ask "SGT Schnakenberg, after putting my sleeping bag in my rucksack, I don't have room for anything else [ammo, food, grenades, water, clarymores, etc]. What am I doing wrong?".

"Private, you're in the light infantry, not the Boyscouts. We don't use sleeping bags. Our motto is 'Fight light and freeze at night'."

We'd typically carry a poncho liner per two man buddy team. One guy would use it while the other was alert in the fighting position. If we had the luxury of being able to sleep simultaneously, we'd spoon. It was hard, we froze and barely slept, it sucked, and we got paid the exact same amount as those pukes in the Air Force that sleep in a warm bed every night. And that's part of why I left the Army and am now in the Air Force.

Herr Schmidt has it right on all counts, especially #3 and #4.

The only tip I can offer is to curl up in a ball and make sure your head is also under the blanket.

Jeff

[Garryowen]

Try rolling your shelter half and rubber blanket as two separate “horse shoe” style shoulder rolls, and wear them under your knapsack, one on each shoulder. If rolled or folded flat enough, this will not pose much of a problem.
Try to fold over and tuck you rubber blanket into the back of your belt. I remember seeing a period sketch of a line of flankers / skirmishers wearing their rubber blankets as such, but can’t remember where the sketch is at to post it. I believe this was a period practice in case of wet weather. Soldiers did not have to pull apart their knapsacks when the rain commenced.

[teufelhund]

I've experimented a little with a blanket roll by rolling my personal items in a blanket, then rolling a ground cloth around the blanket roll for protection from inclimate weather. You can make the roll 2-3 feet long. Secure it with some blanket roll straps. Then loop your musket sling to one end on one strap and the other end of the sling on the other strap. Duvall makes a sling for this style of carry, but I like the improvised style personally. I don't know about carrying a large amount of blankets, shelter half and ground cloths, but carrying the roll this way seems to be alot more comfortable than having a pack on or the horseshoe style roll all about you and alot easier to take on and off. I'm going to give it a try on my next campaigner style event.