Making a mountain man sleeping bag.

[Rifleman1776]

As requested from another thread on blankets.

HOW TO MAKE A MOUNTAIN MAN SLEEPING BAG

(In the 1980’s I saw a sleeping bag like this in a museum and wrote up a more lengthy article about it that was published in the, now defunct, Buckskin Report)

It is well recognized that loft often contributes more to warmth than the material. This is true in coats or sleeping bags. I’m sure this concept has been recognized since the early dawn of human history.
That concept is what this sleeping bag utilizes to keep our mountain man of yore warm in the winter.
For materials, you will need three, or more, wool blankets. Only two of them need to be in good condition. The others can be scrap. Needles and some kind of thread are also required. Scissors can be helpful but are not a requirement.
Using the scrap blankets, cut or tear all into strips. Width is not critical, anywhere from 2” to 4” wide is fine.
Once your strips are made lay one blanket out flat. Then using the strips, weave them in a basket fashion on top of the blanket. Short pieces of strip can be sewn in place to prevent movement.
When the entire blanket is covered with the new ”˜strip’ layer put the second blanket on top. Then sew it all in place making sure the inside basket weave layer is secured to prevent bunching.
Once that is done fold in half lengthwise and sew the foot end closed then do the same on the open side about one half to two thirds up.
Now you have a nice warm sleeping bag.
I’m sure some of you will be thinking since it is all sewn inside, stuff other than wool blanket can be used. That is true, it is out of sight. Synthetic blankets would work. And even plastic sheeting could be put in there. Personally, I would avoid the plastic since it does not breath.

 

[coloradoclyde]

:shocked2: :hmm: Boy a picture sure would be worth a thousand words......I'm having trouble visualizing it. :idunno:

 

[Black Hand]

Clyde,
Just imagine a layer of woven blanket strips sandwiched between 2 other blankets and the entire thing sewn together around the edges. This is then folded in half length-wise and the bottom & side sewn together to make a bag.

 

[Katahdin]

And don't forget the Space Blanket sandwiched between the layers,,if nobody sees it ,,,it didn't happen,,,

 

[coloradoclyde]

Now I got it...thanks. :haha:

 

[Black Hand]

And don't forget the Space Blanket sandwiched between the layers,,if nobody sees it ,,,it didn't happen,,,

Other than the wrinkling sound that would make me look around for the bag of potato chips... :wink:

 

[Alden]

Sounds toasty, but...

...if I fold any but the very largest blanket in half the long way and sew it up I AIN'T gonna fit in it. Not comfortably, and not my top half for sure being the manly man that I am. That's not a sleeping bag, it's a big tube sock!

 

[Rifleman1776]

Valid point these days. But I once read the average man in the CW was only 5'5" tall. We are much bigger these days.

 

[Alden]

Hmmm... They were almost as tall on average as we are today, however, they were much thinner and it isn't just fat, we are somewhat larger framed now.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

Interesting, I've seen bags made with a combo of blanket and buffalo hide, hair inward..seemed it would be comfy atop a layer of soft thickly leaved branches. Didn't get to try any out but sure they'd do OK.

 

[tenngun]

Laying the stops out would give more air spaces. I would be interested if anyone has tried it. Would it be warmer then a folded and sewed blanket with lose laid over? Got me a thinking.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

The hide was on the bottom. Blanket sewn with hide strips it was folded over and sewn partway also. It sized for a fairly good size person, maybe 5-8 or so. I'd say right warm if out of the wind and weather.

 

[nhmoose]

Speak for the freaks huh? :blah: Tall folks die first.

 

[Artificer]

Valid point these days. But I once read the average man in the CW was only 5'5" tall. We are much bigger these days.

In the 18th century and due to the food available here, men were within 3/4" to no more than and inch of the average height today. Women were a little over a inch shorter than the average height today.

However in the 19th century prior to the UnCivil War, with the huge numbers of poor European Immigrants, the average height shrank and did not come back up to 18th Century average heights until after WWII.

Gus

 

[LRB]

Interesting, and makes sense. Thanks Gus.

 

[J.D.]

IMHO, it's much easier to lay out a tarp, roll up in a coupla wool blankets and pull the tarp over the bed roll. If it's cold enough that your feet might get cold, bunch up the foot of the tarp and tie with rope, a belt or what have you. The open side can be tucked in, or sewn shut with a long running stitch, to keep more heat in.

This set up is much more versatile too, as the blankets and tarp can be used in other ways, not to mention that tying off the foot and stitching to side flap, using 4-6 inch long stitches, only takes a couple minutes.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

the bag display in the exhibit showed a couple good sized rock slabs setting atop folded hide, explanation was the the rocks were heated then wrapped with a layer of hide. this was a bag warmer that added (according to the explanation)quite a bit of warmth when the occupant piled in and buttoned up.
comparitively I filled qt water jugs with hot water to slide into my blanket, hide and tarp bag. I was snug and comfy at temps around 20-30 F in a lean-to with open front towards the firepit. water left in 2 qt cook pot was frozen solid. we were going to boil it come morn anyway for beverage and grits with eggs. and bacon crumbles stirred in while simmering.

 

[Twisted_1in66]

As requested from another thread on blankets.

HOW TO MAKE A MOUNTAIN MAN SLEEPING BAG

(In the 1980’s I saw a sleeping bag like this in a museum and wrote up a more lengthy article about it that was published in the, now defunct, Buckskin Report)

It is well recognized that loft often contributes more to warmth than the material. This is true in coats or sleeping bags. I’m sure this concept has been recognized since the early dawn of human history.
That concept is what this sleeping bag utilizes to keep our mountain man of yore warm in the winter.
For materials, you will need three, or more, wool blankets. Only two of them need to be in good condition. The others can be scrap. Needles and some kind of thread are also required. Scissors can be helpful but are not a requirement.
Using the scrap blankets, cut or tear all into strips. Width is not critical, anywhere from 2” to 4” wide is fine.
Once your strips are made lay one blanket out flat. Then using the strips, weave them in a basket fashion on top of the blanket. Short pieces of strip can be sewn in place to prevent movement.
When the entire blanket is covered with the new ”˜strip’ layer put the second blanket on top. Then sew it all in place making sure the inside basket weave layer is secured to prevent bunching.
Once that is done fold in half lengthwise and sew the foot end closed then do the same on the open side about one half to two thirds up.
Now you have a nice warm sleeping bag.
I’m sure some of you will be thinking since it is all sewn inside, stuff other than wool blanket can be used. That is true, it is out of sight. Synthetic blankets would work. And even plastic sheeting could be put in there. Personally, I would avoid the plastic since it does not breath.

I actually take 3 wool blankets with me on reenactments. I have an all-white one that I think was my Dad's Navy blanket from WWII, a red one with a stripe that my wife got for me years ago, and then one of those olive army blankets that is "mostly wool" (75% I think). I also have a number of blanket pins (like huge safety pins).

• I'll fold the olive one in half and that goes under the rest of them.
• Then I spread out the red one down and spread the white one on top of it. Then I fold those two over at once, leaving two layers on top and two more layers below.
• Next I'll fold over the foot section and use 2 or 3 blanket pins to hold it in place.
• Then I'll put 2 or 3 blanket pins in place along the side (usually 3) to connect the side and that pretty well finishes setting up my wool blanket sleeping bag
• Finally I'll climb inside, blow out my candle, and go to sleep.

That's a pretty warm set up. But what really will keep you warm on a freezing night such as I spent one November night on the green in Charlottesville, VA, is a good layer of straw or hay underneath it. They pretty much always provide hay bales or bales of straw for the participants. We use that straw to seal off the scalloped bottom edges of our tents to keep wind from blowing through at night, and if you're smart, you'll put some underneath your blankets.

Since those tents don't have a floor, I bought a canvas floor covering. Only...I cheated and got one that has s waterproof blue tarp-like material on the underside. As long as you don't turn back a corner it looks just like a normal canvas floor covering and when it rains it doesn't soak through. Since most reenactments in the East are in spring and fall, you do get rained on....but I digress. The point is that I will put a bunch of straw under the floor covering so that when I lay down on it and it compresses, I still have about 6" of straw underneath me and it pushes up a bit of a border along my sides. That one night that I spent on the green in Charlottesville was literally freezing cold. But I slept great and was toasty warm when I woke up in the morning. My boots were frozen but I was toasty warm - sure didn't want to get up though. Straw makes for great insulation and I didn't even have a backache when I woke up in the morning. Made me a believer in putting straw under the floor covering where I set up my sleeping blankets.

 

[BillinOregon]

I would love to know more about the original bag in a museum that inspired this. The basketweave layer of wool strips is ingenious, and a technique I haven't heard of before, though it makes great sense. Anyone know more about its provenance -- and which museum has it in its collections?

 

[tenngun]

During the first world war Germans were much impress by the American ‘giants’
It is funny to see the tiny uniforms of the WBTS compared to the bigger men of the Revolution
Was at a museum exhibition that was traveling around the country on Catherine the Great and there were several uniforms and suits. I had always heard the story about people in the past being littler then today, but I think I could have worn much of that clothing.
And the womens dresses looked that they would have fit most girls I know
Of course this was for well fed and healthy aristocrats and not the poor sod eating potato and beets