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| Nature has provided every living thing on earth with unique gifts to help it survive. Mans gift is our ability to make the tools we need to live. No doubt camping gear was the first on the list to be invented. Camping equipment has been the talk around campfires since the beginning of time. Ugh and Zoe would argue about what was the best club, how many spears to bring, and what skins were the warmest. Nothing has change with time except the quality of our gear. We still sit around the campfire discussing gear until wisdom and experience brings us to the conclusion about what works best. There are five needs to be met when living in the wood for any length of time; shelter, personal gear, food, kitchen, and bedding. With this you could end up with a list a mile long or just enough to fill a backpack. When making your list its important not to confuse survival with camping or camping with life at home. You can leave out the tent and save the effort of carrying it, but then spend two hours of effort building a shelter that isn’t half as comfortable or efficient as a tent. On the other extreme, you won't enjoy a trip if you have to carry and set up the circus tent equipped with a kitchen sink everyday. Think through each of the five areas and ask yourself what you need. If you find yourself sitting there over analyzing a piece of gear, you probably don’t need it. I prefer to use traditional gear and skills instead of most modern equipment for several reasons; First, I just like the look and feel of canvas, wood, leather, and wool. There is a great satisfaction to look at a traditional camp; it’s as natural as the surroundings that it is set up in. Camps with rainbow colored tarps flapping in the wind (or worse yet a blue tarp) and everyone huddled around the gas cooking stove just doesn’t cut it for me. Second, there is a connection to the past and the men who made there living in the woods. A time when strength, courage, and self reliance were held in high regard and a man was judged by his integrity and not by his bank account. Last and most important, traditional ways and gear are traditional because they work and have proven their worth over and over again. Gear that is durable and functional is more important to me then counting every ounce of weight. I will go modern if there is an unquestionable improvement in function or durability. Example, my canoes are made of Royalex. They are not all that beautiful compared to a wood/canvas canoe but can take the abuse of exploring the shallow mountain streams of the Northwest. |
| Northwest Woodsman Explore the 'unreachable' |
The Gear List
| Trips longer than one week I take a smaller pack full of food. The outfit has seen hard use over the years and hasn’t changed much. It is always packed and ready to go. If a friend goes along there is nothing to change, he just brings his own bedding and personal gear. I would scale back if I was going to go on a hiking trip, but for canoeing, horse packing, or car camping it works great. |
| Large Frost River Pack Pyramid tent with 5 stakes Ground cloth 3/4 foam filled mattress Light sleeping bag Wool blanket Small towel Toiletry Kit First aid kit Repair Kit Wool long underwear Two extra pairs of wool socks Light moccasins (for camp) One shirt of heavy wool Wool hat Shorts Axe Folding bucksaw Fire starter Extra maps if needed Camera Fishing gear 1 Qt. water bottle |
| Wannigan or Second Pack 1 kettle 2 pots Plastic mixing bowl with lid Frying pan with removable handle Folding baker 1 quart water container 2 Plates 2 Cups Utensil roll 2 spoons 2 forks Mixing spoon Spatula Wisk Sponge Multi-tool Leather gloves Fire starter 1 weeks worth of food |
| Wear and Carry Wide brimmed hat T-shirt Light wool shirt Pants Wool socks Heavy leather moccasins Belt Belt Knife Compass Map of area Fire Starter Tinder Sunglasses |
| The following is my gear list for spring through fall. |
