Wallets Work!

It's Winter so I have a beard. I shave for events. You should too. 

It's a cold day here in early March, and I have the immersion event on the brain. We're only a month and half out and so that wonderful question of what to take along for this event is the foremost thought in my mind. I may have said this previously, but preparing for an event is almost if not just as fun as going to the event itself. I love the entire process. Getting your gear all laid out, deciding what is important or specific to this particulate excursion. It's such a fun process. 

Recently, I saw a video that has me focused on wallets and their use in the backcountry. In the video, the wallet is presented as a good historical option, but then we're told that it doesn't actually work in the woods. Well, I couldn't let that slide. I've used wallets in the woods for years now, as have many of my backcountry colleagues and we've never had an issue using them. We've talked about the wallet somewhat on this blog when Matthew Fennewald wrote the "Wallet Well Stored" article, but I wanted to go even deeper. 

As a personal preference, I am very much a proponent of the knapsack. It doesn't get much more straightforward and easy than that. Basically a backpack, it's a great for carrying gear, it's evenly balanced across your shoulders and back and it provides a lot of room. You can easily tie a blanket roll to the top and you're ready to go. 

The wallet however is an item that gets a lot of hate from a particular set of the hobby that seems more interested in fantasies and using phrases like "personal preference" and "doing with what they had" as justification for not adopting actual documented methods of transporting gear. A haversack is the favored piece of gear despite the fact that haversacks just don't really show up in civilian and back country contexts enough to justify their widespread use amongst reenactors. Did they exist? Yes. Do we see them described being used by militia and backcountry explorers and hunters? Not really. So why would you choose to use that over a much more highly documented and common item? 

Some things you hear about carrying the wallet is that it slides off the shoulder easily, that it flops around. Well, I am going to prove that carrying a wallet is not only period correct, but also comfortable and practical. First of all, filling the wallet properly is the first step. I usually put food stuffs, consisting of parched corn, salt pork, jerky, bread and usually a bottle of port in one end and personal items such as an extra shirt, knit cap, moccasins, pipe and tobacco, and extra tender. I tie my tin cup to my bedroll, per period descriptions of doing so. I put my bag and horn on and then but the wallet over my left shoulder. Then I put my blanket roll on over the market wallet. The weight of the blanket will hold the back portion of the wallet down and the front portion is weighed down sufficiently by the food stuffs. I never have any issues with the wallet flopping around or shifting off of my shoulder. 

 To wrap things up, I really don't understand the prejudice against using the wallet by a certain set in the hobby, especially to do so in favor of something less commonly seen in the contexts they claim to portray. And often, the haversack, rather than being a linen haversack, are often some strangely designed waterproofed weirdness. As I've demonstrated in the article and the accompanying video, you really can't go wrong, and if you are wearing it correctly, the wallet won't let you down. 

 

New Year and Immersion on the Horizon

  Well, it's been a quiet winter so far here in the Ohio Valley. I have been, admittedly, a little preoccupied with other things and reenacting hasn't been at the forefront of my thoughts. It always circles back around though and I find myself plunging back into it. The last thing I did was the canoe trip with Jim Jacobs which will go down as a highlight of 2025. I hope to share some more experiences with him in this coming year. 

   

     In April, we are planning to host the 4th immersion event in the Shirttail Mess's nearly decade long history. From the snow storm of Floyd's Defeat, to the Pursuit of the Captives and on into Dark and Bloody Ground we've had some amazing experiences that tested our fortitude and our resolve and our gear. Each and every one so far has been a unique experience and this next one promises to be no different. 

    Raid on the Kentucky will feature opposing forces made up of Kentucky Militia on the one side, and a mixed party of Kings 8th, Canadian Militia and Native Allies operating out of Fort Detroit in the late 1770s. Our scenario is a plausible one, rather than based on a specific account or battle. This gives us some liberty and some ability to shape a story of our own while maintaining high standards of authenticity. 

    We are hoping with fingers crossed this this even will prove to be the most well attended yet. Based on what we have planned, I really think you'll want to make every effort to be there. As usual, the standards will be high, so make sure you check out past event standards and if you have any questions, you can reach out.

    When the Shirttail Mess started all those years ago, this was really the kind of events I always wanted to be a part of and as they say, if you want something done, I won't say right because I don't think this is necessarily right, but if you want something done the way you envision it, you have to do it yourself. And that goes for so many things. If you don't see the kind of thing going on that you'd want to be a part of, then chances are you may have to organize it yourself. The good news is, there's probably a bunch of people out there thinking the same thing. Find your people, and build something awesome. I have been supported by so many amazing individuals since starting to host these things, from Alan Kraus to David McClanahan. 

    With immersion on the horizon, it's time to start pulling things out and making plans, which is probably just as fun as doing the event itself. I just love the ritual of laying all the gear out and the process of elimination. It's weirdly satisfying. I have a basically brand new pair of moccasins that I finished up just before the Jim Jacobs canoe trip and still need to repair some old ones. I don't think I have any other major projects to finish before the deadline. 

    The scenario this year calls for a bit more of a campaign style kit, a marching out of the station to make war on the natives as they come to disrupt our settlement. That will involve a bit less than what was packed in for the last event where we portrayed a more permanent hunting camp. So I'll going for something a little more streamlined. 

    

     I really hope you'll consider registering for this one. As usual, we have a very strict jurying process. Kit needs to meet high standards, but I'm willing to work with you if you're willing to alter your kit and make changes. Don't let it prevent you from having a great experience. 

 Registration can be found HERE

And here's an example of the acceptable variety of impressions for the Kentucky Militia side of things. (I'd usually never recommend following Jason Gatliff's example because you might end up in the pillory in Williamsburg (just ask Ty Davis), but here I will make an exception)