Waterproofing Gear...or Not

    

A common thing we see in the hobby is the notion of waterproofing. While we do see the military knapsacks of the era being waterproofed to some degree with paint, is this a common thing men of the backcountry were doing when hunting etc? 

    Nicholas Cresswell is one of the greatest resources for understanding some of these conundrums we face as reenactors. He talks about having to stay shut in during heavy rains, or that heavy rains prevented them from an activity. But he never mentions waterproofing gear. Two quotes give some insight into what was to be done in a rain. 

    Monday, May 8th, 1775. Heavy rain this morning which obliged us to make a sort of awning with our tent cloths and blankets

    and

    Tuesday, June 27th, 1775. Very stiff current all day, heavy showers and very sultry. It is a custom with our company, as soon as it begins to rain to strip naked and secure their clothes from the wet. I have attempted it twice to-day, but the drops of rain are so disagreeable to my skin, that it obliged me to put on my shirt.

    Now, Cresswell and his company were on an extended hunting trip. Most people who farmed and hunted from their cabin would simply stay indoors during a heavy rain. Our modern time constraints make it difficult sometimes to avoid the rain. But here are some period methods that I think inform us as to how they dealt with it. 

    If you have any documentation for waterproofing that I don't know about, I'd love to see it. Or if you're reading this and want to try the above methods mentioned by Cresswell, I'd love to hear about your experience. Next warm weather rain shower, I'm gonna go out and try my luck. 

Musings on the hobby...

    

Type in longhunter in google image search, and you'll find any and all sorts of things. I had to scroll down pretty far before I found an image that resembled realities of frontier and backcountry material culture. So why all the misinformation? Fess Parker? Mark Baker? Hawkeye from Last of the Mohicans? Our cultural mythos of the rugged individual and the homespun hero? Our distrust of "facts" in this country? 

Much respect to Mark Baker, but everyone copied this look

    One thing I notice is the myriad of youtube channels now dedicated to a sort of amalgamation of 18th century trekking, modern bushcrafting, shelter building, and shooting/hunting. While I'm glad there's a lot of interest in this subject, I'm sad that so much of what we know through the source material is being pitched to the side in favor of myth and weird bushcraft approaches to 18th century life. 

Nathan Killbuck

    Nathan Killbuck pointed out in a recent interview with I Love Muzzleloading, (that you should check out), that there's so much to be learned by so many different types of folks. From the chrome tan clad ronde goer, to the walnut dyed "longhunter."  And this is true. Much of the knowledge contained in some of these videos on skills are valuable, even in an 18th century context. But sadly, when it comes to the material culture, there seems to be a disconnect. There seems to be an unwillingness to go with the sources, or when the sources are cited, to grossly mishandle the interpretation. 

Heck, even Henry Fonda looked better in the 1940s Drums Along the Mohawk movie than a lot of what I see today 

    So what's to be done? Well, complaining about it sure feels good! But, at the end of the day, complaining never really makes a difference. Arguing also rarely makes a difference. I think the real difference that can be made is to just keep putting the information out there and show up where you can to inspire and gently nudge people towards something better. 

    What inspired this post? Well I had recently watched a video on a youtube channel that I will leave unnamed. There was an interview with an individual who by all accounts is incredibly knowledgeable about backpacking, about being in the woods, and about survival. But also by all accounts has very limited knowledge of period sources and material culture. His kit was assembled more like a modern backpacking or military style pack but out of "period" materials making the mistake a lot of people make which is to retrofit 21st century modes of trekking and "primitive" camping onto the 18th century. It was fairly elaborate, well thought out and over thought out to achieve maximum comfort. But did it reflect what we know from the sources. Sadly, unless there's something I haven't read, no it did not.  

Michael Agee doing this right. Clothing of the common style which fits well, and even riding a horse! 

    Where am I going with this? I don't know. Just sitting here, surrounded by books, thinking out loud, hoping by sending this into the void, I can make myself feel better about the state of things. Honestly, there is a lot to feel good about. The fact that I Love Muzzleloading sought out someone like Nathan Killbuck to interview is a breath of fresh air. Someone who has been banging the drum for us "authentic" weirdos for a long time. I hope to see the material culture, the skills and shooting all come together and be more prevalent on the internet for the sake of those interested in history. 

Until next time....