A few questions about Nessmuk and Woodcraft(the book)

[Darbyfett]

I have a few questions regarding gear in Nessmuks Woodcraft book.

1. About his boots:

"let them be single soled, single backs and single fronts, except light, short foot-linings. Back of solid "country kip"; fronts of substantial French calf; heel one inch high, with steel nails; countered outside; straps narrow, of fine French calf put on "astraddle," and set down to the top of the back. The out-sole stout, Spanish oak, and pegged rather than sewed, although either is good. They will weigh considerably less than half as much as the clumsy, costly boots usually recommended for the woods; and the added comfort must be tested to be understood."

Where could I find boots similar to this?

2. About his knapsack and the gear inside:

"It holds over half a bushel, carries blanket-bag, shelter tent, hatchet, ditty-bag, tinware, fishing tackle, clothes and two days’ rations. It weighs, empty, just twelve ounces."

How could he fit all of that....in this?

Looks nothing like the Frost River Nessmuk pack, I like the simpler knapsack

3. Has anyone tried his Insect Repellent?

"It was published in Forest and Stream in the summer of 1880, and again in ’83. It has been pretty widely quoted and adopted, and I have never known it to fail: Three ounces pine tar, two ounces castor oil, one ounce pennyroyal oil. Simmer all together over a slow fire, and bottle for use. You will hardly need more than a two-ounce vial full in a season. One ounce has lasted me six weeks in the woods. Rub it in thoroughly and liberally at first, and after you have established a good glaze, a little replenishing from day to day will be sufficient. And don’t fool with soap and towels where insects are plenty. A good safe coat of this varnish grows better the longer it is kept on—and it is cleanly and wholesome"

I like the sound of it, very little upkeep, don't have to spray it on every few hours, so has anyone tried it?


Thanks for the help!

 

[shotgunner11]

I'm kinda assuming your being facetious, pointing out the out of date nature of the information in the book.

Delving further into your underlying tones, I think your taking a stab at the popularity of his knife style, pointing out that it too is rather out of date and of questionable usefulness.

Am I off.

 

[Darbyfett]

I'm kinda assuming your being facetious, pointing out the out of date nature of the information in the book.

Delving further into your underlying tones, I think your taking a stab at the popularity of his knife style, pointing out that it too is rather out of date and of questionable usefulness.

Am I off.

Oops, is that the vibe I gave off?

I was honestly asking. I prefer Older style outdoors gear.

I like the description of the boots

I like canvas knapsacks, just curious if he was a magician, fitting all that stuff in there.

And I like the idea of a effective natural skeeter repellent.

I really enjoyed the book.

 

[siguy]

it sounds like he is talking about trail runner sneakers...
just kidding...but it sounds like he is recommending some light weight leather boots of sturdy construction.

as to the backpack...i was pondering how to fit my own kit into a rather large basic knapsack this afternoon, including a tarp and wool blanket, among other things, and found it very difficult. i did manage it though, its not too hard as long as i don't mind leaving behind the two pouches with the repair kit and the spare odds and ends that i think might be handy.

my bag is considerably larger than what his drawing looks to be though. maybe he had a larger pack that held all of what he shows in the drawing, that he is referring to?

 

[Darbyfett]

it sounds like he is talking about trail runner sneakers...
just kidding...but it sounds like he is recommending some light weight leather boots of sturdy construction.

as to the backpack...i was pondering how to fit my own kit into a rather large basic knapsack this afternoon, including a tarp and wool blanket, among other things, and found it very difficult. i did manage it though, its not too hard as long as i don't mind leaving behind the two pouches with the repair kit and the spare odds and ends that i think might be handy.

my bag is considerably larger than what his drawing looks to be though. maybe he had a larger pack that held all of what he shows in the drawing, that he is referring to?

It seems like he mentions wood soles(I aint cant read good them olden buks), which I would not be to keen on. But a nice classic durable leather boot would be nice.

I think trying to load his pack would be like playing a game of squishy tetris.

 

[Kismet]

Gawd luv 'em, Sears was writing for income, so take some of his pronoucements with a grain of salt. No question he was a low-impact, minimalist pioneer, but while it may be possible to do as he says, I'm suspecting the totals wouldn't add up. He was under 5'2" and not in the best health.

Closest I've come is an old Swiss knapsack...maybe from Sportsmen's (don't remember).

He advocated sense, rather than excess. To emulate him, you might just pare down everything for portability and mobility.

In shoes, I'd recommend using the advantages of 140+ years of footwear development and new materials, and go with a lighter, more quickly drying, and better patterned tread.

A few years ago, I tried to get Hollowdweller to recreate Sear's 10 day trek from Muskegon to his friend's house in Michigan. HD wasn't having any.

 

[ilbruche]

I think it's best to adapt a lot of his gear to the modern age. I think George would love stuff like sil-nylon and titanium. I'm all for keeping certain bits of gear true to his writings. I think you'd see him tossing his old boots, sleeping bag and tent in the fire.

 

[baldtaco-II]

Hobnail mocassin boots. Nail some boxing boots to MDF so the nails protrude.

That aint a pack it's a man portable Tardis.

Creosoting ya skin up is only gonna hide you from skeeters if you get among the horse chestnuts and make like a conker.

 

[siguy]

as far as i can tell, i think that the wood is inside the sole, providing support. the actual sole was probably made from stacked leather like most shoes of the time period.

 

[baldtaco-II]

Mebe. In days of yore here the wood was on the outside a la the clog. Climbers roamed in them with little more than a bag of nails and a length of washing line round the waist.

 

[Darbyfett]

Gawd luv 'em, Sears was writing for income, so take some of his pronoucements with a grain of salt. No question he was a low-impact, minimalist pioneer, but while it may be possible to do as he says, I'm suspecting the totals wouldn't add up. He was under 5'2" and not in the best health.

Closest I've come is an old Swiss knapsack...maybe from Sportsmen's (don't remember).

He advocated sense, rather than excess. To emulate him, you might just pare down everything for portability and mobility.

In shoes, I'd recommend using the advantages of 140+ years of footwear development and new materials, and go with a lighter, more quickly drying, and better patterned tread.

A few years ago, I tried to get Hollowdweller to recreate Sear's 10 day trek from Muskegon to his friend's house in Michigan. HD wasn't having any.

True, he was writing for income, but isn't most every writer writing for income?

My "Knapsack" at them moment is a Russian "Sidr" rucksack. Its simple and I like how the pack closes. Nothing fancy, but I have carried my 635(exaggerating.....slightly) pound 5 year old laptop on 10 mile bike rides to work and it hasn't failed me. Seems a bit bigger than his knapsack as well.

I would be more scared to take that same Trek now. So many more 2 legged beasts occupy the area.

I think it's best to adapt a lot of his gear to the modern age. I think George would love stuff like sil-nylon and titanium. I'm all for keeping certain bits of gear true to his writings. I think you'd see him tossing his old boots, sleeping bag and tent in the fire.

True, true....but I can pretend he would still carry the same gear

Hobnail mocassin boots. Nail some boxing boots to MDF so the nails protrude.

That aint a pack it's a man portable Tardis.

Creosoting ya skin up is only gonna hide you from skeeters if you get among the horse chestnuts and make like a conker.

I had to google Tardis. Never got into Dr. Who.

 

[baldtaco-II]

"I had to google Tardis. Never got into Dr. Who."

Me neither. I despise it with a passion.

 

[Cpl Punishment]

He advocated sense, rather than excess. To emulate him, you might just pare down everything for portability and mobility.

I think that's the real lesson.

I mean think:
Tinware? Titanium is lighter (yeah, it costs a fortune), har danodized aluminum is just as light and relatively non-stick, and neither are less durable than tin.

Modern sleeping bags, even if they're down bags which he probably used, will either be lighter for the same tmeperature rating, or provide better protection for the same weight.

Knives, choppers -- personal choice, but I think as a minimalist, it's telling that he considered a chopper his most important tool.

Boots - there's better and lighter available, even if you stick with leather.

Certain old things never went out of style, though:
Canvas packs/tarps -- more abrasion resistant than nylon, dries faster than
nylon.

Wool blankets/clothes -- not light, but keeps warm even when wet.

Carbon steel tools -- easier to sharpen in the field.

Nothing is written in stone, despite what people may say on the internet.

If you want to follow in Nessmuk's shoes, don't try to duplicate his gear, go for his philosophy. Pick out what you NEED to make your hike/camp/whatever, then add what makes things easier for you (smoothing it instead of roughing it), then find the carrying arrangement that works for you. Easy, right?

 

[Brian Andrews]

Obviously it would be hard finding boots constructed of similar materials today. However, when I read that part describing the boots, I immediately thought of Russell Moccasin Company. They custom fit the boot to you. If you are used to wearing "normal" boots, these things feel like slippers Of course, they are going to cost you, being custom built and all.

If you like the pack, try this one. There are also other sizes/variations made by that same company. So, you might want to poke around that website a bit.

Brian

 

[hollowdweller]

Nessmuk would love the stuff we have today.

I think really his message is go lightweight.

I think stuff like trail running shoes, Golite packs, sil tarps, they are all the modern counterpart to what Nessmuk was trying to achieve.

Unless the terrain is terribly rocky I usually use trail shoes and a 2500 cu in pack.

 

[Cpl Punishment]

If you like the pack, try this one. There are also other sizes/variations made by that same company. So, you might want to poke around that website a bit.

Brian

To each his own. I bought that pack. I think it's a really great idea, but didn't really like it in the actualy "doing" part.

A similar type pack that I bought to replace the Nessmuk is this:
Duluth Pack Wanderer

And works much better for me.

 

[Brian Andrews]

To each his own. I bought that pack. I think it's a really great idea, but didn't really like it in the actualy "doing" part.

I guess I should be more specific I don't have one of those packs, don't use one of those packs, and have no idea what they would be like in real use.

It just fit the description (in my mind) and so I posted the link.

Brian

 

[siguy]

those are some good looking packs there...i like the aesthetics of canvas and leather...i just wish they didn't weigh as much.

but i do appreciate how sturdy they are. i wouldn't hesitate to toss one of those down a crevasse ahead of me or scoot through tight areas wearing one of those. with my light weight packs i would be worried about tearing or busting a seam bopping down a bumpy trail.

 

[shotgunner11]

As far as I know, Sears was really at the forefront of tech for his time. His Canoes were really ground breaking at the time. He had to have them custom made to order and only one maker would even bother trying to make one to his specs.

 

[Grampa]

I'm not sure about this, but I think the "Spanish oak" on the boot sole is probably referring to the way the leather is tanned - not that it is a wooden sole.