late 1800's gear for bushcraft

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I am really getting into old style knives guns and gear and would like to get some kit that works as well as modern gear but looks period correct for the late 1800's
I have a nice bowie now and I am actually doing filework on my CS Trailhawk before I blue the head although I am doing the file work with a dremel:D

I need a small sturdy food-prep bushcraft knife that would look at home on a turn of the century belt but work like a modern one. It does not have to be stainless ,and in fact should not be.

What other equipment would be good and where to get it?

It does not have to be period ,anything that looks right would be OK and I would even go up to the 1920's. I am also considering a matching black powder rifle for the set up.

Not sure how it will look on the Kawi sportQuad though.
 
an old oval tin, antiqued a bit with rust , filled with a flint and steel and char cloth.

maybe a tin cup and plate, and a wineskin for carrying water.

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Here's one I put together some time ago. I bought the blade from Texas Knifemakers Supply and the curly birch scales from Jantz. Green River knives were the standard tool for the sodbusters, buffalo skinners, and all around workingman's knife for many years. You can find a good selection of blade styles in either the Jantz or TKS catalogs. Some scales, a few brass pins, and a couple of hour's work to put it all together and shape it, and you have a traditional period knife. I decided on the belt-over sheath as that was pretty common in those days too. (The leather for the sheath came from TKS too.)

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Stitchawl
 
Thanks mike ,that Marble is great. I am actually working on a knife very similar to it.
I got a couple neat knives for 5$. One is a wicked looking Laguole folder and the other a old
knife had a about 4 inches bowie style blade with cSc on one side and S-5-G ,Germany on the other. The blade seemed like decent carbon steel ,stick tang with a threaded end and aluminium pommel ,but the handle was the ugliest piece of crap I have ever seen in my life.

The blade seems good enough to warrant saving and I do have some nice elk horn that would work perfect and make a much nicer handle.

The dremel work on the hawk came out pretty nice as well. It is bluing as we speak so when I get it and the knife done I will take a photo of all my gear.

In some ways the old style natural materials have some real advantages over modern synthetics. They are warmer and wear better. Wool ,leather ,hemp and fur are much more durable than synthetics. One disadvantage is weight although down is an exception. I have a pair of alpaca socks that are simply way to warm for anything but -40 below and outside the whole time.

It is to bad political correctness means most of you guys will never get to wear a nice fur coat. I like buffalo coats for really cold weather but this winter I am going to shoot enough coyotes for a nice hoody. In winter they have great fur and they are the least endangered animal there is. They have great camo ,much better than Cadpat or ACU or any of the modern digicams. Even just a real fur collar around your hood makes a big difference.


Stitchawl that is fantastic! It is exactly what I want but way better done than I can do. It is a perfect inspiration though. What else do you have?
 
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This one looks a bit like a mountain man style.

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or even this one.

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You could even leave some forge scale on to make it look older.
 
Ragnar has some trade knives that have that look , I like the large roach belly.
 
What you're starting to do, I've been doing for a while now. It is a hoot!

Late 1800's ranges from the end of the single shot Sharps (cartridges) period to repeaters (Marlin's and Winchesters). There are still original and repro's available in an abundance. I'm curious which rifle you have selected.

However some "general" things to consider:

The Hudson Bay and/or Green River knives were both standard during this wide range of time. Old Hickory still makes some Green River type knives that will give you good use. You can make your own sheath. I'd get good at using flint and steel as your primarly fire starter and use bow and drill as a back up. You can still purchase repro brass compasses similar to what Lewis & Clarke used. I'd go to garage sales or army surplus to start picking up used wool blankets to make a bedroll and my outer clothing. I have long and short Capote I wear when on out in the wild. And wool pants. These are items you can make yourself. Keep in mind, unlike today's mindset, back then they were after 'function not fashion' so you might look goofy but you will live well in your hand made gear!

Axes are period correct so I would definately have one of those. You can get you a candle lantern for illumination. Go to a garage sale and look for cast iron cook ware for a couple of skillets and a small pot. Find a source for leather and you can make leather pouchs for salt, flour, seasonings etc.

If you want a good period correct H2O-Proof Canvas tent with wood stove I can get you hooked up with a guy who makes them. That would be the ideal shelter unless you're going native.

I just added this to my kit!
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If you want to contact me off line I can make better suggestions and ideas.
 
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I find Koyote and ML knives to have an antique look to them. Ragnar has some section on his website: 'Other traditional knives' that provides examples of period production knives commonly used in the pioneering days.
 
For period correct knives, the Hudson Bay is nice, but you can also geet good Kephart or Nessmuk pattern knives from the custom makers here.

I'd also suggest you check out the packs and stuff at Duluth Pack. Those canvas packs are very period correct, and sometimes they sell canvas tarps and tents. I love their stuff.

A good cruiser-length axe like the Snow & Neally Hudson Bay axe or Gransfors Briks Scandinavian Forest axe are very good as well.

I can't find the link, but there's a place that sells all kinds of leather possibles bags and tins and such.
 
Quirt

I never get tired of seeing your short Hudson Bay! There is just something about it that I really like. :thumbup:
 
Me too! Thanks.

For period correct gear do a Google Search for Track of the Wolf , The Gun Works sells some items (flint and steel for example), and Lehman's for lanterns and other similar items. I just bought a Deitz Air Pilot lantern for my canvas tent from Lehmans.
 
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How do a set of buckskin pants and top perform? I love the look and tanned deerskin has such a nice feel and is pretty darn durable. Anyone have any real-world experience?
 
Thanks for the great idea guys. I have a cool Hudson bay blanket I found in our linen closet.
My hawk has turned out fantastic with the bluing.

Here is a forged bowie I just picked up. I love it and it works better than anything i have ever owned but i am considering blending the grind lines and doing some file work and possibly even bluing the blade for a more period look. I love the handle though. It is burl and wrought iron and looks way better in person.
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If I did not have it i would have definitely bought a wood handled Barkie HBK. They were really the bowie around my area of Saskatchewan during the fur trade and here are 2 that were found a couple miles from my house. As you can see Mike did a great job but left some clues so the Barkie HBK could not be aged and sold as originals.

Sorry dial upers but there are some cool knives in this shot.
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I have not decided on what rifle but black powder and traditional looking no question. here are a couple of nice ones the guy who did my bowie has on what is one of the ugliest blankets I have ever seen in my life.
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