What would a mountain man use today?

I've used a bivy bag over the down bag, and most of the condensation ends up on the inside fabric of the bivy. It will eventually build up, though, just over a longer period. In real cold, use a vapour barrier. If you're a tiny bit clammy, that's okay, but if it gets really clammy, it's probably not cold enough for the VB. The other answer is to wear a couple of layers of wool inside the VB to avoid the clamminess. I never really minded the vapour barrier. If it was cold, I knew my bag would still work a week down the road. Irrelevant for the mountain man. He'd be in his cabin most nights, and the odd overnight would be in a tent with a woodstove. That 20 lb 5-Star bag is pretty dang comfy on a bed of spruce boughs in a canvas tent. Truth is, the down mummy's are warmer if you go expensive enough, but the comfort and durability of the 5-Star is what makes it great. Be nice if they put a bloody footbox in it, rather than a straight edge.
 
There really are "mountain men" around. I wonder if this is just anti social behavior, done by choice, or living outdoors is something that is thrust upon you out of necesity? If I were living in the mountains, I'd try to have as many creature comforts as possible. Don't know how much stuff you could carry on a mule or pack horse, but certainly a lot more than what you can carry on your back. A small trailer would certainly be nice even if you don't have the other comforts of regular electricity, clean running water and so forth. Parking your $50K RV is not really roughing it. The whole living off the land topic is really interesting.
 
While I do not consider myself a mountain man at all, I have had a fascination with that era for the last 20 yrs. My kit;

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I find it to be great for my general woods bummin. Some old and some new. Char cloth, flint and steel, Hudson Bay camp knife with Kephart fisher companion, Hudson Bay tobacco tin with lens, straw sections with cotton and Vaseline, possibles pouch, sharpening card with medium diamond grit.

Doc
 
In a way, to be a mountain man without land ownership in the States essentially means living in national forests and BLM land. I did so traveling for 2 years in my mid-20s (long enough ago that it was pre-cell phone). I had a Jeep Cherokee, a tipi with the poles tied to the roof (from Blue Star in Montana -- I think they went out of business), a large camping stove from Cabelas as well as a small stove that used found wood, a subzero sleeping bag and pad, Sorel snow boots, Vasque hiking boots, wool pants, wool socks, the warmest thermal underwear I was able to find, a Carhart suit, a Gore-Tex shell jacket, gloves and hat, a pruning saw, kevlar snake gaiters, a venom extractor, water purifier, several Nalgene bottles, collapsible water jugs, assorted rope and tools, a flashlight and headlamp, many pounds of dried beans and oatmeal, a small tent, a harmonica, guitar and a quarter pound of cannabis.

This is a great documentary about living in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq0rZn8HFmQ
Living alone in Siberia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt2AYafET68
 
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22-rimfire said:
A small trailer would certainly be nice even if you don't have the other comforts of regular electricity, clean running water and so forth.
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Maybe one of those golf pull carts? Narrow enough for the trail. They have about a 6" wheel, which would handle bumps. Of course, in my 35 years of backpacking, I have never seen one on the trail, so maybe there is a reason.
 
Hey, DocGP, that is a ML Hudson Bay knife, correct? I was wondering what are your thoughts on having a larger camp knife, and whether it is a modern concept for all around camping, as opposed to the mountain men of yesteryear who may have had the thin blades for skinning and survival? I know they had big blades, so getting back to OP question, would they today choose the big camp knife or stay with the tied and true thinner stuff? Their ness muck trio maybe?

I have two ML Hudson Bay knives, one in 3/16 and a lighter one in 1/8 but at 1 3/4 wide for lighter chores. You have a great set up there! :)
 
Buck 110, Stihl or Husqvarna chainsaw, atv, pickup in 4wd, goretex clothing. Danner or wolverine boots.
 
cbach8tw said:
Hey, DocGP, that is a ML Hudson Bay knife, correct? I was wondering what are your thoughts on having a larger camp knife, and whether it is a modern concept for all around camping, as opposed to the mountain men of yesteryear who may have had the thin blades for skinning and survival? I know they had big blades, so getting back to OP question, would they today choose the big camp knife or stay with the tied and true thinner stuff? Their ness muck trio maybe?

I have two ML Hudson Bay knives, one in 3/16 and a lighter one in 1/8 but at 1 3/4 wide for lighter chores. You have a great set up there! :)
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I am quite confident that his Hudson Bay would handle whatever I needed. I like the Kephart Fisher for the smaller camp stuff. I also have one of his hatchets that would handle the chopping better than a knife, but I don't get to spend many nights out in the woods. 24 hr emergency call kind of minimizes my overnight stuff, so the big blade for me is really a luxury/JIC kinda thing. I can clear brush for feeders and shooting lanes and such, so I probably use it more as a machete than anything. I try to get out to the deer lease and knock around regularly, but again, don't get to camp a lot. Have skinned two deer with the little Kephart Fisher and it did just fine.

Doc
 
I watched a documentary about Sami people still living their traditional life. One reporter was constantly cold. Finally she tried a Sami outfit. She was warm for the first time since the project started.

Our mountain man knows his gear works. That’s got to count for something.

He can repair and replace with basic tools and available materials. That counts for a lot.

He would like stuff like a modern compass.

Clothes and bedding? I think he’d stay with what he has.
 
If you limit the mountain man to a pack animal and 400 pounds of goods the materials that are taken would change dramatically. If trapping was the goal then 100 pounds for the traps. Gotta eat so quite a bit of food. Change of clothes. Maybe extra shoes. If the mountain man was well off then titanium cook gear. A bolt action rifle with extra springs, firing pin, cleaning kit and tool(s) in the butt stock. Maybe a scope but definitely iron sights. Small and large knife. Ax. Maybe a saw with sharpener. Bedroll and matches plus emergency fire starter. First aid kit. Maybe a .22 but definitely a fishing kit. Rope. Since the duration of the trip would be 6 months to years durability would be a major point.
 
Zidfeldts said:
There is a reason for "high tech" synthetics: if they are high quality they are warmer than traditional stuff and dry out a lot faster. I can't believe that anyone would opt for wool long johns over what we have available now. A modern parka is a lot warmer than a traditional one and is a lot lighter as well.
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OMG I was gonna respond to this, but everyone beat me to it. Don't feel bad guy, just try it out for your self. Actually go out into freezing temps, spend all day warming up next to the fire.
 
Raymond1000 said:
I watched a documentary about Sami people still living their traditional life. One reporter was constantly cold. Finally she tried a Sami outfit. She was warm for the first time since the project started. Our mountain man knows his gear works. That’s got to count for something. He can repair and replace with basic tools and available materials. That counts for a lot. He would like stuff like a modern compass. Clothes and bedding? I think he’d stay with what he has.
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That doesn't accord with my experience of Lapland at all. The guy in the garish costume in this pic was with us for a few days doing all sorts of stuff. I was especially interested in his feet because I do know that when people pick inappropriate and tight fitting boots they soon come unstuck, and that even the old furs and bandage wrapping type offerings of yesteryear can have huge advantages over that. We soon got to clothing and kit in general and to cut a long story short they dress like that either because they can't afford anything else [uncommon] or more common, it's just a tourist thing. Regular folks that live and work there don't dress up like that any more than people here dress up like Beefeaters or Morris Dancers in daily living. It's had it's day outside small niches.
 
baldtaco-II said:
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That doesn't accord with my experience of Lapland at all. The guy in the garish costume in this pic was with us for a few days doing all sorts of stuff. I was especially interested in his feet because I do know that when people pick inappropriate and tight fitting boots they soon come unstuck, and that even the old furs and bandage wrapping type offerings of yesteryear can have huge advantages over that. We soon got to clothing and kit in general and to cut a long story short they dress like that either because they can't afford anything else [uncommon] or more common, it's just a tourist thing. Regular folks that live and work there don't dress up like that any more than people here dress up like Beefeaters or Morris Dancers in daily living. It's had it's day outside small niches.
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Experience trumps TV.

Thanks.
 
It is possible to stay warm and dry with both oldschool and modern garments. Staying warm is a skill. Whichever you choose it will require tweaking and experimentation to work for you over different temperature ranges.
 
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