How to stay warm at night in a tent

staying warm at night
Picture from “The Way of the Woods, A Manual for Sportsmen in Northeastern United States and Canada” by Edward Breck, 1908.

These tips on how to stay warm at night in a tent were taken from “The Complete American and Canadian Sportsman’s Encyclopedia of Valuable Instruction,” by “Buzzacott” – Revised edition, 1913. It was interesting that even in those times, the danger of forest fires was acknowledged and safety considerations pointed out, as in only having campfires in areas where it was safe to do so and wouldn’t risk starting a forest fire. Using iron pails seemed to be the norm. Another consideration, modern tents have floors or at least tarps put down underneath, so these methods would only work in tents with dirt floors. I’d be curious to know from anyone reading to the end if they’ve ever heard of anyone being “Moonstruck” besides Cher.

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How to make temporary camps in the wilderness

Postprandial joys - temporary shelter
From “The Way of the Woods, A Manual for Sportsmen in Northeastern United States and Canada,” by Edward Breck, 1908

There is a time and place for making temporary camps. When the situation has changed quickly or you just took the moment to seize the day, these tips on sheltering may come in handy from “The Way of the Woods, A Manual for Sportsmen in Northeastern United States and Canada,” by Edward Breck, 1908.

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How to make Brunswick Stew

 

Mt. Ampersand from Round Lake, Adirondack Mountains, 1902.
Mt. Ampersand from Round Lake, Adirondack Mountains, 1902.

This recipe for Brunswick Stew comes from “Canoe and Camp Cookery: A Practical Cook Book for Canoeists, Corinthian Sailors and Outers” by “Seneca” 1885. It mentions that “This is a favorite Virginia dish, of which the compiler of this book has eaten, but which he has never cooked. The recipe here given is said by an old Virginian to be reliable.” I would imagine that chicken could be substituted for squirrel.

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Camp bedding – how to make a browse bed

camp
Photo from “The Book of Camping and Woodcraft: A Guidebook for Those Who Travel in the Wilderness” by Horace Kephart, 1906 p.46

Many a night camping has been spent tossing and turning. And that’s when you don’t pitch your tent over a prairie dog hole – but that’s a story for another time. I was surprised to find that there were air mattresses available in the early 1900s.

campers blow bed

The better option, it seems, and one where you don’t have to tote an air mattress around is the browse or bough bed. This excerpt comes from “The Way of the Woods: A Manual for Sportsmen in Northeastern United States and Canada” by Edward Breck, 1908.

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