It’s Time for a Change, for the Better…

Posted on Saturday, September 23, 2017 by

Hello all fellow travelers, campers, and makers who love the wilderness! 

It’s time for a serious re-tooling of this blog and focusing on the important things in life.  In the coming days and weeks many posts and pages will change, some will vanish forever (they are rubbish), or (hopefully) be improved upon.  Your constructive feedback is greatly appreciated and I look forward to reading it.  It can be shared or not as you choose so feel free to ask or comment away in the space below.  This isn’t a commercial page so I don’t really profit from it and thus, it often falls by the wayside in the rush of daily life.  However, I enjoy the writing and rambling and have made many great connections over the years that I’ve done this so I’m in for another round of adventures, projects, and philosophy as we cross into the new season.

I hope you enjoy!

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At Rabbitstick 2017

Posted on Friday, October 6, 2017 by

About the early shoes…

Paleotool at Rabbitstick, Rexburg, Idaho

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Yet Another Sheepherder…

Posted on Thursday, October 5, 2017 by

(from the Paleotool vault)

I love these things.  I saw quite a few parked on ranches from Colorado to Idaho last week.  I know they aren’t highway capable but it seems they could provide a real housing alternative for low-income minimalists.  Way better than a housing complex or apartment for sure.  The photos link to Ken Griswold’s Tiny House Blog.  If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m a fan of his site.

I took a fair amount of design inspiration from these wagons but added a bit of class along the way.  I wouldn’t mind having a cook stove like this one though.

Off-the-shelf or build it yourself?  I love these details in hand-built structures.  This looks way better to me than the local hardware store option.

Have a look at Lorna’s old wagon here.

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Posted in caravan, DIY, gypsy wagon, roulotte, sheep wagon, shepherd hut | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Guest Vardo

Posted on Thursday, October 5, 2017 by

I always appreciate getting mail and comments on the blog; especially when someone is able to take information away and create something of their own.  I recently received some fine photos from Kevin with his own Vardo build.  I emailed back for more information but haven’t heard anything yet.

The wagon is a lovely and familiar design and it’s great to see it out in public alongside the more normal modern camp setting.Kevin also builds beautiful coolers that I hope to see more of in the near future.  One is visible next to the vardo in the image above. Here’s the email I received and I hope to hear (and see) more from Kevin soon:

George:
Hello.  I have been following your blog for a few years.  I’m writing to you directly as I want to share some photos of the Vardo that I built, using yours (and a few others) for much of the inspiration.  I wasn’t sure how to go about posting the photos to your blog, so I figured I would send them directly to you.
I live near Houston and own property in Buffalo Wyoming, home to a historical population of Basque sheepherders, and many currently rolling sheep wagons.  Living in two extremes, I have had some issues with changes in humidity affecting the performance of the wagon and would likely do a few things differently, if I were to do it all over again (but wouldn’t we all).
I haven’t seen any updates on your Vardo-make-over in quite a while.  Hopefully there’s more coming.  I know the work on mine is never done.  There are always items hanging around on the list of future improvements.
Let me know if you have any questions about the construction and performance of the wagon.  I’m happy to carry on a discussion if your interested, and willing to send more photos if you request. You’ll notice in the photos some glimpses of one of my hand made coolers.  They’re marine fiberglass coated wood on the inside, and out; built sort of like a cedar strip canoe. I built the chuck-box in the first photo as well.  It travels in the rear of the wagon to be set out for camp cooking. I figured these were both items that might interest you.
Kevin

It looks great Kevin.  I can’t wait to see more.

~GTC

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The Duluth Pack – The First Patented Backpack…

Posted on Sunday, October 1, 2017 by

(from the Paleotool vault)

I just had to reblog this fine article from 74 Footwear Design…

“Camille Poirier patented the first back pack on Dec. 12, 1882 in Duluth, Minnesota (Patent No. 268,932). Initially called the Pack-Strap the pack is today referred to as the Duluth Pack.

The basic design of the Duluth Pack already existed in the blanket bag, or knapsack and had been in use for at least 100 years by the British Army prior to the patent, especially during the American Revolution. But Camille Poirier added a few improvements including a sternum strap, tumpline and an umbrella strap to hold an umbrella, or sunshade above the users head while hiking.

With a budding wilderness recreation movement in the USA, the Duluth Pack designed for ease of use went onto arguably become the first world’s first recreational backpack.”

“Incredibly today and over 130 years since its patent, the Duluth Pack is still is available and being made in Duluth, Minnesota, USA.

Which new products of 2012 will still be made in 2142? And what will be the determining factors for their longevity?”

See the original article HERE: https://74fdc.wordpress.com/2012/12/26/the-duluth-pack-the-first-patented-backpack/

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A Sheepherder in South Dakota Magazine…

Posted on Saturday, September 30, 2017 by

(from the Paleotool vault)

A lonely life on the range.  “Even if a herder does not particularly care for reading, he will be driven to it in self-defense”.  This is a good story about sheepherding life.  Gilfillan was a shepherd for 20 years and went on to become a humorist, author, and speaker.

“Archie Gilfillan was South Dakota’s sagebrush philosopher. His prairie wit en­tertained people in the ranching areas of Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming and South Dakota through the Great Depression.”  The full article can be found here.

 

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