Adventures of an Imperfect Man In Search of a Handmade Life
A look at the origins and evolution of our favorite camp stove... This post was going to be a few words about the Primus stoves we all love and some images I've collected from around the web. As usual, I found myself rambling all over the topic without a clear direction but here is a … Continue reading Classic Liquid Fuel Stoves
This is a pretty good setup for any outdoorsman (our outdoors woman for that matter). By 1925, the scouts had worked out a pretty good uniform and gear setup based on many old experts not the least of which was the US Army. If there's a bit of a paramilitary look to the scouts it … Continue reading Boy Scout Gear from 1925
For most of human history we have moved across the surface of the Earth as more-or-less self-contained units. Rarely alone and generally with all the stuff we owned. Obviously, this was before the age of Consumption as a way of life.I love to see the details; the wash basin, table and chair, the little mirror... … Continue reading Car Camping – bathing in camp
Jumbo tent $4.75!
I love finding old images like this. They show that we never really change yet are on a continuum of adaptation. The bows that support the canvas top on this (I believe aftermarket) truck bed are reminiscent of much earlier wagons of the Old West. Space was extremely limited in the cab of these old … Continue reading Early Car Camping
Appropriate bedding...
Vintage ad for Jaeger, Pure Wool Bedding. I love wool... I lost the reference for this one but I think it's very early 1900s.
Here's a nice look into some Minimalist but modern camping gear.
I made it out for a brief stay in the eastern Ozarks this week. The rain and cold came back just in time for my outing making it a little less comfortable than it could have been but I still enjoyed the time out. I chose to stay fairly low-tech with the exception of a … Continue reading Cozy Camp
Complete Camping Cook Outfit for Only $6.15! Get your's today! I want to share a classic camping advertisement for the F. C. Wilson & Co. from the 1916 Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalogue. Weighing in at 20 pounds it might be a bit heavy for backpacking but would be great for the car, wagon, pack-horse, … Continue reading More Classic Camping
Primitive is a loaded word for some people. To me, it means simple and lacking industrial materials. That's not to say primitive cannot be complex or fine work; in fact, it's often just the opposite. Sometimes even, it involves recycling the detritus of the modern world, such as tire rubber for shoe soles. Looking at … Continue reading Practicing Primitive Daily
Excellent work from our Tuscany comrade. I hope to find the magazine and make one myself!
One of my dreams comes true!
Last month I’ve written a tutorial on making a wool bush shirt and this article… has been published in the Autumn issue of “The Bushcraft Magazine“!!!
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Thanks to Survival Sherpa for posting this look at making a pack frame. Making a quick, three stick pack frame is a valuable bit of knowledge. How serendipitous that this came up (seems to be a lot of convergent thinking around my world lately) as I am beginning to tweak my own wooden pack frame … Continue reading How to Improvise and Use a Three Stick Roycroft Pack Frame
I have no information about this image as it was one of those random internet finds. The gear looks to be from about the turn of the 19th-20th Century and supplies the basics for an American or Canadian outdoorsman. This would all apply to Mexico as well but as it's not written in Spanish I … Continue reading More Classic Camp Gear from the American West
Continuing on with the theme of admiration for the classic camp stoves, here is a visual overview of the Optimus 80 / Svea 71. No, they are not exactly the same, but are very close and share virtually all the same features. For those interested in the early history of the liquid fuel camping stove, … Continue reading Camp Stoves: Optimus 80
Just some eye candy of the Optimus 8R. Battered, grungy, and well-used, much like it's owner. I really wanted one of these back in the mid-1980s. Since I was bumming around and using air travel, I went to a butane cartridge stove instead. For those interested in the early history of the liquid fuel camping … Continue reading Camp Stoves: Optimus 8R
Starting in the upper left and moving more-or-less clockwise: small tomahawk, portmanteau, stoneware jug, braided buckskin cord, patch knife, buckskin bag for brass sundial compass, wool bonnet (tam o'shanter), trade bead necklace, small gourd for salt, pewter beer mug (could possibly hold water too), canteen gourd, Knife River flint blades, needle case and bone needles, … Continue reading Early Style Camping Gear
Arguably the pinnacle of white gas stove design. My little Svea 123. It is essentially a brass fuel tank and a burner; a Molotov Cocktail with a valve. And it comes in one of my favorite colors, shiny brass. During a recent extended power outage, I used this guy on my electric stove top for … Continue reading Camp Stoves: The Svea 123
He has a decent re-wilding/survival rant blog that leaves you wanting more. How can you not like a guy with a road-kill squirrel puppet? He doesn't post much but what he does is well-done. While you're out that way, have a look at to get in on the conversation: http://www.urbanscout.org/ http://rewild.com/index.htm
There's not much point to this post other than I like historic images and found some great camp photos from the 1920s. These are mostly Roy Chapman Andrews in Mongolia, 1925-1928 from the American Museum of Natural History collections. A fun collection to peruse. Andrews is a remarkable person in his own right as a … Continue reading Campaign Furniture in the Wild
Preindustrial Craftsmanship 