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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The Gear of George Washington Sears/Nessmuk About Wood Trekker

George Washington Sear a/k/a Nessmuk is one of the most widely Ross Gilmore  
read authors in the bushcraft community. His book Woodcraft and Follow 919
Camping, published early in the 1900s has become a go to guide for
I love the outdoors. I
many outdoorsmen. You can get a copy of his book here.  
was born and raised in
Bulgaria, but currently
As is the case with most people to whom we look up, idolization soon live in the US. I don’t know much about
follows. A fair amount has been said about what Sears believed and the woods, but I’m happy to share the
what he did, but it is hard to find many statements that are actually little that I do know. If you have any
supported by his writings. In this post I attempted to go through questions or comments, please contact
Woodcraft and Camping and see if I can outline a coherent list of the me at gilmore.ross@gmail.com.
gear that Sears used or advocated.   View my complete profile

The first challenge that I encountered, is that Sears is admittedly
trying to write a book which captures his more than fifty years of
experience as an outdoorsman. As a result, much of his writing contains contradictory or incomplete
statements. At times he will say that he uses only minimal gear, and a few pages later he will proceed
to give cooking instructions using items which are nowhere to be found in the kit to which he referred
earlier.  

I will also disregard the weights that he gives for his combined gear and its volume. Measurements of
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individual items are presumably correct, but when he starts to give estimates for the total weight of his
gear, some of the numbers are hard to believe. For example, on page 6 of the book, he states that his
canoe, extra clothing, blanket­bag, two days rations, pocket axe, fishing rod and backpack never
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exceeded 26 lb. Even assuming a ten pound canoe, this leads even Kephart to assert that this must
have been only possible in summer. There are other similar instances throughout the book, which
give me pause when looking at the numbers he provides. I will attempt to provide available
measurements from contemporary examples, whenever possible.  

Possibles Pouch (What Sears calls a ditty­bag): 

He states that it is 4 inches by 6 inches in size. It contains a dozen hooks, four lines of six yards each,
three darning needles and a few common needles, dozen buttons, sewing silk, thread, ball of yarn,
sticking salve, shoemaker’s wax, beeswax, sinkers, a file for sharpening hooks, a vial of fly medicine,
a vial of pain killer, and two or three gangs of hooks on brass wire snells, water­proof match safe,
strings, compass, bits of linen and scarlet flannel (for frogging), copper tacks, and other light duffle.
He states that it weighs 2 ½ ounces, but that seems highly unlikely. Maybe he is referring to the
weight of the empty pouch.  

Backpack (knapsack): 

Made from oil cloth (according to Kephart, from canvas), with no frame and no hip belt. He specifies
that it weight 12 ounces, and is half a bushel in capacity (35 liter, 2150 cubic inches). This is a fairly
small pack. The size is what today we would consider a day pack, comparable to a Coleman RTX. A
modern pack of that size weighs about 1.5 lb, so a 12 ounce weight is not unreasonable for a very
basic pack It is unlikely that he consistently fit all of his gear in such a small pack, but he writes that it
holds his blanket­bag, shelter tent, hatchet, ditty­bag, tinware, fishing tackle, clothes and two days’
rations. To me this seems a rather extraordinary claim.  

Clothing: 

Two woolen shirts, two pair of woolen drawers, two pair of woolen socks, woolen coat, woolen vest,
woolen pants, hat, and boots. This set of clothing will leave one extra pair of socks, an extra shirt, and
an extra set of drawers.  

Shelter: 

Blanket bag­Sears states that it is made of Mackinaw (misspelled in the book as “Mackinac”) wool,
large enough to cover a man’s body, and open on the top and bottom. It appears to be made of one or
possibly two blankets that has been sawn together on one side. The weight of a modern wool blanket,
size 5 ft by 7 ft is about 4 lb. If the bag is made of two blankets, the weight would be about 8 lb. Sears
states that all his clothing, his blanket­bag and his tarp weigh 8 lb total. This seems highly unlikely as
a single blanket will weigh over 4 lb alone, and the tarp about 2 lb. The number is possible if by
clothing he only means the extra clothing, and his blanket­bag is made from only a single blanket.  

Tarp/Tent­Sears gives three different tarp and tents systems that he appears to use. One is
mentioned on page 6 of the book and is a waterproof cotton cloth (most likely canvas) size 6 ft by 8 ft.
Judging by the weigh of his other tarp, this one probably weighs about 2 lb. The second tarp he
describes on page 20, and is a 9 ft by 7 ft strong cotton waterproof tarp (again, most likely canvas).
He gives the weight of this tarp as 2 1/4 lb. The last shelter system he describes is a tent for which he
provides the specifications on page 17. It appears to be open on one side to take advantage of the
fire. In size it is 9 ft by 4 ½ ft, with covered sides. He gives the weight of the tent as 3 lb, with
additional 5 ounces for the nail/tacks. He states that it will take an experienced person three (3) hours
to put up this tent properly. He also gives specifications on how to waterproof the tent using alum and
other chemicals.  

Pillow bag­This is just an empty bag that is stuffed with leafs, moss or grass to make a pillow.  

Cooking Gear: 

The cooking gear comprises of five pieces of tinware. The largest one seems to be a 2 quart kettle,
along with a number of smaller nesting dishes. The total weight provided by Sears is 2 lb. This is
certainly possible if the items are very, very thin. In comparison, a single 14 cm Zebra pot weight 1 lb
10 oz. When backpacking, Sears states that he only carries two of the pots, one being 6 inches my 2
inches high, and the second one being smaller.  

Tools: 

Hatchet­The hatchet used by Sears was a custom made one. The
handle appears to be about a foot in length, and it is a double bit
hatchet. The weight is not specified, but it is probably similar to that of
a Small Forest Axe, about 2 ½ lb total. 

Belt knife­Much has been written about this Nessmuk pattern knife,
and people have tried to apply its shape to just about every use, from
wood carving to any other general bushcraft use. The description that
Sears provides for this knife is “The one shown in the cut is thin in the
blade, and handy for skinning, cutting meat, or eating with”. It does not
appear anywhere that he actually used this knife for woodwork or
general bushcraft. It has the shape of a hunting/skinning knife, and the
uses listed by Sears seem to support that. That would certainly be an
important use of the knife for Sears considering that most of his
outings relied heavily of hunting or fishing. I’ve looked at some other sources, and it appears, that
typically, wood work was done with a small folding knife, not a belt knife such as the one described
here. 

Folding knife­This is a double bladed pocket knife. Sears states that together with the sheath knife, it
is all that is needed for camp use.   Blog Archive

Fishing/hunting gear­The fishing equipment that Sears used seems varied as would be expected ►  2016 (18)
from any fisherman. As an example, one of the rods he lists, weighs 5oz according to him. In several
►  2015 (53)
places he speaks of his muzzle loading rifle as well.  
►  2014 (81)
Food: 
►  2013 (115)

The food lists that Sears provides are lengthy and diverse. Some of the items he speaks of regularly ►  2012 (127)
are ham, bacon, potatoes, tomatoes, bread, butter, canned food, beans, and other types of meat. ▼  2011 (202)
Hunting and fishing also appears to be a very important source of food for him. The weigh of his food
►  December (5)
must have been massive. It is very likely that many of the trips he describes were undertaken by
canoe or mule train.   ►  November (14)
►  October (13)
All of the above items are compiled from anecdotes and interspersed references in the book. In only
one location do we ever get a description of a specific trip along with a detailed gear list. That can be ►  September (11)
found on page 53. The trip is a solo backpacking expedition, which he planned to take about seven
►  August (19)
(7) days. The items he took on the trip were: rifle, hatchet, compass, blanket­bag, knapsack, knife,
one loaf of bread, two quarts of meal, two pounds of pork, one pound of sugar, with tea, salt, etc. and ►  July (18)
a supply of jerked venison. One tin dish, twelve rounds of ammunition and bullet mold. 
►  June (18)

There are several things which can be noted from this one trip into the woods. The first is, once again, ►  May (17)
the massive weight of his food. Along with two pounds of pork and one pound of sugar, the weigh of
▼  April (19)
his food must have exceeded five pounds. On top of that, he describes killing three deer on his ten
day trip, so he can have sufficient food. Apparently, dried foods such as rice were not in the picture.   The Actual Weight of Axe
Heads
The second notable thing is the absence of any shelter. This seems to have been a deliberate Fox Hunting With a
omission designed to save weight, although clearly inadvisable. In fact, at the end of the chapter, Golden Eagle
Sears writes: “Nothing but the exceptionally fine, dry weather rendered such a trip possible in a The Gear of Horace
wilderness so cut up with swamps, lakes, marshes and streams. A week of steady rain or a premature Kephart
snow storm...would have been most disastrous. Reader, if you ever are tempted to make a similar
The Axe Manual of Peter
thoughtless, reckless trip­don’t do it.”  
McLaren
Another notable thing about Sears, which can be seen in the whole book is the total lack of any water Hultafors GK Review
purification or even water storage system. From what I saw, no where did he mention any type of
Bahco/Sandvik 19 inch
water bottle or method for cleaning water. It appears that people had stronger stomachs in the good Rucksack Axe Review
old days, and that he relied heavily on natural sources of water. Most likely however, the water bottle
has simply been omitted.   The Gear of George
Washington
Sears/Nessmuk
I was also struck by the way Sears camped. First of all, his style of camping requires large use of
natural resources. Almost every camp he sets up requires the chopping down of at least three trees Removing an Axe Handle
about a foot in diameter, if not more, and the killing of a deer or some other animal for food. These in the Woods
days, few of us can afford that type of camping. The second interesting thing I saw was the incredible
Guest Post: How to
amount of time it takes to set up a camp. His tent alone takes three (3) hours to put up according to Reprofile Axes and
him. On page 40 he additionally describes a camp stove which takes one (1) hour to make. This does Hatchets, by...
not include the gathering of fire wood, or the preparation of his sleeping surface. The setting up of a
camp seems to have taken at least half a day.   Hultafors Too Afraid to Sell
Axes to Americans
Whenever I read other people’s writings about Sears, I always end up with the impression that he was A Beginner’s Guide to
a rough woodsman and that his writings reflect the golden age of camping and bushcraft. The more I Basic Axe Care and
read his own writings however, the more I reach the conclusion that he was a regular guy, just like any Maintenan...
on us. He spent just as much time and money finding the “perfect” gear, and found the wilderness just Mora Bushcraft Survival
as challenging. The fact that he considers a ten (10) day trip off the trail to be some type of an Knife Video
extreme adventure, makes me reconsider the rest of his accounts.  
Grasfors Bruks Outdoor
Axe Review
I want to end this post with a quote from Sears which I really like: 
A Beginner’s Guide to
“...there are some who plunge into an unbroken forest with a feeling of fresh, free, invigorating Hatchets (Link)
delight... These know that nature is stern, hard, immovable an terrible in unrelenting cruelty. When An Improvised Work
wintry winds are out and the mercury far below zero, she will allow her most ardent lover to freeze on Bench For Re­Profiling
her snowy breast without waving a leaf in pity, or offering him a match; and scores of her devotees Axes
may starve to death in as many different languages before she will offer a loaf of bread. She does not
Nivkh Summer Camp,
deal in matches and loafs; rather in thunderbolts and granite mountains. And the ashes of her camp­
Early 1900s
fires bury proud cities. But, like any tyrant, she yields to force, and gives the more, the more she is
beaten. She may starve or freeze the poet, the scholar, the scientist; all the same, she has in store The Development of the
food, fuel and shelter, which the skillful, self­reliant woodsman can wring from her savage hands with American Felling Axe
axe and rifle.”   A Brief Look at the Mora
No. 2 and Mora No. 2/0
This is certainly not the modern, politically correct view of nature, but I find it the closest to reality.
What is the Right Size Axe
for You­A Gransfors
Posted by Ross Gilmore at 7:24 AM  41 Comments   Bru...
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Karlhungusjr • 6 years ago

"The fact that he considers a ten (10) day trip off the trail to be some type of
an extreme adventure, makes me reconsider the rest of his accounts. "

says the guy with a GPS, satellite imaginary, encroaching civilization, freeze
dried foods, light weight synthetic fabrics, SAR teams, MRE's, ultra light
equipment, and on and on and on...

seriously, this article is nothing more than one long "that seems highly
unlikely" with absolutely nothing to back it up.
3△ ▽ • Reply • Share › Forums
 Ross Mod > Karlhungusjr • 5 years ago 24 Hour Campfire

Read the book, then read the post, and repeat as often as necessary. It Backpacking Light
will make sense at one point. Or, perhaps you should read some of my
Blade Forums
other posts. Maybe then you will sound like less of a fool. Hmmm...
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share › Blades and Bushlore

Bushcraft Finland
M. Ware • 5 years ago
To open up this comment, I have not read the book and know very little of the Bushcraft UK
man. Its on my list of things to do. The Late Annie Collins had used a Burlap
Bushcraft USA
Sack with only 1 set of clothes, 1 wool blanket, 6x8 canvas cover, small
sewing kit, tin cup, 3 lb of flour, 2 blade folding knife, small spool of fishing line Cascade Climbers
an some hooks. This is all she took on each of her 2 trips up and down the
HuntingNet Forums
Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Its roughly 2100 mile trip and is very much
traveled to by tourist and Trail seekers over the world. She stated she didn't Paleo Planet
need alot of things with her to make this a job. She was very much a lady who
Rokslide
thought nature provides all your needs if you look. She started with 3 lbs of
flour and I always wondered why even take it if you going so far away. It was a UKClimbing
comfort item to her.
Winter Trekking
I ponder how she could of even achieved this with so little. But if one sets their
mind to survive I believe you overcome fear. I remember her talking about how
she needed very little for food and how the berries and other items was so
plentiful. I could not imagine how one could find enough food to make such a
long trip.
Annie 1st took the trip around 1945 and repeated it in early 60's. I am sure
some place alone the line she did a many of us do on trails and stop in town.
see more

4△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Ross Mod > M. Ware • 5 years ago

The problem with the book is not that he didn't camp with the items
that he had, but rather that he does not go through the items in a
consistent and clear way. That is what creates the confusion. At the
one point where he actually lists the items for his trip, it makes sense,
but he clearly uses other gear at other points in the book. It is hard to
tell which weight applies to which set of gear.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Tone2joke > Ross • 5 years ago

I recently purchased the book. It is clear now what is being said.
He changes from site to site and doesn't keep a clear record
which trip he is writing about. He makes it seem in the Blogs and Websites
beginning he is using said gear as in all trips but clearly
A Word in the Woods
changes as trip calls for different items. He fails to mention it.
Still a good book to get some ideas from. But not a fool proof Adventures in Stoving
plan of writing.
American Bushman
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›
American Grouch
Anonymous • 6 years ago
Andrew Skurka Blog
It's probably worth remembering when calculating/judging weights that
Nessmuk was basically a tiny person - about the size of the average 12 year Backpacking North
old boy. Having seen his canoe, and his rifle, it's very apparent that he justified
Bearclaw and Nordmarken Canoe UK
a lot of his custom gear on that basis - his hatchet, in the illustration, might be Blog
closer to 10-12 oz, the handle of his "big" knife perhaps 3-3.5" long. Perfect
for HIM, but not the other 95% of us! Bedrock & Paradox

2△ ▽ • Reply • Share › Belfast Bushcraft

Ben's Backwoods
Gereon Ostermann > Anonymous • 3 months ago
Spot on! Also, one shouldn't forget that his book contains memories of Brian's Backpacking and Hiking Blog
many many trips throughout his lifetime, most of which were done with
Buzzard Bushcraft
a wagon and a gang of guys with a LOT of gear. He states that for his
solo trip he pared down his gear to the absolute minimum and bare Canadian Wilderness Survival
essentials - and for a sunny weather trip. ATB Gereon
Cesar and The Woods
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›
koadster72 • 5 years ago Chris Townsend Outdoors
great post. After reading the book, I find it more of a entertainment novel. the
Cold Thistle
first few chapters on his gear had good info, the rest seemed like watching a
survival show of today. some info is provided but its most for an enjoyable DzJow's Adventure Log
watch, almost can imagine his having his own show like survivor-man.
Elfshot: Sticks and Stones
And as you stated with his knife. I heard that years ago companys who made Fat & SHiTE
outdoor knifes stated not to use them for batoning and would not cover the
knife in warranty if it was used as such. If you read 18th century renactors like Hiking in Finland
on your blog list "Woodsrunner's Diary" his knives are for butchering and Lightweight and Ultralightweight
eating.. same as nessmuk. he has a small folding knife for fine carving but Backpacking
95% of the woodcraft is done with a hatchet or tomahawk. why did we
Living Primitively
suddenly in the 20/21st century think the knife should do everything. as the
quote goes "jack of all trades, master of none" Master Woodsman
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›
Nehawka Primitive Skills

Alsmith • 5 years ago New England Bushcraft

Nessmuk was a bit of an uneducated crank who thought nothing of the
OutdoorEnvy
occasionally preposterous exaggeration in order to puff up his reputation and
entertain his Victorian-era audience. Yet broadly speaking, I accept the PMags
weights he lists for his kit.
PTC*
In the realm of fossilized outdoor books, I prefer Horace Kephart, an almost Patagonia Dreams
equally unreliable, but considerably more elegant writer.
Prepared Christian
Kephart mentions T.H. Holding, author of The Camper's Handbook, an
Prick­Eared
intelligent, 1906 British work that emphasizes extreme lightness of kit (7
pounds, if I remember correctly). Primitive Ways

Holding's work is available as free read on Google Books, though I find that Ravenlore Bushcraft
format difficult.
Rocky Mountain Bushcraft
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›
SKW Bushcraft
Ross Mod > Alsmith • 5 years ago
Section Hiker
That's good to know. I'll have to check the book out.
Stick's Blog
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The Armchair Adventurer
Aikicougar • 5 years ago
The Axe is Bold as Love
He didn't mis-spell Mackinac. That is how is it traditionally spelled. I am from
Michigan where there is a bridge, fort and island all by that name. It is The Main Outdoorsman
however pronounced like it ends in a w.
The Suburban Bushwacker
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The Trying Woodsman
Ross Mod > Aikicougar • 5 years ago
The Weekend Woodsman
That's good info. Thanks.
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Tony's Bushwalking Blog
Adrian DeLoche • 6 years ago
Savage Snipe says, don't forget that he had no forms of communication, far Willem Vandoorne's Travel Log
fewer roads, fewer people to encounter, no hope for rescue in the event of Woods Monkey
injury or illness. He probably had days of hunger, wet cold misery, and being
solo, 3 hours to set up camp, and keep busy to counter being alone, would Woodsrunner's Diary
set him up for a nite of well deserved sleep. I admire this small man, that
Yesteryears Tools
constantly took on life, in spite of the ravages of TB. A truly tuff man.
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share › hrXXLight

Ross Mod > Adrian DeLoche • 5 years ago

That is true. He did have a much harder time. I can not imagine Subscribe To Wood Trekker
spending that much time each day setting up camp.
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 Comments
Bryan Hansel • 6 years ago
Great post and spot on assessment. Sears also suffered from poor health --
TB I believe -- which limited his ability to travel long distance and lift heavy
loads. He was so weak that he couldn't actually lift a 35-pound Rob Roy
canoe. He weighed only 100 lbs.
canoe. He weighed only 100 lbs.

As far as your list, your results mirror mine. I ended up 429.5 oz. total for the
list that I compiled on my website. There's no doubt in my mind that he could
do any trip with this gear. Using modern gear, I've gotten my spring/fall weight
down to about 13 lbs. without the canoe.

The canoe is an interesting side note. He used different canoes for different
trips. The 10-pound canoe was one of the last built for him by Rushton. It was
a cedar lapstrake boat of 8.5 feet. The Sairy Gamp weighed just over 10 lbs
and measured 9 feet long.

If you haven't poked around into some of his other writing, you should. He
was a poet as well. Here's a link: http://robroy.dyndns.info/b...
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Bryan Hansel • 6 years ago

Great post and spot on assessment. Sears also suffered from poor health --
TB I believe -- which limited his ability to travel long distance and lift heavy
loads. He was so weak that he couldn't actually lift a 35-pound Rob Roy
canoe. He weighed only 100 lbs.

As far as your list, your results mirror mine. I ended up 429.5 oz. total for the
list that I compiled on my website. There's no doubt in my mind that he could
do any trip with this gear. Using modern gear, I've gotten my spring/fall weight
down to about 13 lbs. without the canoe.

The canoe is an interesting side note. He used different canoes for different
trips. The 10-pound canoe was one of the last built for him by Rushton. It was
a cedar lapstrake boat of 8.5 feet. The Sairy Gamp weighed just over 10 lbs
and measured 9 feet long.

If you haven't poked around into some of his other writing, you should. He
was a poet as well. Here's a link: http://robroy.dyndns.info/b...
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Ross • 6 years ago

Oh man, I think we are all going to be in trouble. This is indeed heresy. :)

Thanks for all the great info guys.

1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Colin • 6 years ago

Sounds like a cool man. Too bad we don't have more details on how he
weighed his gear.

For example for weighing his clothes and blanket, maybe he didn't count the
weight of the clothes which he was wearing which would just leave the
blanket, extra socks, and extra shirt and pants.

Thanks for sharing and linking to the PDF of the book.

Also, I noticed one typo when you talk about how he killed deer for meat, you
spelled it 'meet'.

Take care and have a great day!

1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Anonymous • 6 years ago

Ross, your take on Nessmuk is very well-thought-out and sensible. I think I
agree with just about everything. One thing to keep in mind is that his book
was compiled from a whole series of separate articles which he wrote over the
course of time. That may also explain some of the inconsistencies.

I, too, noticed how his fixed-blade knife was intended for game prep and
eating, yet many in the bushcraft community today use them as general-
purpose knives, including for wood carving...
purpose knives, including for wood carving...

It's nice to have a list of his gear in one nice, tidy article. I was actually just
planning on compiling a list like this, but now I don't have to. Thanks! :)

bmatt
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

dwetick • 10 months ago

I've brewed up a batch of his black fly repellent; pine tar, castor oil and
pennyroyal oil ; 3-2-1 and can state that it works, but no woman will ever want
to kiss you, believe me. Further, he states that for a 6 weeks woods tour, he
carried soap and towels and never used either a single time. I doubt that any
modern woods tramper would dare try this feat. Still, his writing captivates the
reader as few other novels can.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

dwetick > dwetick • 9 months ago

A side note that few know...Nessmuk was a little wizzen of a man...just
105 lbs fully dressed.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

James Ritchie • 2 years ago

You get just about everything wrong when talking about Nessmuk's book. Half
the time you don't even seem to understand what he was saying, or what he
meant, and the other half you can't tell a typo form a telephone poll. And if you
don't consider a ten day off trail trip to have been a great adventure when
Nessmuk lived, you are a total damned fool. I seriously doubt you could do it
now without using more technology than a nuclear submarine. Many of your
statements in this post are so far off they make you sound illiterate, and
others, like the ten days off trail statement, make you sound like a complete
damned fool. I seriously doubt you've had any real experience with
wilderness. Your treks are carefully planned, timid, and technologically
mandated. Seriously, give up reading. Your comprehension level is so low you
need to stick to cartoons.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Ross Mod > James Ritchie • 2 years ago

Thank you for your comment James. Please feel free to stop reading
my posts if you find them of such little value.

While I welcome debate and disagreement, I find it hard to take

someone seriously who can not comment without childish insults.

I fully understand that with your current skill level a ten day trip with the
above gear might seem like a noteworthy challenge, but I assure you
that after you spend some time in the woods (not just imagine it), it will
become easier for you.

Good luck with your adventures.

△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

mastertonh • 5 years ago

Good morning! Enjoyed your discussion mightily. I'm posting a reasonably
priced 1900 era copy of Woodcraft on eBay tonight, and I've added a link to
this blog entry, just for the viewing fun of my clients. You can find me on eBay
under the same ID [eBay id mastertonh] - Best regards, Heather Masterton,
Barn Swallow Antiques, Asheville, NC
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Notrab • 5 years ago

When I read Woodcraft and camping I thought it was vaery romantized. It is
written in the validity of Mark Twain or dime store novels.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Ross Mod > Notrab • 5 years ago

 I'm sure that just like today, media is as much about entertainment as
about information. :)
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Ross • 6 years ago

Oh man, I think we are all going to be in trouble. This is indeed heresy. :)

Thanks for all the great info guys.

△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Ross • 6 years ago

Thanks for the info brionic. I did some searching, and I believe the quote to
which you are refering as seen in Basic Wilderness Survival Skills by Bradford
Angier is:

"Except for a ten-day trip in Michigan some ninety years ago,” Colonel Whelen
told me, “the only backpacking that George W. Sears (Nessmuk) ever did was
across short carries between lakes in the Adirondacks.”
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

brionic • 6 years ago

And I should add, great write up Ross! I enjoy your columns and look forward
to the next one, every time.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

brionic • 6 years ago

Col. Townsend Whelen had an interesting take on Nessmuk that expresses
why Nessmuk was able to travel so lightly. The quote can be found if one
wants to look for it... but it is not flattering, so be warned! Bradford Angiers
quotes it in a few of his books and compilations.

I mention this because that light a load is really just not applicable for most of
us under any but backyard camping conditions.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Anonymous • 6 years ago

It's probably worth remembering when calculating/judging weights that
Nessmuk was basically a tiny person - about the size of the average 12 year
old boy. Having seen his canoe, and his rifle, it's very apparent that he justified
a lot of his custom gear on that basis - his hatchet, in the illustration, might be
closer to 10-12 oz, the handle of his "big" knife perhaps 3-3.5" long. Perfect
for HIM, but not the other 95% of us!
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Ross • 6 years ago

Thanks for the info brionic. I did some searching, and I believe the quote to
which you are refering as seen in Basic Wilderness Survival Skills by Bradford
Angier is:

"Except for a ten-day trip in Michigan some ninety years ago,” Colonel Whelen
told me, “the only backpacking that George W. Sears (Nessmuk) ever did was
across short carries between lakes in the Adirondacks.”
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

brionic • 6 years ago

And I should add, great write up Ross! I enjoy your columns and look forward
to the next one, every time.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

brionic • 6 years ago

Col. Townsend Whelen had an interesting take on Nessmuk that expresses
why Nessmuk was able to travel so lightly. The quote can be found if one
wants to look for it... but it is not flattering, so be warned! Bradford Angiers
quotes it in a few of his books and compilations.
I mention this because that light a load is really just not applicable for most of
us under any but backyard camping conditions.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Casey Head • 6 years ago

Heresy!

Thou hath brought into question one of the elder gods of bushcraft!

Seriously, though. I've been struggling with the 26 lb load for a while now, and
find it challenging to assemble such a slim load, even with modern materials.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Colin • 6 years ago

Sounds like a cool man. Too bad we don't have more details on how he
weighed his gear.

For example for weighing his clothes and blanket, maybe he didn't count the
weight of the clothes which he was wearing which would just leave the
blanket, extra socks, and extra shirt and pants.

Thanks for sharing and linking to the PDF of the book.

Also, I noticed one typo when you talk about how he killed deer for meat, you
spelled it 'meet'.

Take care and have a great day!

△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Casey Head • 6 years ago

Heresy!

Thou hath brought into question one of the elder gods of bushcraft!

Seriously, though. I've been struggling with the 26 lb load for a while now, and
find it challenging to assemble such a slim load, even with modern materials.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Anonymous • 6 years ago

Ross, your take on Nessmuk is very well-thought-out and sensible. I think I
agree with just about everything. One thing to keep in mind is that his book
was compiled from a whole series of separate articles which he wrote over the
course of time. That may also explain some of the inconsistencies.

I, too, noticed how his fixed-blade knife was intended for game prep and
eating, yet many in the bushcraft community today use them as general-
purpose knives, including for wood carving...

It's nice to have a list of his gear in one nice, tidy article. I was actually just
planning on compiling a list like this, but now I don't have to. Thanks! :)

bmatt
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Karl • 6 years ago

Good Post...

Karl.

http://ranger-pathfinder-no...
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Karl • 6 years ago

Good Post...
 Karl.

http://ranger-pathfinder-no...
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Shane > Karl • 4 years ago

awesome write up! By the way Mackinac is spelled correctly
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

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