Camp de Grasse- Fat Camp

 This is a comprehensive list of everything I brought for an overnight. Unsure how ambitious I would be and how much I may need I aired on the side of over packing and semi regretted it.

Fat camp list

Wearing 

• Toque

• 1shirt

• Leggings with belt and leg ties 

• 1 breechcloth

• Sleeved gilet

• Sash

• Soliers de beouf +chaussons 

• Hanky

• Cufflinks

• Breeches

• Saints medallion

• Devotional rings 

• Glasses

Fisher skin pipe bag

• Pipe

• Leather Tobacco pouch

• Cloth Tobacco pouch

• Tabac 

• Flint and steel tin

• Flint

• Striker

• Magnifying glass

• Tondre

• Tow

• Charcloth

Slit pouch 1

• Comb

• Needles and thread

• Pocket knife

• Compass

• Wheatstone

• Awl

• Jawharp

Slit pouch 2

• Sac à balles

• 6 flints in a bag

• Whisk and pick set 

• Screwdriver

• Wiping rag

• Cut paper on a brass ring

• Tow 

Tumpline 

• Tarp

• Rope 

• Blanket

• Bearskin

• capote

Bescase1

• Towels

• Soap

• Candles in a cloth bag with tin holder

• Spoon

• Bowl

• canoe cup

• Horn cup

• Ceramic cup

• Dice and counters

• Cards

• Fake money

• Mittens

• Breeches

• Mittens

• Moccicans+nippes

• Extra chassons

Bescase2

• Lead ladle

• Lead

• Scissor mold

• Shot mold 

• 1shirt

• Blue gilet

• Brown gilet

Fishing stuff

• Hooks

• Line

• Floats

• 
  

Linen pouch

• Tin spout cup

• Gourd with grease

• Match sticks 

• Tow

• Cloths

• leather pouch

• Spring vice

• Worms

• Leathers for jaw 

Leather pouch

• Char cloth tin

• Tow

• Tondre in a tin

• Fat wood 

• Candle nubs in a cloth bag

• Cloth cut up for char 

• First aid kit

• Fusil

• Gun case 

• Powderhorn

• Lock cover

• Ax

• Neck Knife

• Belt knife

• Leg knife 

• Gourd

  
  

• Ammo box 

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

Everything crossed out on the list are the rings I actually used.The biggest things I learned from the experience were to put way more leaves beneith me when I sleep, don’t bring accessories for activities you aren’t sure you’ll do, and make sure you plan out each meal and don’t bring too much food with you. 

Like one of our fellow campers said, it was good that I had certain things, I had extra candles and there wasn’t anything there I wished I’d brought but didn’t. 

After three hours in the canoe with one smoke break I was very happy to reach my destination finally. The fall colors beautifully framed Wild Hudson Valley’s picturesque tranquility. As soon as I was out of the canoe and my body stopped moving for a moment I knew that it was going to be a wonderfully peaceful experience. 

Unloading I began to realize that my big ideas of traveling light and making only one trip from the canoe were a pipe dream. Out of an abundance of caution I brought my Powderhorn and musketballs out in a metal “ammo box”. In retrospect that was quite unnecessary. I also brought the largest and most unwieldy equipment I could have for casting lead shot. Those items were the heaviest items I didn’t really need. My oilcloth tarp while a fantastic ground cloth was also quite unnecessary and very very heavy. 

Very quickly I was found and greeted by my gracious hosts Justin and Anna the Capitan of La Milice de Ste Anne and his lady wife. Their young daughter was asleep and no one could begrudge the gentlewoman for it was indeed a beautiful day to take a nap. My hosts assisted me to bing out my large baggage over some at times rocky but clear and scenic trails. They own the property and it is part of Wild Hudson Valley, an amazing eco camp and natural education center.

The main once we successfully brought our things to the camp out of the underbrush popped out our friend Mike and his dog whisper who rounded out our participants. Although as Mike pointed out we wanted for nothing partially because I brought everything I was jealous of mike’s austere set up. Other than the clothes on his back he brought a gourd for water, a loaf of home baked sourdough and a knife and pipe. 

Althoigh I liked very much the potential to do many things on the trip I learned that a little planning goes a long way. I underestimated my desire to slow down relax and take in nature. I over estimated the amount of time I actually had in camp and my desire to do things once it got dark.

Pictured above the bear fat pre and partially rendered. 

tous ces trucs/all this stuff

 I hope to present information here to #1 document and organize the historical stuff I do and #2 have well researched shortcuts for other people in the future.

I have all this stuff and I carry it for a reason so here it is, here’s all my stuff. 

This supplemental information is based on documentation in the form of Bourlamaque’s summer equipment list

Archives de Rochefort. Série 1E. Archives des Colonies. Série C11A.

National Archives of Canada. MG-18. K-9. Papiers.

Bourlamaque. Volume 6

Service Historique de l’Armée de terre. A1. 3417. No 144 Canada 1756.

2 skeins thread

6 needles

1 awl

1 fire steel

6 gunflints

1 boucheron knife

1 comb

1 worm

1 tomahawk

And these are all my “extras” to make it all comfortable and work out.

         A leather “slit pouch” to carry things in. The comb goes in the slit pouch by itself with no problem. 

         I use a scrap of cloth to carry my neadles and threads otherwise I’d poke myself in the hand or they poke out of the pouch, a cork on the end of the awl- not necessarily essential but also helps with not poking myself, perhaps I’ll try to do without it, it adds a bit of bulk but no weight. 

       I bring a spring vise in a leather pouch which is also an extra but it is lightweight and I have had a mainspring slip and desperately needed a spring vise at a reenactment, I carry a small gourd with rendered bear grease which is essential for cleaning and lubricating my fusil, I carry a small tin cup with a spout to pour boiling water down the barrel. It is very convenient- I doubt that a New France milicean or hunter would have had a tin cup with a spout and may try to do without it. The six flints I carry in a very small linen bag the dimensions of one as seen in The Packet series, as well as a wire gun worm, I keep in a small linen bag with linen tow for cleaning. I’ve never used tow for loading the fusil but plan to experiment in the future.  I have no idea if they were ever issued tow, if they were why not mention it? 

            There is some evidence to suggest that they were issued various items (most probably tobacco at least) in small linen bags though. but just powder and lead was only what was issued, we’re they expected to bring their own wadding to load the guns with? If so why not mention it?

            My soapstone calumet  or pipe, home made by this habituant and tabac is contained in a whole skin pipe bag that is a fisher skin, this is also where I keep a tin with char cloth and “tondre” or tinder fungus, a burning lens with a small leather sleeve and some small roiled pieces of linen tow with  my fire steel.

I do not know but doubt that the Boucheron knife and tomahawk came with sheiths, I assume it would have been mentioned in the list but that is just an assumption. I am not willing to take the risk of cutting myself because I’m just playing pretend so, better safe than sorry. The knife sheath is a a backseam which everyone tells me is the most historically accurate style. I attached some linen tape through some holes on the back edge so it won’t slip out of my sash. The ax sheath is functional again not historical but safe?

        The form of the comb, firesteel, awl, flints, needles and thread came from Steve Delisle’s seminal work New France Militia and are corroborated in the archeological and pictorial record. 

Steve Delisle.  The equipment of New France Militia 1740-1760. Bel-Air MD.:Kebecca Liber Ata Company, 1999