I made this flat bottomed portmanteau to carry my CPAP machine and batteries. I have found this set-up works fairly well for me for trekking and events.
I use my CPAP machine without the humidifier. If I’m over 8,000 feet above sea level I have to use some Oxygen so I have a small regulator and wrench. The batteries I use are a 1270 Power Sonic. They are 12 volts and 7 amp hours. They last about 8 1/2 hours which gives me a fairly good nights rest.
Recently I made a possibles bag along the lines suggested by Rex Allen Norman.
It is a canvas bag with a piece of rope. The rope can be used to tie three sticks together as a tripod for cooking.
Included in my possibles bag is a sewing kit, a small cooper trade kettle, some tobacco, an awl, a file in a leather pouch, horn spoon, folding knife, coffee, meat hooks with chain, a small tin cup and my fire kit with flint and steel.
I recently made this portmanteau and have turned it into my new camp kitchen. It includes most of what I need for cooking at camps and events.
My kitchen includes a Hudson’s Bay kettle with frying pan cover, a pint tin cup, utensils, oats, flour, sugar, tobacco, spice kit, candle, dish towel and scrubber, scraps of blanket and leather for handling hot pot, small bottle of soap, a tin for making char cloth and an extra packet of char.
The Portmanteau is a leather case or piece of luggage that has been in use for many, many years. I made three of these from a piece of 8-9 oz veg (Oak) tanned leather. I will use them primarily for my personal items and cook kit during my historical outings.
Recently, I made a couple of targets for the Kit Carson Mountain Men. One is a hanging swinger and the other is a falling target with a reset arm that is pulled with a rope.
I made a new Gage d’ Amour for my pipe and tobacco. I used some scraps of brain tanned leather and sewed it with a cotton thread. I am going to leave it plain for now and may add some decoration at a later date. I included a slot to hold an extra vent pick ’cause you never know when you will need a spare.
I recently received a new rifle from Robert Campbell as a token of appreciation for saving his life. You see, back in the spring of 1829, I lost mine while rescuing him from the Blackfeet. We were at a place called Bad Pass at Big Horn (It is a rough trail that bypasses Big Horn canyon), when we were attacked by Bug’s Boys. We lost 4 men there and almost lost our leader. The red devil’s shot Campbell’s horse out from under him and if I hadn’t have been there they would have gotten him for sure. I was given use of a fusil until we got to rendezvous where I bought another rifle. It’s been several years since and Campbell has become a wealthy owner of the fur company, but at rendezvous this year I received this rifle from him. It has a sentiment on the patchbox that reads: “To my good friend and fellow Irishman, Gabe Hanratty, with gratitude, Robert Campbell”. On the side plate is a Gaelic phrase that says “The grace of God is found between the saddle and the ground”. It is a good shooter and I will treasure it as a gift from a good friend!
P.S. This rifle was made by B.D. Gill (Benjamin Dickert Gill) grandson of Jacob Dickert. Carson has one made by him as well.
At the Western Territorials in Kansas they presented a couple of tough targets:
I have recreated the targets from the feathers I shot. Distance was about 15 yards. Cut the two feathers where they cross and cut the single feather in half. I should have used my .54 to cut the single feather. My .50 just wasn’t big enough!
Requirement #3 states “Must have spent an accumulative time of two or more weeks in the wilderness under primitive conditions in the company of no more than one other member. Each stay must be at least three full days and two full nights”. This past weekend I spent Saturday – Monday on a solo camp in my quest to fulfill this requirement. My dogs and I went to a place called Castle Rock Gulch and packed in a little less than 1/2 mile and set up our camp. Saturday was beautiful with a nearly full moon. I cooked some elk steaks over the fire for supper. Sunday clouded up and was windy. I made a change to my canvas and settled in. Monday morning I awoke to an inch of snow on the ground.
Recently I spent a week at the AMM Western Territorials near Canton, KS. I had a great time meeting new brothers, shooting, camping, cooking, learning and butchering a buffalo. We had colleges in horse packing, sign language, trekking gear for horse trekking, prairie botany and killed, gutted and skinned a buffalo. The food was great, thanks to Missouri Jim and John Miller. John also did a fine job on the shooting range!
We had very little moon as it was waning. We had only one night of rain. A tornado came close but missed us by a few miles. I saw fewer than 10 mosquitoes the entire week. We had some wood ticks around early in the week but as it cooled off they slowed down. A couple of us got too close to the poison ivy/oak and have been reminded daily of our trip to Kansas.
Denny Leonard brought a Red River cart to haul stuff in and out of camp. It worked very well, thanks Denny!
Attached are some pictures from that fine event.
Gabe the Shootist
Gabe the Shootist 