Almost every week this summer, I spend three days a week on horseback (or muleback 
) helping to lead 300-500 kids and leaders as they make a 15-mile handcart trek through the mountains of northern Utah to simulate part of the journey of the early Mormon pioneers.
Last week, as I set up my base camp and was hauling my 40-pound bedroll into my tent, one of the other riders made some comment about it.
I guess I'd never really considered it before, but not too many people use bedrolls nowadays, except maybe for Forest Service packers.
For those who aren't familiar with bedrolls, they start out with a piece of 15-ounce canvas that's about 17-feet long and about 7-feet wide. In the middle of this, you place a very large, comfortable 4-inch foam mattress covered with a nice flannel bottom sheet. On top of that, you make your bed. It can be an extra-wide sleeping bag, or more often than not, a flannel top sheet with two or three good wool blankets, depending on the upcoming weather. You finish it off with a good pillow or two.
The bottom of the canvas is folded up over the whole thing, then the sides are folded over and snapped together. Then the bed is rolled up and secured with either a rope or a couple of good, stout leather straps.
The whole load weighs about 40 pounds and fits nicely as a top pack on the load of a mule.
You might ask, "Why in the blazes would you want to carry something like that when a good sleeping bag only weighs a few pounds?"
The main reason is that when you're spending most of the summer in a tent, a bedroll is like sleeping in your bed at home. Second, I don't have to carry it very far...only to my tent. My mule carries it most of the time.
Anyway, has anyone else ever used a bedroll?
) helping to lead 300-500 kids and leaders as they make a 15-mile handcart trek through the mountains of northern Utah to simulate part of the journey of the early Mormon pioneers.
Last week, as I set up my base camp and was hauling my 40-pound bedroll into my tent, one of the other riders made some comment about it.
I guess I'd never really considered it before, but not too many people use bedrolls nowadays, except maybe for Forest Service packers.
For those who aren't familiar with bedrolls, they start out with a piece of 15-ounce canvas that's about 17-feet long and about 7-feet wide. In the middle of this, you place a very large, comfortable 4-inch foam mattress covered with a nice flannel bottom sheet. On top of that, you make your bed. It can be an extra-wide sleeping bag, or more often than not, a flannel top sheet with two or three good wool blankets, depending on the upcoming weather. You finish it off with a good pillow or two.
The bottom of the canvas is folded up over the whole thing, then the sides are folded over and snapped together. Then the bed is rolled up and secured with either a rope or a couple of good, stout leather straps.
The whole load weighs about 40 pounds and fits nicely as a top pack on the load of a mule.
You might ask, "Why in the blazes would you want to carry something like that when a good sleeping bag only weighs a few pounds?"
The main reason is that when you're spending most of the summer in a tent, a bedroll is like sleeping in your bed at home. Second, I don't have to carry it very far...only to my tent. My mule carries it most of the time.
Anyway, has anyone else ever used a bedroll?
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