An Old fashioned way of carrieing your cloths and gear!
Back to Camping with no Budget
The Bedroll , or blanket Roll is by far one of the oldest ways people carry their belongings into the field. And all you need to begin using this system is a blanket, some rope and about 5 mins .
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Tools and Materials:
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You start out by laying out the blanket and placing the gear you want to carry , evenly spaced across the blanket lengthwise.
Then evenly fold the twp sides in like so:
This contains your gear and keeps it from comming out the sides, it also makes the roll more compact.
Then simply pick an end and roll up the gear into the blanket:
Be sure any bulky items are evenly spaced throughout the blanket or you will have a large, sharp and oddly shaped bulge which will make it hard to carry
From there you tie a length of rope to an end. It helps if the knot you use tightens when pulled.
When you have finished your knot, using the same length of rope, bring it over as a shoulder strap and tie it onto the other end.
Reduce your shoulder strap length by adding a loop. This loop also acts as a way to secure gear on the move and acts as a hanging strap when you stop to rest. This keeps your blanket off the ground.
When you have the shoulder strap adjusted and the knots tight on your bedroll, you can slide an axe, machete or shovel under the straps for ease of carry:
What you dont see for some reason but is present in the roll is my coffee can and new hobo stove...
When your done, try it on! A blanket roll should be carried across the shoulder like so:
Hints:
There are some ways to make this outfit more comfortable to carry as the rope can dig into you. One option is to wrap and tie a towel to the rope and use that to pad your shoulder.
Another option is to tie the bedroll with belts and lace a long, wide one through the tie-belts and the wider strap will feel better than the rope. This can be further enhanced by a quick trip to the auto parts store and get a slip on seat belt pad to cover the belt and add padding to your shoulder. Most of these are made to attach with Velcro.
Wrap your shelter material around the outside of the blanket roll to protect it from the weather, then tie it togeather.