Canvas  Bedroll

Many years ago I had a Second World War Officers Bedroll which I used as a weather resistant cover for my  sleeping bag. It wasn’t as waterproof as a bivi bag but it kept the bag in good shape under rough conditions and was comfortable to use.

As I’ve been using a hammock mostly for the last decade it’s been stowed away and was getting pretty tatty anyway so with the purchase of my new Baker tent which will see a return to ground sleeping, I decided to make a new cover along the same lines.

I started with a 2m length of 14oz canvas, 72” wide, folded in two, sewn into a bucket for the feet, edged with cotton webbing and with ties of the same down the side to close it up. The long ties you see for binding the roll, also serve to secure a pillow when sleeping.

For packing, you stuff the bedding down into the foot bucket and then roll the canvas around the whole thing.

Above it has the two bag system I used in the Arctic but I'll probably just use a couple of blankets on a cotton stuffed palliasse atop a stretcher when I'm in the tent.

Not the best of pictures but this shows it unrolled with a couple of blankets in it for normal use.

The foot bucket ends at the point where you might notice is a slight re-enforcement to the edging near the base and the ties down the side allow you to have  it open or closed as much as you like.

This new arrangement reflects a move towards a more old school type of camping that I’m getting interested in these days, partly due to enjoying my comforts more as I get older but also as a result of the Steam Tent Co-operative group that is occupying much of my time these days.

Bushcraft and wilderness skills should always be practised with respect for the environment and other users of the outdoors. Leave No Trace.

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