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Phillosoph

In Praise of Gaiters

Yesterday’s post on Bombay bloomers and Plus-Sixes leads me to a related topic. The blousing of trousers is a common military practice but the use of practical gaiters is somewhat neglected by both military and civilian outdoorsmen. Those of us that do use them are sometimes looked at as somewhat eccentric. Most of us don’t care, since gaiters are one of those things that once you have properly tried them you are not going back. Kephart, in “Camping and Woodcraft” sums up the merits of gaiters and related items better than I could:
“Never buy leggings that strap under the instep. The strap collects mud, and it is soon cut to pieces on the rocks. Any legging that laces over hooks will catch in brush or high grass and soon the hooks bend outward or flatten. The present U. S. A. canvas legging (Fig. 91) has only one hook, in front; it is quickly adjusted. The strap puttee (Fig. 92) is better for a woodsman or mountaineer. Leather puttees are suitable only for horsemen ; in walking and climbing they cut one in front and rear of the ankle joint. Genuine pigskin is the only leather that will stand hard service and frequent.
For still-hunting I like spiral puttees (Fig. 93), not spat but plain, as here illustrated. They are strips of woolen cloth with selvage edges, specially woven and *' formed," which wind round the leg like a surgeon's bandage and tie at the top. Do not wind too tightly. They are pliable, noiseless against brush, help to keep ticks and chiggers from crawling up one's legs, and, with the clothing underneath, are a sufficient defense against any snakes except the great diamond-back rattlers. '* In experiments, only in rare instances has snake virus stained blotting- paper placed behind two thicknesses of heavy flannel." German socks, instead of leggings, are good for still-hunting in severe cold weather. Many dispense with leggings by wearing their trousers tucked inside boots or high-topped shoes. This will do when the woods are dry, but when all the bushes are wet from rain, or from heavy dew, the water runs down inside your shoes until they slush-slush as if you had been wading a creek.”
Shortly after I first read this I was reading a James Bond novel where Bond and his companion were at risk from an area infested with water moccasin snakes. It occurred to me that Bond and his companion could have used the bedding in their luxury prison to improvise gaiters or puttees to protect themselves from the snakes.

In contrast to Kephart, I favour gaiters over puttees. Zippers were relatively rare in Kephart’s era so gaiters had to buckle, lace or be hooked closed. Mine have heavy duty zips with individual teeth up the back part of the leg. Lengths of cord tied in decorative knots have been added to the zipper pulls so they are easier to operate if fingers are wet or numb with cold. Mine were designed to use a strap under the sole but I removed this. The elasticated areas and the hook that engages the lowest section of boot lace keeps them adequately in position. Don't confuse gaiters with the short anklets issued by some armies. Gaiters or puttees should come at least halfway up the calves.
I cannot discuss gaiters without mentioning my time hiking in Iceland, where the gaiters proved themselves useful in ways unexpected.
When it came to crossing a glacial meltwater stream one of the first things I would do is remove my gaiters. One gaiter would be placed on the ground, outer-side down. I would then step out of my boots and on to the dry clean inner surface of the gaiter. Standing there I could remove my socks and trousers and stow those in the top of my pack. I wear quick drying swimming shorts as underwear so once I had put my boots back over my bare feet I was nearly ready to cross. Gaiters were stowed in the top of the pack together with my socks, trousers and a towel.

On the other side of the river I would take out a gaiter and place it outer-side down on the ground. I would remove one boot, dry my foot with my towel and step onto the clean gaiter. I would then do the same with the other foot and replace my socks and trousers while standing on the clean dry gaiter. Shake the water out of my boots, replace them and then put my gaiters back on.
As you can see, gaiters make a task like crossing a ford much more manageable. Gaiters protect your trousers from damage and dirt. They can keep sand out of your footwear. Gaiters can protect you legs from thorns, even when wearing shorts.
Modern gaiters can be found constructed from stuff such as gore-tex. Mine are just simple condura and I don’t see any need for anything like gore-tex. Condura is tough, non-absorbent, breathable and sheds water, and that is all that you need. When buying gaiters make sure they will fit your boots without need for a strap or cord across the sole. Manufactures make them with the cords because people think they need them. A decently designed gaiter does not! Zips should be of the type with individual teeth rather than the spiral type.
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Phillosoph

On Bombay Bloomers and Plus-Sixes

A couple of weeks back we had a suddenly hint of summer. My girlfriend phoned me and asked if I wanted to meet her at a nearly riding centre to look at the horses and then walk in the large park nearby. Since it was the first day of weather this year that did not need a jacket to be worn, I dug out a pair of shorts. “Shorts” is a fairly loose description for these, since they are about knee length on my long legs. Not quite shorts, not trousers and not quite long enough to be breeches. My Brazilian girlfriend asked what such trousers were called in English and I was at a loss to give her a satisfactory answer. Whatever they should be called, they are however incredibly comfortable to wear. My lady was of the opinion that they actually looked quite good worn with my boots. I ended up telling my girlfriend about “Bombay Bloomers”. While this can be a generic term for the substantial shorts worn by soldiers of the British Empire, the most notable sort were these shown worn by this Gurkha:

As you can see, the shorts have substantial turn ups and in these examples they are secured in place with buttons. The idea was quite ingenious. When the temperature dropped at night and the mosquitos became a nuisance the wearer could roll down the cuffs for more protection. Likewise, if the soldier had to operate where thorns or leaches were a hazard, he rolled the cuffs down. I have seen such shorts/ trousers tucked into the tops of socks or gaiters. Some examples were evidently long enough to reach the ankle.
The famous outdoorsman, Horace Kephart, in “Camping and Woodcraft” (1917) notes that: 
“To wear with leggings the ‘foot breeches ‘ of our infantry, which lace or button in front below the knee, fit better than trousers that must be lapped over; but for wilderness wear I prefer common trousers cut off about six inches below the knee: they are easier to put on and they dry out quicker.”
“Plus-sixes” have much to recommend them for outdoor use, particularly if they also incorporated the idea behind the Bombay Bloomers. This would require the breeches to be quite roomy in the thigh, but there is nothing wrong with that. It lets the air circulate and reduces the tendency of trousers to drag to the knees on a hot day when walking uphill. Many soldiers now use kneepads but the cut of their trousers necessitates them being worn outside, compromising both camouflage and air circulation. Loose Plus-sixes that can be turned up to act as shorts would be far more practical and comfortable.

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Phillosoph

Post Apocalyptic Heroric Fantasy Armaments

Friday, so I get to post something a little more off the wall.
Recently I was enjoying the cartoon Korgoth of Barbaria. A great pity they only ever made the pilot. One interesting point of this Conan parody is that it is set in the future. It is a genre that might be termed Post-apocalyptic Heroic Fantasy. There have been a number of movies and books along these lines. One movie that immediately springs to mind is “Steel Dawn”, where we learn shoulder pads and 80’s hairstyles can survive just about anything. Novels along these lines include Sterling E. Lanier’s “Hiero Desteen” novels, Robert Adams’ Horseclans series and Fred Saberhagen’s “Empire of the East” and “Book of Swords” series. I have not read all of these, but plan to read some of these soon.
What strikes me about some of the stories in this genre that I have seen or read is that if anything they are too Medieval and fail to meet some of the potential of a post-apocalyptic society regressed to the Dark Ages. Would people in such a situation be using swords and bows? Very probably. The survivors of such an event would also have the benefit of knowledge, however. If you look through history it is obvious that some inventions could not be created until certain technological achievements had occurred. It is also obvious that some inventions could have appeared centuries earlier than they did, but the idea just never occurred to anyone. This is why some inventions were in use hundreds of years in one part of the world before they were introduced or discovered in others.
A society that exists centuries after a post-apocalyptic event may indeed rely heavily on animal transport and fight mainly with bows and swords. They may not be able to build Jumbo Jets or M16s, but they would know that such things were once possible. Likewise, they would know that lower technology devices such as steam engines, chemical matches and rockets are possible. Given a few decades they may be able to produce their own versions.
Let us consider some weapons. Gunpowder was being produced in China as early as the tenth century and there isn’t really any reason why it might not have been created earlier. Source the three components, mix them together and confine them in a tube and you have a rocket. It is very likely a future barbarian world would have rockets where the raw materials for gunpowder could be found. The Chinese made some interesting weapons by just adding simple rockets to arrows. Packed into a basket and given a common fuse, and a single soldier could fire scores of them into a formation within a couple of seconds. What is more, every soldier in a company or battalion could carry and fire such a device, then take up his bow or spear to fight in a more conventional fashion. Larger rockets, capable of starting fires or exploding were also relatively simple devices and could be fired from wagons or ships. While the ancient Chinese developed a number of rocket systems they were a weapon very much ignored in the West. This may be because in Europe the destruction of fortifications was more of a priority and cannon were better suited to such roles. China, in contrast, enjoyed a long period of peace so the development of gunpowder weapons languished somewhat during this time.
What of more conventional guns? Once you have the gunpowder, a muzzle-loading cannon is a relatively simple device that can be surprisingly potent. Casting a barrel takes some knowledge but could be established by research and experimentation. As late as the 19th century mortars and some other light guns were constructed from reinforced timber. In “Space Viking” by H. Beam Piper, a character opinions that gunpowder seems to be one of the last items of knowledge a decivilizing world loses.

Personal firearms pose a more interesting question. Many guns are mechanically very simple. Something like an M16 would be difficult to produce, relying on precision parts, polymers and aluminum castings. A Sten Gun, however, is just a few tubes and springs and such guns have been made in underground workshops and village forges as we know. The real challenge for our post-apocalyptic warriors will be in the production of ammunition. Producing something like self-contained modern pistol and rifle ammunition may prove too difficult. Ammunition may be more likely to resemble 19th century paper cartridges or shotgun ammunition. These are simpler to make and reload, but probably will not be suited to automatic or other complicated feed mechanisms. Where personal firearms may exist they may be more likely to be single-shot or double-barrelled weapons. Such guns may not have that many advantages over weapons such as the bow or crossbow. Making an arrow or quarrel requires more skilled labour than primitive firearm ammunition but can be reused. Compare a simple gun and a bow and you will find that the bow often outperforms the gun. Guns did not replace bows because of performance advantages but because they and their ammunition were easier to mass produce. If guns are to persist in the armoury of future barbarians it will most likely be if they offer a unique capability. Pistols and shotguns can supplement a sword in close combat, even if they are only single or double-shot. Rifles will have to compete with the bow so we are likely to see them designed more towards precision longer range shooting where their flatter trajectory offers some advantages.
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Phillosoph

Learning from Honey Badgers. Using Your Environment.

 

I once saw a film clip of a baby elephant that had become trapped in the mud. It was impossible for the elephants to lift its weight. Instead, several elephants worked together to construct a ramp out of mud and the baby was able to escape.
 
I came across this video today about a honey badger. Some useful ideas about using what is in your local surroundings to your advantage.

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Phillosoph

Birrus Britannicus : More on Cloaks

After yesterday’s blog on cloaks I came across mentions of a foul weather cloak called the Birrus Britannicus. It seems the Romans associated Britain with cold and wet weather, hence the name. Such cloaks were widely used in Britain by both the locals and Roman visitors.  

This website has some information on making one with a “bindweed leaf” shaped hood that was often associated with these cloaks. (Note that the page uses the spelling “byrrus” rather than the more commonly used “birrus”. The site has a number of other basic grammatical mistakes so this is probably an error).
The hood is made out of two pieces described as “diamonds”: actually kite-shapes with two sides of 55cm and two of 68cm. No information is given on the angle between these sides so you will probably have to construct a mock-up to get the volume right. The two 55cm sides are sewn together to make the top and back of the hood and one of the 68cm sides sewn to the cloak. You may like to make the hood part double thickness or line it. The article mounts this hood on a semi-circular cloak but it seems Birrus Britanicus could also be oval or circular designs, as described in my last post. The “triangle piece at the throat” is not clear in the photographs but is evidently a fly or baffle type piece to prevent drafts at the neck area. I suggest you reserve some material, join the cloak and hood and then work out the shape and form of this piece.
The most practical fastening for such a cloak is probably one or more hook and loops, with another to secure the throat bit.  
On the subject of fastenings, I mentioned cloak pins in the last post. I have seen scores of these in museums with no indication on how they were actually used to fasten a cloak. The answer is both simple and ingenious! A functional example could easily be made with some pliers and heavy wire!

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Phillosoph

Cloaks for Modern Survival

Last night I was once again discussing something that is somewhat an oddity in the history of clothing.
For thousands of years soldiers, outdoorsmen and many other prudent humans have used and valued cloaks as useful items of clothing. A cloak traps lots of air to keep you warm and yet is easily vented to keep you dry. A cloak can shed the rain and snow, protect from the wind and is large enough to act as a useful blanket should you need to sleep out. Then, sometime during the 19th or early 20th century cloaks became rarer and I have never encountered as sufficiently convincing explanation as to why this was.
A cloak still has much to recommend it to a survivalist or outdoorsman. Currently in Afghanistan insurgents are shielding themselves from expensive high-tech thermal imagers and infrared systems using woollen blankets.

One of the simplest of practical cloaks is what the Roman legionary called a sagum. The sagum was a suitably folded square or rectangular piece of material fastened to itself at the shoulder with a brooch or pin. Easily constructed (if you had a fastener) and a useful blanket too. Many cloaks are just blankets with a bit of tailoring. The Scottish word “plaid” is derived from the term for blanket and the great plaid was big enough to sleep out in. I will discuss the plaid in more depth some other time.

A step up from the sagum was the hooded cloak that the roman soldier called a paenula. This page has a rather nice, simple method for making a semi-circular one. Take a bit of wool, 60 x 120" (1.5 x 3m) and cut out a semicircle using a length of string as a compass. Cut an 8" slit widthwise from the middle of the straight edge and sew the two rectangular hood halves to this. Hem and finish as necessary. If we are considering our cloak as a practical field garment then 60" may be on the long side. Ideally you want the bottom at about calf height. Two quarter circles can be cut from a smaller piece of cloth and sewn together.

The same page shows how to make a circular paenula. Essentially you make a semi-circular paenula then sew a second semicircle to the front edge. The illustration shows a poncho style but one could extend the neck slit down to the edge to make a circular cloak that opens up the front. The circular paenula has more folds of cloth to trap more air. On the other hand it uses about twice as much cloth and may be difficult to roll into a handy bundle.

A compromise is the oval paenula. Take a cloth of about 60"width and of a length twice the length that you want the final thing to be. I am a little above average height and the distance from my shoulder to below the knee is about 50". A piece of cloth between eight and nine feet will probably be about right. Interestingly making an oval cloak and a semi-circular needs about the same amount of working material. There will be less wastage with the oval cloak and it will of course be a little heavier. You may need an extra piece of material to make the hood.
Lining the hood part of the cloak can be a good idea. Loops and toggles or other fastenings were often fitted to keep the cloak closed without the need for a brooch. If your cloak is going to be “modern” then a few press-stud poppers might be worth considering.

A cloak of a dull, neutral shade with a few bits of scrim or frayed cloth added for camouflage might be a very handy thing for a hunter that needs to spend some time stationary, waiting for his shot.

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Phillosoph

Sword Bayonets Part Two: Techniques

My interest in sword bayonets is largely academic. They are no longer issued by any army and any that you encounter will either be reproductions or date back to the 1940s if not earlier. That said, I thought I heard an odd noise in my flat the other night. Moving to investigate, the nearest weapon to hand was a M1917 sword bayonet. Even though a philistine of a previous owner had ground the edge off, it was still a handy thrusting weapon, its dull blade virtually invisible in the darkness. Ironically the noise proved to be nothing, and was probably the settling of some sword bayonets I had been examining as research for this series of blogs.
Very little has been written about the use of sword bayonets as hand weapons. The most well-known that springs to mind is Drexel-Biddle’s “Do or Die”. In this book, he relates an account of two marine aviators who took to wearing sword bayonets after training with Biddle. These two aviators were to later successfully defend themselves with these weapons against a mob of blade-armed foes.
Drexel-Biddle only describes a couple of techniques in his book. As some readers will know, Biddle was influenced by the school of thought that knife-fighting resembles sword-fighting. While this is open to dispute, it must be observed that 17" sword bayonets do have more in common with swords than most knives.

First photo shows an inward parry. Second photo shows the weak hand taking over the defence and grabbing the parried arm. The same technique can be applied as an outward parry. The unarmed hand takes over control of the foe’s knife hand and at the same time the bayonet counter-attacks. With an outward parry, one would probably thrust over the top of the arm towards the throat or face. Alternately, one could follow the wrist grab with a cut downwards at the attacker’s knife hand.
The next sequence shows a number of counter attacks. As the names may suggest, these are inspired by renaissance sword fighting techniques.

The Inquartata involves stepping back with your left foot to follow a quarter circle or further. This swings the body out of the path of an attack and positions your right side to deliver a counter thrust. Drexel-Biddle is aiming at the chest but the throat or face may be more prudent.

The Stoccata also involves the left foot, but this time you use it to step to your left, or forward to your left, to evade the attack. Biddle is thrusting under the attacker’s arm. Ideally drive this attack into the armpit where the artery is. A deep hit will also affect the shoulder joint.

The Passata Soto is a step to the left combined with a duck under the attack. Ideally, use the Capoeira footwork I describe in my book to move past the attacker’s right side when executing this counter attack.
These techniques can, of course, be used if you do not have a sword bayonet. A friend of mine was asking me about knife crime and I pointed out to him a rolled up magazine can be a very useful defensive tool in such a situation. View the photos and text above again and imagine executing them with a rolled up magazine. A strike to the throat or under the arm may not be as deadly as a bayonet, but can still be very effective.
For information on how to build on the above defensive techniques, please buy my book.
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Phillosoph

A Decent Meal in Less Than Ten Minutes

Cooking for myself recently has been very efficient.
The other night my cooking proceeded thus:
I place a bowl of frozen sweetcorn in the microwave. This will cooked in under three minutes.
At the same time, I boiled a cupful of water in the electric kettle. This will be used to make instant gravy.
A good selection of ready-made sauces and instant stuff can really add variety to your diet.
A frying-pan heated up on the hob with a squirt of oil added. I keep the oil in a squirt bottle since it makes it easier to add less to a pan. Chopped fresh mushrooms went into the frying pan to brown for a few minutes.
While this was going on I heated up my new George Foreman grill.
I have seen some rubbish written on the internet about these grills drying food out. The George Foreman is basically a culinary trouser press. It cooks food from both sides at once, so it will take approximately half the time to cook something. Adjust you cooking plan accordingly!
On another hob, I boiled a pot of salted water. Following the previous blog post, I decided to experiment with pre-soaking dried pasta. It worked even better than I expected, so it was obvious I could now cook it like fresh pasta. A couple of minutes of cooking instead of twelve to twenty minutes.
Pork chop, mushrooms, sweetcorn and pasta in gravy, cooked in under ten minutes. Big saving on fuel, time and hassle.
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Phillosoph

Cooking Rice in Under Ten Minutes. Save Fuel and Money

My gas bill this previous quarter was much higher than I expected. Made even more frightening by the fact that it was a mild winter and I had barely used the heating. This got me thinking again about ways to save energy when cooking. 
A friend of mine once told me that during the rationing of World War Two his mother saved fuel by soaking rice overnight. By doing this she only needed to cook it five minutes. Time to experiment with this method again.
Here is the method that I have ironed out over the last few days:
Measure out your rice. 100 g is a generous portion and comes up to the 100 ml mark in one of my measuring jugs. Rather than bothering to weight the rice, I just fill the jug to the mark.
Should you wash rice?
Cooked rice is about three times the volume of dried. A quarter to half a cup of dried rice is good for a side dish. If you are hiking in the snow, a full cup may be warranted.
Measure food portion with handHand measures of food
For this pre-soak method, I generally fill a coffee mug half to two-thirds and top up with water.
Study the apparent depth and volume of the rice so you can estimate a similar amount by eye if necessary.
Place your cup of rice and water in the fridge. The first time I tried pre-soaking rice I ended up leaving it longer than I intended since I spent the next couple of nights down the pub and eating out. The rice sort of started fermenting, so I suggest you keep the soaking rice in the fridge just in case you are delayed. If it is winter, the kitchen is generally cold enough.
Leave the rice to soak a few hours, or better still, overnight.
When it is time to cook, pour the rice and water into a pot.
A broader pot heats up quicker and is less likely to boil over. You may need to add a bit more water to the rice so it is covered by at least a centimetre of water. Add a little salt too. Use a hob of suitable size for your pot.
Cooking instructions on packets of rice generally overestimate the cooking time or quantity of water needed.
If you add too much water, you are going to waste fuel heating it up. Too little and your pot may boil dry before you are done. You will have to experiment on getting the optimum for the pot you use. As in so many things, balance is the key.
Rice needs about twice its volume in water. As a general rule of thumb, ensure the rice is under 25 mm of water. For this method using presoaked rice you will actually need less water since there will be less cooking time.
Cover your pot, bring to the boil and then turn down the heat to simmer.
Give the rice about five to seven minutes.
If you are new to this cooking method, taste a little of the rice to see if it is soft or still a little gritty. 
Turn off the heat and let the pot stand, preferably over the still hot hob. The residual heat will continue to cook the rice without expending fuel. This gives you time to finish cooking the other components of your meal.
Drain your rice. Turn out onto a plate and serve with a variety of vegetables and a sensibly-sized portion of meat.
This method will prove pretty useful if you are hiking or camping and have to carry your own fuel.
In this case, I suggest that in the morning you place your rice and water in a wide-mouthed screw-top container and let it sit in your rucksack while you are walking. Such a container is a useful addition to your hiking kit since it can be used to prepare other backpacking foods that need a long soak.
I have not yet tried this method with brown rice. Is it possible to reduce the cooking time of dried pasta by pre-soaking?
I will have to experiment. Have a go yourselves.
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Phillosoph

Cutlasses

 

I got diverted reading about cutlasses the other day. According to the book I picked up it is not until the start of the nineteenth century that Royal Navy cutlasses were standardised, or at least records of the standard date to. In 1858 a new model of cutlass based on the 1853 cavalry sword was adopted and the blade length as standardized at 27" (right). I get the impression that most of the earlier patterns of cutlass were of this size. In 1871 weapons with a slightly shorter blade of 25½" were adopted. ’71 saw the adoption of both a new cutlass and a cutlass bayonet for the Martini-Henry rifle (below). Cutlass bayonets had been issued before, such as the 1859 model for the Enfield (above). The two ’71 pattern weapons seem to have been intended to share many common components between the bayonet and sword and the slight shortening of the blade may have been a concession to the bayonet role. In 1889 a cutlass with a blade of 28" was adopted.
What interested me about this passage was that the navy considered a blade of about 27" to be ideal for a cutlass. Most British army swords of this period are 32" or more in length. Cavalry swords tend to be longer and in the 33 to 36" range. I have a 1898 Officer’s sword with a 32" blade. It is a very nice weapon but I cannot handle it without feeling it would be handier and more agile with a few inches removed.
27-28" is also the “Perfect Length” for a sword that I pondered on in a previous post.