If you have any suggestions that you want to add to to this page e-mail them to me and I may post them.

 

Reduce The Amount Of Stuff You Bring: Having at one time been a heavy camper, I can attest my life can be much easier when I go Campaign-Style.  I reduced all my gear down to fit into my pack. 
 

A. Reduce the amount of the gun cleaning gear. I have a small cleaning kit that consists of a wrench, pick, jag, a few patches and a tiny bottle of gun oil. You can do a more thorough cleaning when you get home.
 

B. Get rid of that lantern of turn to a folding lantern. The folding lantern they inexpensive and folds to 1 in thick and is 3" x  5". It puts out a lot of light.
 

C. Share the load with a partner. If you carry a frying pan, let him carry the boiler.
 

D. Carried food that is still palatable and takes up little room.  For example you can buy some presoaked beans and rice mix (some already have Cajun spices) for less than a dollar and it is enough for two meals, takes up little room and cooks in your tin cup. Peanuts, jerky, summer sausage, dried apples or peaches and hard tack all take up little space and will keep well. With some proper planning you can pack rations that do not need to be kept in a cooler. Now you can leave your cooler at home.

F. Do you need the camp stools ammo or cracker boxes? What about the big table and chair sets for 8 and china hutches? The more that you have in came the less authentic it looks.

 Bedrolls: If you can’t afford the $80-$150 for a backpack than you can make a bedroll as an authentic and inexpensive alternative. Since many of our Confederate counterparts use bedrolls. Different people have different methods to a blanket roll.

 

 Modify Your Dog Tent Or Shelter Half: Most reenactors drive their tent stakes thru the grommets of their shelter half.  This is incorrect.  A length of rope was knotted and threaded thru the grommets (there should be two in corner about the size of a dime) and knotted on the other end to hold it fast. This loop was then attached to the tent stake.  Most shelter halves sell them without brass grommets (which are incorrect) so you can cut out your own and sew a buttonhole stitch about the hole, thus creating your own grommets. If your half has brass grommets you can still run a knotted loop thru it.  I can also show you the buttonhole stitch; it is easy and doesn't take too long.  You can also use this stitch to modify your buttonholes on your clothing to look hand stitched.

 

 Utilize Poke Bags: Small period poke or ditty bags can be easily made or purchased from period material (cotton or linen) with draw strings. These are invaluable for stashing gear, food, and modern medicines.

Leave Enamelware At Home: They did not have blue or red enamelware cups, plates or flatware back then. They are super farby so leave them at home. If you can’t find a proper coffee boiler paint over the blue with some stove black paint and it will cover up the blue or red.

Take Off The Sheath Knife : After the first days of the war the troops figured that the large knives were heavy and bulky. In many cases the were useless. The knives were disposed of. We don't go in to real hand to hand combat and the knives are just extra weight to carry around and they look tacky.

Scale Down the Hat Decorations: Play down the amount of badges, numbers letters and hat cords  . A proper hat does not need to be decorated. There are some units that wear so many items on there hats that they can't fit anything else on them.