Adventurer Canvas Bedroll | Fantasy Medieval Camping and Larp 

The sound is a little wonky int this video, I apologize. We've had 20 mph winds the last few days, I did the best I could to mitigate it.

And no matter how much work you put into a good bedroll, there will STILL be that one little rock you don't find until it pokes you in the middle of the back!

Material: 2 GP Fabricate spell: 7,500 GP Leveling up: Priceless

A tip: In addition to waterproofing the canvas, throw some of those spruce branches into a pile and lay your sleeping bag on top. Your body weight wil not push as heavily into the moist soil and the humid air will be able to filter through the needles and out beneath you.

DIY can be really cost efficient, but it requires a significant amount of research to find the best or cheapest solution available. That aside, awesome video and cool adventuring gear.

Definitely a lesson I learned as well: Everything 1 step away from commonly sold items will tenfold the prices. With this in my mind, I actually find fun in trying to find items that are available for a dime and can easily be modified.

Longtime reenactor and new LARPer here with a shared interest in historical/fantasy trekking. Keep making the kind of content you're making, my friend, I am a huge fan and I am constantly linking your videos to my friends to try and convince them to come on adventures with me!

Might have been better to leave the two layers separate. In scouting, I had a thin spring sleeping bag, a heavy canvas bag for the fall, and in the winter the spring bag was a liner that went inside the winter bag. Of course, whether or not I was inside the canvas bag, I had it with me just to lay on top of. In the summer, I often laid on top of the canvas and under (not inside) the spring bag. Plus, if you make the inside liner removable, you can clean it more easily.

DIY projects offer great opportunities to learn and thank you for passing along what you learned & experienced. A DIY project got me into book binding and even though it cost alot of money to do the project myself, the experience I got from the DIY has become invaluable!

Living Anachronism and Clamavi De Profundis both uploaded today! It is officially a good day to be a fantasy fan!

Just waterproofed a canvas tent with BLO/Mineral spirits in a 1:1 ratio, left outside to dry for three days and I was all set! Definitely super cool to work with, would suggest experimenting. Great video.

"Camping, if you are sleeping in a puddle you've done something wrong." Just picturing a gaming related graphic on a t shirt and... gimmie

Love these aesthetic appearance of this medieval necessities. 💜 I complete much hiking which entails one night sleeping in the wild. Your complement of essentials is massive. Granted in those olden days they didn’t have the lightweight goodies around today. Having all the essentials tied to the outside of one’s pack like a pack animal is looking for losing probably something most essential which one only find out later when reaching said destination. I know as it happened to me.

I've been told that if you want to use a cotton canvas tarp--quite cheap comparatively--boil the sucker first to tighten the weave. (Of course, I had an old copper wash-boiler.)

I did a 6x9 drop cloth and used the Scotch Guard camp waterproofing spray. I used the whole van for the drop cloth, but it works great, even in very heavy rain I stay completely dry in my canvas hammock. I’m 6’3”, so I used the whole drop cloth… The cloth was $12 and the waterproofing aerosol was $6, so not bad.

As a cosply enthusiasts, I can agree that projects like this can have a wildly swinging cost, and time commitment.

I made a simple bedroll from a self inflating backpacking sleeping pad and a $20 blanket from a truck stop. It's great for traveling because I can roll a change of clothes and some toiletries in it, and I have something comfortable in case, for instance, United cancels my flight and I have to spend the night in the Dallas airport...

I didn't know those sprays existed!!! That's gonna be a game changer for rainy days at Renfaires

We were taught in Scouts that you want double over you as under you and if you see the way they do blanket sleeping bags you end up with double above. You really need blanket pins.

The first pic you showed is also in my inspiration folder for my future bedroll. It looks so nice and warm. XD

Townsends is a great resource for early American gear, techniques, and culture

Hello there, i had pretty much success with waxing the cloth. I used a mixture of 4 parts of parafine candle wax and 1part of beeswax and it worked just fine. Just rub it on and then melt it in with a hairdryer. Thats it. And the costfactor is nearly to nothing.

I learned long ago with leatherworking & sewing that new DIY projects like this are almost never a cost effective end product. The value is always in the learning and enjoyment of the process. Second time through maaaaaybe being cost effective but still not always.

Have you tried just doing the cowboy method? Rather than sowing it up you just used a larger canvas and a wool blanket. I’ve thought of developing a system where I’d used the bed role as a pack for my supplies like a small pan, extra pant and socks, a second wool blanket cut and styled to your adventure’s cloak. I’d also want some rope and a light rope hammock to hang under the tarp in the event of heavy rains. On the outside I’d hang a machete or camp axe and a pot for boiling water. I’d also keep a knife on my person. I like the simplicity of the water resistant bed role. For the most part, no tent is actually water proof, and for most situations you really don’t need to bother about setting up a tent. If it’s too cold for a bed role text to a fire, it’s definitely too cold for a stoveless tent. If water is pooling up or if there is no flat ground, or if the rain is unbearable a hammock under a tarp would be better anyway. I like the idea of two wool blankets. One for the bedroll and one cut to the adventure’s cloak from your video on it. The adventure’s cloak could double as a pillow in temperate climates, and another layer in cooler temperatures. It also is nice if it’s raining or a little chilly to put over yourself and the bedroll strapped to your back while traveling. Then you could leave it out to dry by the fire while you sleep in a dry clean wool blanket. It might even be able to use the regular wool blanket as a stuffed under quilt for the hammock in cold weather where you need a tarp over head. However I think for most hammock situations, a bed roll in the hammock would works fine enough in light rain. You are off the ground and the water will run off you. I’ve also been thinking about making a steel light weight water tight barrel that can be strapped to a pack frame and used as a water proof pack, a cooking pot for a lot of food and water, and even a floaty for fording large and deep bodies of water. So long at it floats while full because it’s mostly full of air, a water tight pack sized barrel can help you swim much larger spans without much risk to your packed supplies. When I watch people build more permanent structures, having a large water tight container for collecting supplies or mud or river sand or sea shells or limestone to make lime for concrete or lime washing a cob house is often one of the most used tools. I think a big light weight water tight survival pot could be very useful for preparing adventures to be settlers in a pinch. It might be worth the weight to sacrifice a proper backpack for a light steel barrel that you can stuff and seal all your stuff in. I’ve also seen people use things like this to boil water in for a hot bucket shower. I spent a year showering only with buckets of boiled water when I lived overseas and it’s actually not that bad, and the alternative of not bathing when the weather is cold can really cut down on moral for modern people. You can also use it to wash clothes in. Being able to boil a lot of water is a bigger deal to long term thriving than I think camp style bushcraft people give it credit for.

Absolutely critical piece of an adventurer's kit. This connects you to our medieval forefathers/mothers in a major way. With a bed roll, you can look up at the very same night sky, suspended above the very same Earth, on basically the very same cushioning and waterproofing materials. There is also a visceral, spiritual, existential quality to it, for me. There are some things that our primitive ancestors did terribly wrong (hygiene and sanitation, anyone?). But this is something that they did extremely well. It blew the lid off my modernist smugness the first night I spent in one. It impressed me with our ancestors' wisdom and expertise, from so many centuries ago. And by skipping as many modern amenities as is safe and practical, it bridges the time gap between us and them.

I used regular old army blankets. One folded length wise, sown across the bottom and the same distance up the side. An a second blanket just folded around (or under it as an extra matras).

I agree, the price of supplies really adds up! I just ordered some 18 oz canvas duck to make my own but also using modern materials where it makes sense. I'm not going to waterproof it because I want it to breath well. I plan to sleep under a tarp if it rains. The bottom will be 1000 Cordura to help keep the canvas dry and clean. I will add a zipper on the side. I'm hoping to use mine next to a campfire which is why I want cotton. Keep up the videos!

Townsends is a great channel.

As someone who over heats easily at night I would be apprehensive with a 100% wool blanket plus a thick outer cover. ⛺️ It would be good during the winter and the cooler parts of spring/autumn. But I suppose it would be extra cushioning for summer time sleeping on top of the entire thing.

Imho DIY projects in a lot of instances are done to learn and practice skills you find useful to have. Or to satisfy some VERY specific requirements. It's not always about being too poor to hire a professional to do it.

Hell yes dude. I was JUST thinking about making my own for my “fantasy ranger” kit. Now I’m motivated and inspired like I am after every one of your videos 🤘🏻 you rule man.

As this is an anachronistic channel, have you considered making a wool or canvas sleeve for a neoprene yoga mat and using that as your vapor barrier between you and the ground? I use a neoprene pad under my wool sleeping system and it keeps me warm and dry. As I don’t need my kit to look aesthetically correct, yet, I don’t have a sleeve for mine. I also have no canvas in my system. My system consist of a loose weave wool sleeping bag. (60”x 178” folded up 80” and sewn along the sides. Finished size 60x98) A loose weave wool blanket. (60” x 80”). And the neoprene yoga mat. Ground. Neoprene. 1 layer of wool. Body. 8 layers of wool. Head flap pulled over my head and shoulders then tucked in over my chest adding 2 more layer over my chest. I’ve slept comfortably in weather cold enough to leave frost on the ground well after sunrise without noticing the cold. It would add a bit more weight to your kit and certainly is not period accurate. However, you could ditch the current canvas and replace it with a smaller amount for the sleeve. Should come out only slightly heavier. But it should not look out of place when covered in wool or canvas. Grab your ketchup and crunch away my friends.

Thers is alot to learn here not just from this video but from all the others, this is a wealth of knowledge that will guaranteed come to use.

Hello living anachronism it's been a while since I've watched one of your videos but I'm glad to be back

Yeah, the only things about crafting stuff myself that's always a plus is the ability to say, "I made this." And it being custoade, at least that I have found. Lol

Excellent commentary Kramer. DIY can be cheaper but I find the cost in failed attempts or trying different things to make it work for you is what really adds up. Keep up the great work. Nate

just found this channel today and its pretty good

For me the true meaning of adventure is to discover the unknown (nowadays, this would mean travel, like nomadic people do).

You might try marine supply houses for canvas, the kind used for sailing. Good luck 😃.

Love the new intro. And, as always, love the content.

One of the great things about diy projects is that you can make them modular and or more versatile. Also, if you make it you can repair it. Grab your ketchup and crunch away my friends.

You can make the weave on these drop clothes much tighter by washing and drying them on hot. The cotton shrinks a lot. Just be prepared to loose upward of 6" total size.

I'm planning on making something like this but am think of putting a space blanket between the canvas and wool blanket. Also probably going to add a sheep hide with the wool still on for winter use.

nice tips, did mine similar way, but put water repellent treated cowhide for bottom layer ( nigh indestructible for ten years now) and use snap buttons for foot section (to keep it rolled up during colder autumn nights) . love your outfit too, would be nice to see it layered out ;) . just a tip; if you'll ever try to dissolve silicone, try acteone, but do it in well ventilated area

Another factor that applies to DIY projects as far as cost is the old adage “time is money”

Perfect I've been making plans for a medieval camping so seeing this is very lovely timing.

This is a swag in Australia. You can get some fancy ones nowadays.

Coalcracker Bushcraft's channel has a great video on the Hutchins canvas bedroll. Might be something to look into. It's a great design with alot of versatility for a canvas bed roll.

always love your videos

Great video!

Thanks for the wisdom! I'll keep in mind that there are some great options out there that are well made and end up being more cost-effective and less time-consuming.

I did almost the exact same thing for a bedroll, except I used riveted snaps as I was going for a 20's-30's "period homage" bushcraft setup. For water proofing, I mixed silicon caulking with mineral spirits just as you showed, but mine worked out. When I waterproofed my cotton tarp (a king sized bed sheet from the Salvation Army Store,) I used the same method, but supplemented it with the silicone spray. FWIW, the spray and the DIY solution smell exactly the same.

At Walmart I got a 6 x 9 thick sturdy canvas drop cloth for $10. A lot more tightly woven and thicker than the one in this video. If you want to be more historically accurate and don’t want to mess with linseed oil then use beeswax. Townsends use iron oxide powder to make a paint because it closes up the gaps in the canvas but beeswax should do that too

I am sure you were going for the period style of wool around that time, but you can find 100% wool blankets at a local Army Surplus and they should be made in USA, unless like me, my current favorite wool is from Switzerland, but again it is a Swiss Army wool blanket that I found on one of my travels the price was around $35.00, I believe. Since I travel around the USA in my mini school bus, this blanket has been my turn to during those cold nights. Been down to 6 degrees one morning this past winter.

Duuude, the new intro is phenomenal!

I wanted to pop in here and say that after watching this I found another video that attempted to do the silicone mix and was able to do it successfully using Naphtha as his solvent over mineral spirits. He used 3/4 the volume of the cloth in solvent and, like you, a 5:1 ratio of solvent to silicone (ie 10oz silicone into 50oz naphtha). if you ever want to attempt it again give the Naphtha a try, and if you want to watch the process the video I am referencing was done by NightHawk. Thank you for presenting your whole process, I'm sure many people have and will try and knowing how you would have changed your process is often more valuable than a successful attempt.

With a good waterproof coat you'd actually stay surprisingly dry in rain (besides heavy downpour)

I've found that several people have "cheated" by having a layer of "space cloth" between the first and second layer from the ground. It isn't as durable as a thicker plastic, but it reflects heat back up to you.

Can't wait to see how it goes! Personally I use a wool greatcoat as a sleeping bag and need a good way to waterproof it.

Great video :) you made all the right choices here, if you had waterproofed it with painted-on silicone liquid you would essentially have been making a cheap amazon bivy bag, I have used one and I threw it away, it has no breath-ability so you wake up wet in the morning on a warm night, or wet and cold in the middle of a cold night, I have no experience sleeping in period kit (something I have wanted to change for years) but given that waxed canvas and linseed oilcloth also do not breath, you would have had the same problem with them Because the waterproof spray will have gaps in (loose weave) it will breath but water should bead on it so hopefully your blanket won't get wet from dew and should be protected from rain on the trail, however if the ground is slightly damp (like when canvas tents leak if you touch the sides) water will soak through from underneath because of the pressure of your weight, so I would strongly recommend getting a thin and light piece of waxed tarp the same size as your bedroll to use like a tent footprint, there are a few Etsy sellers who make waxed canvas bush-craft gear who would probably be happy to do this as a commission and because it's relatively small it shouldn't be too expensive, I don't know if he still makes ground tarps but PNWBushcraft use a really nice lightweight waterproof fabric that I would recommend, it wouldn't add much weight to your bedroll apologies for the long comment

Cool stuff! Einre vorph!

You have to look at army surplus. 9’x6’ heavy canvas tarp is like $50. Decent army wool blanket $50. 2 blocks of greenland wax $10.

i used duct cloth for my own ranger kit, at my hometown store it usually goes for about $9.99 a yard, but often i can use a 50% off coupon for it.

Good video. A couple tips... there's really no substitute for oil cloth ( linseed oil / cotton), wool is great for keeping warm but not a good wind break. Wash the tarp in hot water and dry on high a couple times before treating it, it'll close the weave up a bit. It's more multifunctional to use an oil cloth tarp and a wool blanket instead of a purpose built canvas cover. Traditionally I think they wrapped themselves diagonally in the wool blanket, making a good footbox. Keep it up.

i love your videos

Thank you.

the ground touching area is use painted with acrylics ... and sprays on top area

I just found your channel today, but I've been binging for the last couple of hours and loving it so far! For future reference when buying cheap bulk canvas: you can get a 4'x12' 10 oz canvas drop cloth from Harbor Freight for about $8. In my experience, the weave is sufficiently tight, and the natural off-white color takes dye perfectly. They also come in larger dimensions if you need something wider than 4', but I've always just pieced it together from the excess length. Edit for an additional thought: I have had pretty good success waterproofing with 1:1 beeswax & paraffin wax. Melt together in a double boiler, pre-iron your fabric (more to get it warm than and to open up the fabric than any concern about wrinkles) I like to double my fabric so any bleed-through just goes into the next layer and paint on with a brush or sponge. Repeat as needed, then lay a sheet of parchment paper on your fabric and iron in blocks to get the wax to really soak into the weave. This also removes the weird cloudy coating that will start to form as it dries. I've never used this method for anything as large as a bedroll, but it's relatively cheap and easy and has worked very well for the canvas hood and bags that I have made this way. Good luck!

I plan on one day doing some medieval camping, just haven't gotten around to it yet because of.. let's just call it personal problems with extreme anxiety. My plan is to go with a bedding made out of simple spruce branches, then a reindeer pelt, and several layers, both above and underneath me, by using a huge wool blanket I got from Etsy some time ago. Don't know how it would work, but I hope it turns out well. I have walked in the woods in medieval and fantasy clothing for half my life, but I've never actually spent a night in it. I'm still a newbie when it comes to medieval camping...

Beewax + Fish Oil + Beef Tallow (rendered fat) + Pine resin makes for a very good water proofing for materials, including leather and cloth-like. Check out Ole Time Woodsman Boot Grease. The Original 1800's Formula for Preservation Wax and Waterproofing.

Awesome video. I’m about to start a Viking Osberg tent project and I need all of the canvas knowledge I can get

medieval camping is the best camping!

I've heard good results with the silicone sealant dissolved in acetone, and adjusting the mixing ratio can make it breathable.

Be great to get an update on this. Tnx.

You should have washed and dried the drop cloth in high heat, it would have shrunk it and tightened up the weave. But it was an excellent effort. If you had just shown the bedroll without explanation i would have thought you bought it.

Looking forward to further videos on the effectiveness of this setup, and whether the tarp ends up being replaced by a tighter woven one (which would add weight, I expect).

You want try finding sunforger canvas. Try finding someone that makes boat cover or tenst. Don't buy crap paint drop cloth.

Aye. With all my projects, i get a similar mount of money to pay. Silicon was a brave try.. So in my last project... A cloak and cooked lineseedoil... I was in a train and it smells horrible. The flamable problem is not high but crumbled and folded textils in lineseedoil have a risk of spontaneous combustion 😮. Physics.. A world full of magic. So the smell dont go away.. I washed it and take textil wax.. Another buy, another price to pay. And the wax is something like vaseline and paraffinwax... Also not ecological fine. Not like i wish. But we want it. We do it. We learn. My cloak or tarps are denim. Its darker and do the same job. Its heavy for me to get rougher textils. Another option was also oilskin😅 not so much trouble. And really.. I got something from bushcraft spain. And if i sew it at home.. The materials and the working time is similar to this prices.

Cool project, looks like you learned a lot and have a really good skill of generalising those lessons. You will definitely benefit when you do future DIY. I think your bed roll is cool and your audience will learn a lot from your mistakes. I live in Australia where there are a lot of options fof canvas bedrolls that we refer to as swags. As a hiker however i've alwaus found them ridiculously bulky and heavy compared to modern materials. I would like to have a historical bedroll though.

I took a canvas tarp (from my local Army surplus store) and Hudson Bay blanket to camp at 10,000 feet in August. I was still cold because it got down to the 30s. It probably would have been ok if either I was at a lower elevation or used a larger blanket.

Ok I don't know if you have one around your state, but here in Michigan. We have a military surplus stores,they have wool blankets for cheap that work great for everything

Commenting for the algorithm.

I’ve done the linseed oil, iron oxide authentic way. It makes a very very water proof tough fabric BUT it is stiff, totally took almost a month to cure and is suuuuper heavy because there’s iron in it lol. But invest in a decent wool blanket for suuuure

I've seen the silicone paint made with just water instead of mineral spirits and the 100% silicone and a trash bag. Kneading it thoroughly with your hands. You might get better results this way.

Just remember everybody that most Duck fabric is cotton weaved like canvas, Old school canvas is linen made from flax and IMO is better but more expensive. Best of luck on everyone's project

Good video. I personally chose not to waterproof my actual roll and instead use a ground cloth that is already water proof. I got one a little larger so that I can place misc item on it as well as my roll. Then just roll it all up together. Roll is machine washable and ground cloth can be rinses off and done.

Pro tip, art stores have oiled canvas for painting

Great vid! Is there a follow up?

Depends also where you get your drop clothes from, I find harbor freight has very good ones with a tight weave, but ace hardware are looser and more expensive. Its a matter of hunting if you want the best deal, but do agree with your starting comment.. diy does not always equal cheaper for sure..

I've seen a few old Swedish canvas sleeping bags/bedrolls for sale, sadly non have been long enough for me but they look the part.

Will you maybe make a camping vlog style video in the future?

I can see why you opted for the expensive waterproofing method first. It was because you were looking for a more permanent solution.

I carry a bedroll with 2 slightly smaller but thick wool blankets that weighs at least 10 pounds

Lots of people make oilskin tarps with bedsheets made from natural fabrics. It’s thinner so it will be lighter and you can buy a thought thread count. I’m planning to make myself one, but it is pricy. Not as pricy as buying an oilskin though lol

am i the only one who wants to make a story set in an alternate reality where our group of heroes is shad, living anach, and metatron, and skallagrim?

100% wool is expensive but if you look after it it will last generations. If the blanket is just going to be in the bed roll a more budget friendly option is military surplus wool blankets. They aren't 100% wool and some have markings on them but they are significantly less expensive.

interesting video, good followup would be tarp/tent, as an option, you could use the canvas as a snapsack/cover for roycroft load. or as a browse bed or even hammock.

I find any time I try to DIY something I end up dumping way more money into it than I wanted lol. Might I suggest making a browse bed to keep you and your bedroll off of the ground. Also I suggest checking out Dave Canterbury's RU-vid channel (if you havent already) He is a wealth of knowledge for bushcraft but also has videos and 18th century bushcraft and primitive bushcraft.

Oof, that's high pricing for a canvas drop cloth of that size. I frequently use the medium weight (different store/brand, probably) which seems to compare with your knapsack - and even the "extra heavy weight" is half the price you paid, roughly.

What were the natural water resistant methods use in older times? There was a lot of coating of ships but I haven't heard of many for cloth till 1900s.