Solo Winter Camping in the 18th Century: Gear, Shelter, Fire, Clothes, and Woods ASMR

18th Century winter camping was hard, and despite not having the optimal gear, I learned a lot from this overnight experience.

00:00 - Timestamps
00:07 - Trek
02:02 - Introduction
03:57 - Shelter Build
13:25 - Nighttime
16:17 - Lessons Learned
24:20 - Gear & Supplies
37:14 - Trekking Out

In this video, I spent hours trekking around a large piece of forested land. I visited several of my favorite campsites, looking for a place to call home for the night. Finally, I decided on an area in a large pine grove, set along a prairie, and built a large shelter, fire, and stone heat reflector. As I filmed the construction of my shelter I assembled a variety of shots of the snowfall and forest around me, which I have compiled into an interlude at 04:53.

My evening was the most difficult night I have ever spent while camping, largely because I did not have the proper period clothing to pull off a wet night in the cold. My lack of proper gear (like moccasins, a proper hat, gloves, wool garments, and other accessories). As night fell, temperatures began to rise, causing the snow to melt and my shelter to become a muddy nightmare of protruding roots, half-frozen water, and drafts from cold jetstream winds. The weather exacerbated the issues that I was facing. In the morning I discuss the troubles I had starting a fire with saturated wood and walk viewers through what gear I do have. I believe this video is a marked improvement from past camping videos when it comes to carrying accurate gear, but I also acknowledge that my kit is far from complete and not entirely period correct.

As stated in the playlist description, the 18th Century Camping Series on my channel is meant more as a benchmark of my progress in this hobby than anything. Despite not having perfect gear, overnight stays give me good hands-on experiences with what gear I do have and provide direction for improvement beyond what I can glean from the internet. Part of that improvement often comes from suggestions from my experienced viewers. Please let me know what I should buy, make, or work on in the comments section. I do not claim to be perfect - these videos are merely an opportunity to watch as I mature in this hobby in the coming years. I simply ask that you fill the role of a mentor, not a critic, and do your best to back up constructive criticisms with period references.

WHY IS YOUR RIFLE IN A CASE?
This video was filmed at the original scout camp where I got my start in this hobby - which, in landowners terms, is a large piece of private property. My permission to film was granted on the grounds that I leave my flintlock at home. For the purposes of this video, I am carrying a heavy wooden broom handle with a cardboard stock for added shape inside my gun sock/case/sleeve. Frontiersmen of the 18th Century would most likely have slept with their flintlock loaded, primed, and at half cock for ease of use in emergencies, and would not have kept it in a case, though there are period paintings depicting thin, form-fitting gun socks like the one I have. During inclement weather, black powder shooters often tucked the lock of their gun under their arm, shielding it with the cape on their hunting shirt or under their coat, and would have made a conscious effort to keep the muzzle facing downward so that water could not drip down the barrel. Cases are cumbersome to remove and inhibit the function of the flintlock.

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