Wearing a bed roll and a knapsack?

[TMAN]

Gents

I was looking at the picture of the three Confederates captured at Gettysburg again. the middle Soldier is wearing his knapsack and a bed roll over his right shoulder. Has anyone ever tried this? Usally I do one or the other, a bed roll or a knapsack. I couldn't imagine it being that comfortable with both.


Any other thoughts

Tim Fretwell

[stx]

Re: Wearing a bed roll and a knapsack?

I did at Piney Woods along with what seemed like a great deal of my pards. I had no problem with comfort, it releived a lot of strain on my back, and when you sling your bed roll over your left shoulder you can then use it as a pad to rest your rifle on. It doesn't interfear with anything, except maybe support arms.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Wearing a bed roll and a knapsack?

Hallo!

Some lads interpret the prisoner image as being more of what the men "loaded up" when they knew they going off to a POW camp moreso than what they NUG used and carried in that way on campaign.

Not to mention how they felt to pose, or we made to pose by the photographer.

Others' mileage will vary...

Curt

[Gallinipper]

Re: Wearing a bed roll and a knapsack?

I believe the image of captured Confederates at Five Forks also reveals some of the men wearing their knapsacks and rolls together in this fashion.

http://www.old-picture.com/civil-war/Confederate-Prisoners-Captured.htm

There's probably a better photo than this, which also might be enlarged?

Rich Croxton

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Wearing a bed roll and a knapsack?

See "Confederates Ford the Potomac River" by A.C. Redwood, veteran of the 55th VA Inf.

[PogueMahone]

Re: Wearing a bed roll and a knapsack?

I believe the image of captured Confederates at Five Forks also reveals some of the men wearing their knapsacks and rolls together in this fashion.

http://www.old-picture.com/civil-war/Confederate-Prisoners-Captured.htm

There's probably a better photo than this, which also might be enlarged?

Rich Croxton

Rich,

My first thought was "That lanky fellow up front is talking on his cell phone!"

[Gallinipper]

Re: Wearing a bed roll and a knapsack?

Joe,

Either that or he's "picking a winner" in the next horse race!

Rich Croxton

[Joe Walker]

Re: Wearing a bed roll and a knapsack?

I wore my knapsack with a blanket over it in events spaning about 25 years and it worked for me.

Joe Walker

[lukegilly13]

Re: Wearing a bed roll and a knapsack?

I wear a blanket roll and a knapsack...i find it makes the weight in the knapsack lighter and the weight in the bedroll lighter actually making each more comfortable than by themselves.

The image above from five forks has been discussed on the forum in quite some depth. And yes, there is a better image located at the LOC and you can pull up the much higher resolution scan of it.

[zeked45]

Re: Wearing a bed roll and a knapsack?

I agree with Tim. i did the same thing at into the piney woods and it really helped relieve the strain on my back.

[TMAN]

Re: Wearing a bed roll and a knapsack?

Gents

Well you all seem to feel that it is comfortable, i guess i will give it ago. Thank you gents.

Tim Fretwell

[Pvt_Sullivan]

Re: Wearing a bed roll and a knapsack?

How much of this discussion is based on 'Reenactor Practice' vice 'Historical Documentation'?

I've never tried wearing both a blanket roll and a knapsack. The way I figure it the knapsack has a perfectly good compartment for the blanket so I should use it as intended...

[Sherman Necktie]

Re: Wearing a bed roll and a knapsack?

I was kind of curious about that, a pard of mine wears both the knapsack and the blanket roll at events. I would think that any excess they would toss to the side of the road, depending on the season of course.

[PogueMahone]

Re: Wearing a bed roll and a knapsack?

Pete has a point. The majority of concurrence is based on personal practice, not documentation. I've done it, but that doesn't make it authentic. I also used to carry a cooler full of beer to events in years past and we know that isn't authentic.

More research, less personal experience.

[Suppelsa]

Re: Wearing a bed roll and a knapsack?

I've tried it before, and I hate it. Your mileage may vary.