Lewis and Clark Expedition equipment list

[Maverick]

Lewis and Clark Expedition 33 men 3yrs 1803/1806
FYI, one of the main food source was dog, the expedition ate 263 dogs. Only one member of the party died in the 3 years

Transportation:
55-foot (17-meter) Keelboat
2 Pirogues (open boats)
Square sail (also called a broad sail)
35 Oars
2 Horses

Camping Equipment:
150 Yards (140 meters) of cloth to be oiled and sewn into tents and sheets
6 Large needles
Pliers
Chisels
Handsaws
Oilskin bags
25 Hatchets
Whetstones
30 Steels for striking or making fire
Iron corn mill
2 Dozen tablespoons
Mosquito curtains
10.5 Pounds (5 kilograms) of fishing hooks and fishing lines
12 Pounds (5.4 kilograms) of soap
193 Pounds (87.5 kilograms) of "portable soup" (a thick paste concocted by boiling down beef, eggs, and vegetables, to be used if no other food was available on the trail)
3 Bushels (106 liters) of salt
Writing paper, ink and crayons

Clothing:
45 Flannel shirts
20 Coats
15 Frocks
Shoes
Woolen pants
15 Blankets
Knapsacks
30 Stockings
15 Pairs wool overalls

Medicine:
50 Dozen Dr. Rush's patented "Rush's Thunderclapper" pills
Lancets
Forceps
Syringes
Tourniquets
1,300 Doses of physic
1,100 Doses of emetic
3,500 Doses of diaphoretic (sweat inducer)
Additional drugs

Arms:
15 Prototype Model 1803 muzzle-loading .54-caliber rifles "Kentucky Rifles"
15 Gun slings
24 Large knives
Powder horns
500 Rifle flints
420 Pounds (191 kilograms) of sheet lead for bullets
176 Pounds (80 kilograms) of gunpowder packed in 52 lead canisters
1 Long-barreled rifle that fired its bullet with compressed air, rather than by flint, spark, and powder

Mathematical Instruments:
Surveyor's compass
Hand compass
1 Hadley's quadrant
1 Telescope
3 Thermometers
2 Sextants
1 Set of plotting instruments
1 Chronometer (needed to calculate longitude; at $250 it was the most expensive item)
1 Portable microscope
1 Tape measure

Trade Goods (Indian Tribes):
12 Dozen pocket mirrors
4,600 Sewing needles
144 Small scissors
10 Pounds (4.5 kilograms) of sewing thread
Silk ribbons
Ivory combs
Handkerchiefs
Yards of bright-colored cloth
130 Rolls of tobacco
Tomahawks that doubled as pipes
288 Knives
8 Brass kettles
Vermilion face paint
20 Pounds (9 kilograms) of assorted beads, mostly blue
5 Pounds (2 kilograms) of small, white, glass beads
288 Brass thimbles
Armbands
Ear trinkets

Books and Maps:
A Practical Introduction to Spherics and Nautical Astronomy
Antoine Simon's Le Page du Pratz's History of Louisiana
Barton's Elements of Botany
Dictionary (4-volume)
Linnaeus (2-volume edition), the Latin classification of plants
Richard Kirwan's Elements of Mineralogy
The Nautical Almanac and Astronomical Ephemeris
Tables for finding longitude and latitude
Map of the Great Bend of the Missouri River

 

[jimLE]

and i thought that i took alot on camping trips..LOL

 

[jontte]

that's alot of stuff and they did all what they did without any modern gadgets,no gps,satelite phones etc...

 

[Maverick]

that's alot of stuff and they did all what they did without any modern gadgets,no gps,satelite phones etc...

We need to study and learn of past expeditions, learn how the indigenous people lived in the geographic of one's location, today, we humans are very very weak by yesterdays standards in every area of surviving off the land and even then the failure rate was high but no where the failure rate will be of the modern man living a life of the past, technology is temporary the mind is a life time!

 

[jontte]

it's so easy to lean on modern things, but try to do it without them, not easy anymore, I try to have my mobile on me as little as possible, I'm takeing baby-steps, if I don't have something I try to figure out how I could do it my self

 

[jontte]

but I also know, throw me in the bush, a wild bush and boy do I feel lonely and vulnerable

 

[jimLE]

yeah..so many people don't have any idea whatsoever on how to live without todays technologies.they wont survive a shtf situation..i have a ex sister in law who can't cook.shed either be dependent on others.or starve

 

[Maverick]

but I also know, throw me in the bush, a wild bush and boy do I feel lonely and vulnerable

Then keep yourself busy and the mind active and don't think of such things.. stay focus and no rabbit trails

 

[jontte]

I'll do my best my friend, i'll do, gonna take a walk tonite,just for fun and perhaps I find some moss this time

 

[Graynomad]

I often spend long periods in the bush with no technology, well no electronic technology, every thing we wear and use is technology of some kind. So far I've never used a GPS on a walk, I may never do but even if I use one I'll still have paper maps and a compass.

The longest walk I've done is 10 days, but 3-5 is pretty common. But as I said I'm still relying on modern tech like freeze-dried food, Vibram boot souls, nylon tent etc. When I get my BOIL (Bug Out/In Location) sorted I plan to get back into overland walking, if I ditch my 10kgs of camera gear I reckon I can go for 2-3 weeks no problems, it will be interesting to find out.

 

[Gazrok]

Some interesting things there. Anyone catch the compressed air rifle? I looked that up, and it's pretty ingenious, well ahead of its time for the day.

The trade goods they carried are also interesting, and most items are an interesting note for SHTF trading scenarios (minus the beads and warpaint). A huge portion of the trade goods were sewing related supplies, which is pretty telling.

I'm still curious on the two horses....man, they must have been some miffed horses traveling for a while by boat! My horses are in for a whole day due to storms, and they are stomping to get out and run around in no time.

 

[jontte]

I'm curious about that bothanical book by Linnaeus,guy did his work in the old world, how accurate was the book maybe in the new world?

 

[Gazrok]

At least gave a basis, I'd think. But yeah, I'll bet the flora was more confounding.

 

[jontte]

strange what you think when it's quiet in the night

 

[Maverick]

As much as I know about my area and what to eat when foraging, I don't know about it all and never will! I keep these two books as a reference and may be part of my bug out equipment.

 

[Gazrok]

They make a set of playing cards for different regions, that have full color pics of plants on them. They make a deck for poisonous plants, and another deck for edible ones (don't worry, different colors, so won't mix them up!)

http://www.campingsurvival.com/playingcards.html

 

[jontte]

it would be a rotten thing to mix 'em plants, another idea I'm going to copy which will take me to the bookstore

 

[Maverick]

They make a set of playing cards for different regions, that have full color pics of plants on them. They make a deck for poisonous plants, and another deck for edible ones (don't worry, different colors, so won't mix them up!)

http://www.campingsurvival.com/playingcards.html

Going to order these, Thanks!

"Edible & Poisonous Plants of the Western States Cards" and "WILD CARDS"

 

[jontte]

I'm getting my kids over at the end of this month, book or cards like that might be fun, though they seem both be qiute good in knowing what is what and they love to play in the woods, when I was a kid I didn't like any bugs, these two don't mind anything, so they can teach me and I can teach them
and learn more about plant life

 

[Myrrph]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girandoni_Air_Rifle

in case you guys need

 

[Jammyamerica]

and i thought that i took alot on camping trips..LOL

Thanks for links!!

 

[jayson40]

I myself thought I took a lot when I go camping as well. I am old school guy. I believe in the old school ways from the old school days. I love what they had and used. I don't like a lot of gadgets and gizmos that require electricity and batteries when I go camping-except for the flashlight or radio. A lot of people when and if -shtf- are going to be in trouble . Because they depend on electrics and or batteries. Lewis and Clark did what they did without it pretty cool.

Lewis and Clark Expedition 33 men 3yrs 1803/1806
FYI, one of the main food source was dog, the expedition ate 263 dogs. Only one member of the party died in the 3 years

Transportation:
55-foot (17-meter) Keelboat
2 Pirogues (open boats)
Square sail (also called a broad sail)
35 Oars
2 Horses

Camping Equipment:
150 Yards (140 meters) of cloth to be oiled and sewn into tents and sheets
6 Large needles
Pliers
Chisels
Handsaws
Oilskin bags
25 Hatchets
Whetstones
30 Steels for striking or making fire
Iron corn mill
2 Dozen tablespoons
Mosquito curtains
10.5 Pounds (5 kilograms) of fishing hooks and fishing lines
12 Pounds (5.4 kilograms) of soap
193 Pounds (87.5 kilograms) of "portable soup" (a thick paste concocted by boiling down beef, eggs, and vegetables, to be used if no other food was available on the trail)
3 Bushels (106 liters) of salt
Writing paper, ink and crayons

Clothing:
45 Flannel shirts
20 Coats
15 Frocks
Shoes
Woolen pants
15 Blankets
Knapsacks
30 Stockings
15 Pairs wool overalls

Medicine:
50 Dozen Dr. Rush's patented "Rush's Thunderclapper" pills
Lancets
Forceps
Syringes
Tourniquets
1,300 Doses of physic
1,100 Doses of emetic
3,500 Doses of diaphoretic (sweat inducer)
Additional drugs

Arms:
15 Prototype Model 1803 muzzle-loading .54-caliber rifles "Kentucky Rifles"
15 Gun slings
24 Large knives
Powder horns
500 Rifle flints
420 Pounds (191 kilograms) of sheet lead for bullets
176 Pounds (80 kilograms) of gunpowder packed in 52 lead canisters
1 Long-barreled rifle that fired its bullet with compressed air, rather than by flint, spark, and powder

Mathematical Instruments:
Surveyor's compass
Hand compass
1 Hadley's quadrant
1 Telescope
3 Thermometers
2 Sextants
1 Set of plotting instruments
1 Chronometer (needed to calculate longitude; at $250 it was the most expensive item)
1 Portable microscope
1 Tape measure

Trade Goods (Indian Tribes):
12 Dozen pocket mirrors
4,600 Sewing needles
144 Small scissors
10 Pounds (4.5 kilograms) of sewing thread
Silk ribbons
Ivory combs
Handkerchiefs
Yards of bright-colored cloth
130 Rolls of tobacco
Tomahawks that doubled as pipes
288 Knives
8 Brass kettles
Vermilion face paint
20 Pounds (9 kilograms) of assorted beads, mostly blue
5 Pounds (2 kilograms) of small, white, glass beads
288 Brass thimbles
Armbands
Ear trinkets

Books and Maps:
A Practical Introduction to Spherics and Nautical Astronomy
Antoine Simon's Le Page du Pratz's History of Louisiana
Barton's Elements of BotanyDictionary (4-volume)
Linnaeus (2-volume edition), the Latin classification of plants
Richard Kirwan's Elements of Mineralogy
The Nautical Almanac and Astronomical Ephemeris
Tables for finding longitude and latitude
Map of the Great Bend of the Missouri River

myself

 

[jontte]

pretty amazing isn't it?
read about this in school in history class, though they didn't have the list of things there, it would have been a helluva test question...