I can attest that having good blankets is everything... My first event I was miserably cold the first night. Woke up for the 10th time and someone had tossed a couple nicer wool blankets on me. They probably heard my teeth chattering a few tents away! Made all the difference after I readjusted the layers and cocooned myself. Sleeping in uniform also helps significantly if you're just trying to stay warm and the ground is cold.

So, I'm in a big box company... what can I say, got a fake shin and pins in two joints... but I do a lot of teaching at schools and whatnot. Most of my layout is touch and feel. I invite the students to actually pick up items and feel their weight and texture. This is a valuable teaching tool; learning takes place in all five senses and if you want to make a point, you go beyond the wall of text. And I also use my gear. While I do sleep on a cot in the field, I only use the period issue gear otherwise. So my blankets, leathers, etc. smell like gunpowder, dirt and wood smoke just like my uniforms do. All that being said, yes, you **absolutely** want a blanket of 'campaigner' quality and weight.

Anyone interested in any form of traditional camping needs to watch this video. Not all wool is created equal!

IMO it is better to get a vintage blanket. They were still made in a traditional way. Very dense and heavy. They are not expensive. Besides, as we know, despite what the specs are, the actual items were probably far from it. The Witney Blanket Company ( still in operation), produced blankets for the Hudson's Bay Company. Very high quality. Not cheap though. To make a blanket even better the wool should be shrunk after weaving. It tightens the weave a lot. I just bought a horse blanket. It is very dense wool, Purchased on eBay for well below the price typically at sutlers outlets. Should perform well. Don't forget guys insulation underneath will add to staying warm. I am not a re-enactor, but I want authenticity as much as possible for a memorial display I am doing.

The Sekela blanket is by far the best. I glad that I've purchased one.

@scottberge6286

4 жыл бұрын

joseph gonzales how long did you have to wait for it?

I got myself an acrylic plad blue blanket that looks exactly like wool. Of course it’s not military issue or necessarily accurate but it’s very nice and practically identical apart from the tags

THE BEST reproduction blanket ever made is the Charles Childs/Fred Gaede 1851 Töjhusmuset blanket. Good luck finding one! They are absolutely worth every penny.

@rjohnson1690

5 жыл бұрын

I actually brought my 1851 blanket with me to Sweden, and took my blanket to the Töjhusmuset in Denmark to compare it to the original. It’s color and nap is dead on.

My Woolrich blanket measured 83 inches long and it was 61 and 1/2 inches in width.

I scored the Wisconsin Veterans Museum repro back in the day (an exact copy of a blanket in their collection) civilian style blanket. Then I got 3 brown Federal Blankets... all small batch repros that I got 15-20 years ago. The First was another Wisconsin Veterans Museum Reproduction of the Auggie Weissert blanket.... Its a fabulous repro and one of the best I've seen. The other I got from a small run I saw announced on Authentic Campaigner... I forgot the name of the operation now.. I think they made a couple of runs of these blankets and then closed the project. I totally forget the name. Anyway that blankets and is also one of the best I've ever seen in quality and weight. I have had people offer me 3 times what I paid for it... I guess they are still pretty highly sought after. The third one is from Family Heirloom Weavers run they did. I also have a grey federal blanket that I got from County Cloth years ago... its probably the one I use the most because its the least rare. I had no Idea at the time I bought these blankets that they would be so much harder to come by these days... otherwise I would have paid more attention to my purchases. Back then there were just a lot more good blanket options... nowadays it kinda sucks. ***note*** I edited this post as I remembered more details.

could you do a video on beard and hair specifications please

Mainstream blanket would make a nice tablecloth. Great info. 👍🏻

Best blanket I purchased was the Abe Thomas Civil War blanket by Quartermaster Woolens in the early 2000’s. It has lasted me and is huge so It covers me well. I’ve only seen a few that come close in quality.

The thing that gets me with any of these blankets...I understand that it's the way they were...but having grown up in a textile mill these unfinished edges will turn into the blanket falling apart over time....200 bucks is a lot of money to watch fall apart...just my opinion boys

@brocjones2623

4 жыл бұрын

Sloan Champion you have to finish the edges with a blanket stitch so this doesn’t happen

@sloanchampion85

4 жыл бұрын

@@brocjones2623 looks like the maker would do that....wonder if it's possible to request this

@brocjones2623

4 жыл бұрын

Sloan Champion many makers do for an extra fee, but a lot of historical reenact it’s like myself like to save an additional $30 or so and hand sew the blanket stitch in order to maintain authenticity and have a little bit of our own craftsmanship in our equipment.

@sloanchampion85

4 жыл бұрын

@@brocjones2623 thanks for the help pard

I did civil war reenactment as a cavalry and infantry my choice was a heavy cavalry blanket with a oil skin Goodyear pat. As a ground cloth and a rain poncho as my top of my bed roll and when I wanted shelter a good shelter half was a good choice but packing all that to fit on the saddle was the hard part but that was my sleeping gear

I finally got a decent coverlet from south union mills because I couldn't find an authentic federal or CS issue blanket that I could afford. It is the best blanket I have used thus far for keeping me warm in the field but I do want to have a proper issued blanket someday when they are either more affordable or when I have more capital to spend

@jayhallman6666

5 жыл бұрын

Bryan Kohn Wambaugh and White will be making another run of US Blankets this fall. If you know about them then you know it will be a great quality blanket. The last run sold out it 23 hours.

Good presentation! I do earlier and non military living history I like the Pendleton and it matches about you sizes, is thick and warm, not the right colors as they are pseudo trade blankets

Keep it going

The button Baron has some nice ones that i bought 3 of, 2 for myself (planning on selling 1 of them to anyone in my unit) and bought the other for one of my Corporals since he didnt have the money at the time. i sadly have yet to use them at any event. but i have used them when ive slept in my car and or when at home itchy as all hell but warm.

Horses are wider than they where 150 years ago thus regardless of the size of the blanket. I was tought to use not one but two blankets on the horses back. To allow 21/2 to 3 inches of blanket in front of the saddle, the saddle placed just behind the shoulers blades ie withers of the horse, You information kis great but not necessary practicial. Ive been doing CW reenacting as a horse soldier for over 0 years

Was the mainstream blanket the Woolrich blanket?

Wambaugh White and Co has a nice blanket for sell. Get one before they are gone! lol

@11thovc

5 жыл бұрын

Jay, agreed. We made this video before they announced their first run of blankets. Since then we have promoted their blankets and have ourselves purchased many of them. At this time the WW&C blankets are our favorite!

@Hi-lb8cq

3 жыл бұрын

Hard to find blankets anymore in 2021

Did you just receive NJS blankets? I've had an order with him for about 6 months and he doesn't reply to inquiries.

@11thovc

5 жыл бұрын

joel, we did just receive it. If you spend anytime in the forums or conversations online regarding all the vendors, you will quickly find that he has good quality items that you can purchase from a "store front" but he is notoriously bad at customer service and time-frames. I waited 2 years on a Shell Jacket with no communication and there are countless stories like that. If you are willing to put up with the crap, or if he has it in stock then your golden. But if you have to custom make something then be prepared for a waiting game with no communication. Anytime I order something from him, I just assume 2 years. LOL.

How about jean cloth blankets? For example these sold by Wanbough, White and Company? Are they warm enough? It looks better for confederate impression.

What do you think of fall creek blankets

@Elk6903

5 жыл бұрын

wade cates , they fall into the category of mainstream.

@wadedog4280

4 жыл бұрын

@@Elk6903 , do you think they are heavy weight close enough ? They have a similar "augie" What About the red horse blankets , would they had been used by soldiers or extras " borrowed "

I think it’s time to throw the south union mills federal blanket into this review.

What is the name of the makers for the mainstream blankets

@11thovc

Жыл бұрын

Nick, the "mainstream" blankets were primarily Woolrich blankets.

It is always nice to look at the specifications, however, even in the reality of the time, the govt bought inferior products on a regular basis....

So not even a wool blanket can be found made in the US . Wt per square yard is the only figure that matters to stay warm

Some soldiers carried 2 blankets it's possible

@pennsyltuckyreb9800

Жыл бұрын

2 thinner blankets are actually warmer than 1 thick one. Just make sure both are 100% wool 👍

The real test is to wash the blanket in a boiling kettle over an open fire so you can get the lice out of them. Just like the good ol days.

The only thing about your favorite repro. It's about 8% bigger and 8% lighter. So that makes it what, 12% thinner?

As a former Vietnam reenactor and now a Ukraine war reenactor, No just go as cheap as possible

Length we as people are taller so there's that

Nothing worse than trying to sleep and shivering with your teeth chattering.

I don’t understand how the 11th OVC can in good conscience promote a scam artist like Nick Sekela. You don’t ever give warnings in your videos and because of your advice, I lost out on a considerable amount of money and time before I knew better.

@11thovc

5 жыл бұрын

Tyler, sorry for the confusion. We were not necessarily saying to buy a NJS blanket new, but were simply comparing the three kinds of blankets to the original design specs in the QM manual. Out of the three options discussed in this video, his met the design specs closer. Since this video, there have been other suppliers that came out with great blankets. Our group has purchased many items from NJS and while his business practices and customer service are to be desired, he has always...eventually, delivered what we purchased. In some cases it took a few months, in others it took 3 year As with all suppliers, it is best to research ratings from customers before buying. We were only reviewing the specifications of the blankets, not the business practices or customer service. joel nicholas (see below) made a comment in which we discussed the poor customer service of NJS and addressed this issue. Again, sorry for the confusion on the difference regarding going over which blanket available (at the time) was more accurate to the QM specs vs. any actual endorsement of the business itself.

@DonDon-zm3vz

2 жыл бұрын

i had nothing but issues with that guy also. i don’t think his items are at all top notch. His jackets / coat sizing is way off and fit like my 5 year old sewed it together