What was camping like in the 1930s?
What’s the first thing you think of when it comes to Girlguiding? Fun? Empowerment? Adventure? For many of us, camping is definitely up there too.
Our friends at Blacks, one of our fantastic recommended retailers, have managed to get their hands on a selection of vintage Girlguiding books...
We used Hiking and Lightweight Camping, a book written by A M Maynard and published by The Guide Association, to give us an insight into what camping was like in the 1930s and how it has evolved over the last 90 years.
From an oilskin cape to a sleeping bag packed with straw, it’s safe to say if the Camp skills builder had been around in the 30s, it would have been a little more uncomfortable to achieve than it is nowadays!
Oilskin capes were used instead of coats
Clothing
Clothing is important for any expedition, and the most important piece (we think) is a waterproof jacket, especially in the UK! Popular waterproofing technologies didn’t appear until the late 1960s, so Guides and their leaders had to find different ways to stay dry on rainy camps.
In fact, according to Hiking and Lightweight Camping, the word on traditional coats was:
'Coats. None of any kind. They impede free air, free circulation, and free movement and – have you ever tried to dry them in camp?'
What was used instead was a mackintosh – an oilskin cape. Listing benefits such as:
'… it covers your rucsac; it allows much more ventilation than a coat; it is easy to fold and makes a good groundsheet for a rest hour; it can be wiped dry and when showery can be thrown on your back while walking.'
Homemade oilskins were cheap too, with instructions to simply rub half a pint of your best boiled linseed oil into the material, use a nail brush to remove the excess and stretch it. The finished product took a mere 1-2 weeks to dry – easy, right?
Coats were a no-go on camping trips in the 30s!
Need a rucksack? Our author recommends getting yourself an oilskin tennis racket cover from Woolworths.
Rucksacks
After you’ve created your newfound waterproof, you’ll need something to carry it in. That can’t be too difficult can it? Well, it turns out your 'rucsac' was handmade too!
Waterproof canvases were the norm in the 30s, though our author advises against it, instead opting for a lightweight 'Italian cloth' with a 'Woolworth’s oilskin tennis racket cover' to keep your clothes dry. Leather straps were also recommended, as cloth cuts into the shoulder, which can be added by a cobbler for only a few pence.
Nowadays rucksacks are highly technical, produced with comfortable yet water resistant fabrics made to be lightweight and breathable. However, breathability is not a modern concept:
'… make a tight roll of your mackintosh or oilskin and let that rest on your hips; the rucsac then rests on the roll and allows a passage of air between it and your back.'
Girls could take their packs one step further with the addition of an external frame. These rose in popularity after the 1920s. To give the bag structure, Guides were advised to use a cane carpet beater, soak the handle in a jug and unravel it, then thread it amongst the flat part of the beater before securing it to the pack.
Rucksacks and waterproofs were handmade
Which option would you go for - a hammock, or a padded trench?
Sleeping
After a long day of hiking, a good night’s sleep is next on the cards. In the modern age, we’d unroll our sleeping mat, lay out the sleeping bag and jump in for a comfortable rest. Of course, the 1930s was much more hands on.
'The discomfort of lying on the ground is due not so much to its hardness as to the fact that the weight of one’s body is being carried by one’s shoulders and hips.'
To try and make lying down more comfortable, girls had to dig a small trench underneath where they slept and fill it with heather, bracken or dry leaves for comfort and warmth.
As for a sleeping system, although somewhat archaic, the rudiment of capturing air for insulation has stood the test of time. To make the sleeping system, girls constructed two bags from 'old faded curtains' or 'cheap calico', leaving openings for a base filled with straw and a top filled with hay to keep the heat in. In addition, a 'Gown Bag' would be created from a dressing gown and sleeping bag, with openings at the head and feet and a pyjama cord around the waist to be worn throughout the night.
Of course, hammocks and stretcher bed tents were suitable for home use or in wooded areas, but DIY sleeping systems were the norm on a camp.
Want a comfy night's sleep? Better get digging!
Don't forget to create your "imaginary walls"!
Tents
No camp is complete without a tent to take shelter, share stories and play games in. Over time, tents have evolved to become easier to put up, lighter and more weatherproof, but recreational camping only took off in the early 1900s, so a 1930s camp would not have seen the luxury of today.
Once the Guides had been given permission to camp and found a water source, choosing a spot to take shelter was next on the list. The simplest form of shelter was created from lightweight balloon cloth. Guylines were tied to the roots of plants, and if there were none around, they were attached to buried bags of sand instead! Some level of waterproofing was a necessity too; lighter weight materials were advised as well as after care.
'We cannot prevent mildew in non-proofed stuff, but by rolling up the sides when damp, and by thorough drying before putting away, the life of the tent is prolonged.'
Fly sheets, or 'flys' as they were known, were an added weight and expense, and were deemed unnecessary as they let wind in. As canvas would shrink in the rain, it was advised that girls should make a trench where the tent canvas would meet the ground, making the tent sides longer, to account for troublesome shrinkage.
Under the internal lower edges of the tents where there was no room to sleep or store packs, girls were taught to imagine walls were there! Between these imaginary walls and the internal sides of the tent, girls could store smaller items such as pans and boots to utilise all available tent space.
Even in the 30s, leaders could decide upon ridge, bell or home-made tents to suit their unit with material sold at the then Guide shop.
Leaders would choose what fabric to make their tents out of
It’s clear to see outdoor equipment and kit has developed greatly over the decades, but the resilience, independence and spirit of Girlguiding has remained the same, providing girls then and now with adventurous opportunities. To find out more about historic camping, check out Blacks’ Evolution of outdoor kit article.
If you’re feeling inspired to head into the great outdoors, you can get an exclusive discount with Blacks, GO Outdoors and Millets, so why not treat yourself to some new camping kit? You can find the discount code on the GO Membership system.