Camp Seating, Tables & Bedding

NEVER SIT ON DAMP GROUND!
Use something, even if it is only a log. If there is no ready-made seat available, lash together a couple of low A-frame support and rest another bough across them. Make a simple box frame with cross-members linking legs from short lengths of wood.

TO MAKE A SEAT
Weave vines or twine back and forth or sew on a piece of canvas or plastic with thongs. Failing these, try a flat piece of wood or metal laid across, or thin springy saplings lashed to the frame and interwoven.

CAMP CHAIR
comfy camp chair can be made in 10-15 min. and will give hours of comfort. Select 2 stout forked sticks 4 feet long and 3 inches thick.

The forks MUST BE at wide angle and cut with the straighter of the 2 prongs about 9 to 10 inches long and the other wide angled prong about 12 to 15 inches.

Cut another stout forked stick about 4 feet in length and leave the prongs of this sufficiently long to hold the 2 sticks you have cut before.

SHOWING THE 3 MAIN STICKS REQUIRED FOR CAMP CHAIR:Across the seat portion of the chair lash straight sticks about an inch thick & continue these up the back of the chair.
On the seat portion they MUST BE close together but on the back they can be spaced 2 or 3 inches apart.

THE FRAMEWORK OF A CHAIR USING HOOKED STICKS:
There may be difficulties in finding 2 sticks with wide angled prongs in which case you can make your chair by using 2 hooked stakes.

The crotch of the hook should be 8 inches above the end of the stick and the sticks themselves should be about 3 feet 6 inches long.

2 poles each about 5 feet long are laid one each through the hooked portion of the sticks that have their upper ends lashed together.

These 2 poles are lashed together behind the chair and a forked pole leading from the upper end where the hooked stakes are lashed comes back to these 2 side poles and is lashed again. This gives you the framework for your chair.

A good bushman makes himself comfy wherever he may be. The simple seat of course is either to roll up a log or select a site where a fallen tree will serve you. Also you can use a few stones to build up a platform and between these you can lay 2 or 3 poles for your seat.

CAMP SEAT
A very comfy fireside camp seat can be made by driving 2 short stakes into the ground so that the forks are pointing outward that is away from the opposite stake.
The bottom of the forks should be from 8 to 10 inches above the ground level. 2 back forked stakes about 3 feet 6 inches long are driven into the ground 15 to 18 inches behind these 2 short stakes.

These back stakes should be driven in on a slight angle, leaning away from the 2 forward forks. The forks of the rear stakes should point outward.
Both short and long stakes should be not less than 2 inches thick and the fork at least 1 and half inch thick.

The short stakes should be at a convenient distance from the fireplace anything from 3 to 6 feet depending upon the size fire you usually build.

Cut 2 cross bars each about 3 inches thick and cut nicks in these so they fit snugly in place in the forks & connect front & rear forks.

Length ways lay straight smooth sticks, 1 to 2 inches thick. These MUST BE close together. Along the back that is to the tall stakes, lash similar sticks from 2 to 3 inches apart.

This makes an excellent fireside camp seat and the comfort it gives well repays the 1/2 hour it took to build.

CAMP BEDS 10 MINUTES
A sound night's rest is worth 10 min toil. Time spent in making a camp bed that will keep you both comfy and warm are time well spent even for Rambo. Cut 2 poles 6 to 7 inches thick & about 7 feet long.

Lay these parallel to each other 3 feet apart & to prevent them from rolling put pegs at head and foot, driven well into the ground with about a foot of the peg above the pole.
Cut about 20 or 30 straight strong sticks 3 and half feet long and lay these every 4 inches across the 2 poles. Now on top of these cross sticks place 2 poles 3 to 4 inches thick and 7 feet long.

They should lie against the peg driven in to hold the 2 bed poles secure. At the head end of the bed lay about 6 cross sticks on top of these last 2 poles.

Now cut green brushwood, fern or waste green stuff such as sucker growth or weedy bushy material and put this so that the main stalks are length ways along the bed.

Pile it high between the top poles and lying across the cross sticks. The resulting bed will be as springy & comfy as any you have ever slept in your life.

THE FRAMEWORK WITH TABLE TOP POLES AND SEAT POLES
For the framework select 2 forked stakes at least 3 inches thick & 4 to 5 inches long. The length depends upon the soil and how far you will have to drive the stakes into the ground to make them quite secure.

The lower end of each stake is sharpened and the head beveled.

The first stake should be driven well into the earth so that the lowest part of the crotch of the fork is 3 feet above the ground.

The prong of the fork should be pointing out from the length you want your table say from 4 to 7 feet and drive in the other stake with its prong also pointing outward that is away from the first stake.

This stake MUST also be driven the same depth into the ground as the first stake. Cut 4 strong straight stakes 4 feet 6 to 5 feet in length and at least 2 1/2 inches thick.

Place these with one end in the crotch of the forks and at right angles to the line of the forked stakes.

Note where the sticks cross each other in the forks and scarf out cuts in each so that the 2 will nest together in the crotch.

These side poles carry the table poles and the seat poles so they MUST seat securely in the forks.

On to these side poles and about 2 feet above ground level 2 strong poles 2 inches thick are securely lashed.

These poles are for the table and later straight sticks are laced side by side across these poles for the actual table top. 15 inches above the ground level 2 very strong poles 3 inches thick and 7 to 8 feet in length are lashed.

These lashings MUST BE very tight to make these 2 poles secure to the 2 side poles and also to the forked stakes you first drove into the ground. These poles serve both as a bracing to carry the seat.

Your table is now ready for finishing. Cut short straight sticks for the top. You will need 8 sticks for every foot in length of table top.
The seat-sticks at least 3 to 4 inches thick are cut 1 foot longer than the length of the table.
You will need at least 3 of these seat sticks for each side. They are not lashed to the cross poles but allowed to lie on them so that the distance of the seat from the table can be adjusted by either pulling or pushing them in.

HOW TO BRACE YOUR TABLE IF THE GROUND IS SOFT OR SANDY
If the ground is soft or loose sand your table will require bracing and this can be done simply by 2 diagonal braces from the table level of each of the forked stakes to the foot of the other. Where the bracing cross they should be lashed.

An alternative is to cut 2 five foot forks of the stakes in the ground. Their own butts MUST BE firmly seated on the ground & held from slipping by a stout peg driven well in the ground.

This type of structure is recommended for a portable table. When securely lashed the whole table is EXTREMELY strong. A fly thrown over the top bar can be used to give shade.

OTHER TYPE CAMP TABLE DRY COUNTRY
It is simply to dig 2 trenches, 2 or 3 feet apart on their inside edges and at least 10 to 12 inches deep.

Only suitable when earth is clay or firm enough to be dug in clean sods. Sods are used to give height to the seat.

STICK HAMMOCK
A camp loom is set up and the hammock is woven using vines, twisted bark fibbers, grass rope etc. for the weaving and sticks about 1 inch thick for the cross parts. The hammock should be at least 3 feet wide by 7 feet long.

The end 2 spreaders should be 2 inches thick & from these short lengths of rope are brought to the central rope by means of which the hammock is suspended.

Ropes from each of the 4 corners will also serve to suspend the hammock. A grass mattress also woven on the camp loom makes an excellent cover for the hammock.

CAMP LOOM:
2 stout forked stakes about 2 inches thick are cut and driven into the ground with their lower prongs 3 feet above the ground and facing away from the direction you wish to work.

The distance between the stakes should be at least 6 inches wider than the widest article you want to weave. Across the forks a cross bar about one inch thick is laid. It is advisable to trim this cross bar of twigs and roughness and it should be fairly strong.
8 or 9 feet from the cross bar and on the side farthest from the prongs a row of straight smooth stakes each about 4 feet long is driven into the ground so that there are about 2 inches between the centers of the stakes.

These stakes should be trimmed of any side twigs or roughness. A weaving bar a few inches longer than the width of the row of stakes is cut and laid on the ground parallel and about 6 inches in front of this row of stakes. Your camp loom is now ready to be set up for a weaving.

An alternative to the row of stakes and a considerable improvement if a situation is available is to select a site where 2 trees are at a convenient distance apart.
At ground level and about 7 feet above the ground, 2 stout cross bars, 2 inches thick are lashed to the tree trunks and to these crossbars a series of smooth vertical sticks are lashed at the top & bottom. These sticks are about 2 inches apart at centers.

TO WEAVE ON CAMP LOOM
Lengths of the weaving material are tied to the stakes are shown brought back over the crossbars & then forward & between the stakes & then tied to the weaving bar in front of the row of stakes (this is the "weft" of your weaving).

A ball of material is tied to the outside strand and then passed between the 2 rows of strands (this is the warp) with the weaving bar lying on the ground.

The weaving bar is lifted above the weft and the ball returned again between the weft threads. Repeat by alternatively lifting and lowering the weaving bar.

CAMP MATTRESS OR STICK HAMMOCK
The weft or long strands are set up as for weaving, but instead of warp (cross strands) tufts of grass, fern or other material or sticks for a stick hammock are passed between the weft.

In weaving a camp mattress it is advisable to put in a warp tie every second or third lift. This binds the sides and prevents the outside weft strands spreading.

Strands of sun dried grass, loosely spun can be woven into a covering for a camp bed if you are without blanket.

When weaving for this purpose MAKE SURE that the warp strands are pushed closely up to each other.

Do not try and make a camp blanket too heavy. It is far better to make 2 light grass covering than one heavy one since it is a number of layers rather than extreme thickness of 1 layer which keeps you warm

WEAVING A CAMP HAMMOCK
Normally a hammock is made by using the netting tie and netting needle, but a serviceable hammock can be woven on the camp loom from bush materials.

The ball of warp is passed around the weft threads to from an overhand knot on the lower lay of the weft and these knots pulled tights make the weaving secure.