What would a mountain man use today?

First stop..McDonald's. That sure is some fancy grub! Then, I bet he'd trade in his horse for an ATV. SHow him a "sporting rifle" that held 30 rounds and was semi-auto. Maybe hand him a pair of the best socks Cabela's has to offer.....a pair of underwear...a washcloth and soap...and point his smelly ass to the HOT shower!!
 
A tablet and an account to BF, so he can spend all his hard earned cash from the fur trade on cool gear and gadgets.

Seriously, I doubt they would be much different than today's ranchers and farmers in remote locations around the globe.

Best Regards
 
I think they would chose a mix of new and old style clothing.
We had a clothing drive for Sandy relief so I went through my old pre-synth. stuff in the basement.
I was about to donate my Carhart work coat until I put in on and remembered many cold days working construction made easier by this toasty canvas coat with a quilted lining. Add a Hoodie and I think I could sleep outdoors in it.

I think the Becker BK9 would hold some appeal.
A Mora HD or Companion.
A Vic. Swiss Army knife would certainly find it's way into the possibles bag.
S&W Md.63 Kit Gun in 22LR.
Savage lever action in 308 with peep sights...ammo is plentiful.
 
The whole work smarter, not harder thing appliles.
GPS
good scopes on rifles
game cameras
solar panels to charge the electric equipment
 
I suppose that for most of these suggestions to work, one has to redefine "mountain man" from what they were in history. I don't think it means what you think it means.
 
These items were humped across portages and through a thousand plus miles of continent to end up in central Canada, along the North Saskatchewan river. I suppose that a guy could use these as a traditional reference of 1780's trade goods\gear. How they would cross over to todays gear is up to an individuals imagination. Weight was always a consideration.

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Codger_64 said:
I suppose that for most of these suggestions to work, one has to redefine "mountain man" from what they were in history. I don't think it means what you think it means.
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I think a man that chooses to live in solitude would have little use for modern techi items but would embrace
better clothing and survival tools.

A good scoped rifle is nice until the scope fogs or the reticle breaks. good iron sights are far more robust.

IMHO think you need to blend equal parts of Hermit, Hunter and Naturalist to create the Mountain Man of old.
 
Stereotypical mountain man, who goes to the annual Rendezvous, might winter with different tribes, might not talk to anyone but himself for most of the year. He can be on the move, have a winter and summer camp, any time period. Can be private mountain men, those trapping in Canada, there were even some in Old Mexico, along the border etc. Take them right out of the early 19th century, give them the choice of gear available today, for what they did "back then".

For me, "mountain men" evokes the original American survivalist. No matter that there were native people there long before him, no matter that thousands of settlers might have braced themselves in the New World and survived for 300 years before the mountain men.
 
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upnorth said:
Weight was always a consideration.
If the mountain men learned anything from the local indigenous tribes, they would be minimalists. They would choose the most minimal and light gear that packed the maximum potential. Example: A multitool versus single blade folder. They would most likely lean towards the multi tool. You can do more with it. I see neck knives anywhere from 3" to 6" blade (Izula, BK Necker, A.G. Russell Woodswalker, etc.). A lightweight poly plastic handled hatchet (Fiskars 14") with storage in the handle. You can effectively store a decent size bow drill in a Fiskar 14". A vest with multiple pockets. That would be less on your back. These are the basics and the rest of the gear choice would follow the same phylosophy.
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upnorth said:
These items were humped across portages and through a thousand plus miles of continent to end up in central Canada, along the North Saskatchewan river. I suppose that a guy could use these as a traditional reference of 1780's trade goods\gear. How they would cross over to todays gear is up to an individuals imagination. Weight was always a consideration.
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Incredible collection!
 
Mors' Bushcraft book for kindling, after laughing at 'Mr. Look At Me Roughing It with my Wooden Spoon I Made All By Meself, Just like the 12 Year Olds Do with a SAK in Boy Scouts". Then, He'd just find himsef a good knife, keep it sharp, and use it. Comfort would be number on, not blade steels, handle materials, price tags, or shape. Useability.
 
silenthunterstudios said:
Stereotypical mountain man, who goes to the annual Rendezvous, might winter with different tribes, might not talk to anyone but himself for most of the year. He can be on the move, have a winter and summer camp, any time period. Can be private mountain men, those trapping in Canada, there were even some in Old Mexico, along the border etc. Take them right out of the early 19th century, give them the choice of gear available today, for what they did "back then".

For me, "mountain men" evokes the original American survivalist. No matter that there were people there before him, no matter that thousands of settlers might have braced themselves in the New World and survived for 300 years before the mountain men.
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In this case, I wouldn't imagine them outfitting themselves much differently than they did back then. Modern fabrics and clothes designs are great but would not last more than a few months at most in constant rough conditions. I couldn't feature them spending several years' earnings on high tech firearms they could not feed or repair in the field. I could see them using a more modern fire ignition, but likely based upon their old tried and true mechanical methods. Most of them were hired employees of fur companies and their kit was determined and provided by the company, to be deducted from their earnings at rondevous time. Few were the romantic free trappers that we see in fiction. For most, their lives were brutal and short. Most were not well educated and few were true outdoorsmen when they entered the mountains. At least this is what my own searching has shown.
 
a bk16 or a green river camp knife they both get the job done. For knives I imagine they would just take the one they thught felt the best in their hand.

A few things I can't imagine they would pass up
a ferro rod
some lighters
a multi-tool
modern rifle/shot gun that holds multiple rounds instead of something single shot
scope
binoculars
and maybe most of all a headlamp/flashlight.

I think they would turn in traditional items that they could replace that would take up much less space and have weight savings.

A mummy bag instead of a couple of large bulky fur blankets. Modern backpacking cookwear instead of cast iron pots and pans.
 
silenthunterstudios said:
Take Jim Bridger, Liver Eating Johnson, Kit Carson and a whole passel of hardened trappers and explorers, and put them smack dab in the middle of Cabelas ... and tell them they can order what they want, within reason.
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He'd pick out some quality knives and firearms, then make you take him to Filson's to get some clothing and boots.
 
HBC examples from the era are usually brass or copper, of thin sheets or drawn thin. Not heavy cast iron like modern reenactors like to use. A bullet mold was often an early multitool, an "accoutrement" sold with a rifle to fit it's bore size with pliar and screwdriver functions, often a worm or pick incorporated. Muzzleloading blackpowder arms allowed for changing powder loads and economy of loading materials. Where would they get cartridges, or reloading supplies and equipment in the high lonely? As for rapid reloading, an accomplished (practiced) marksman can reload and accurately fire a smokepole at a rate of 3 to 5 rounds per minute. Those who could afford them used wool trade blankets. Or used furs to cover themselves since furs were the entire reason they were there.

Consider that most of them had the opportunity to replace and replenish suppies once a year. I believe that a smart hivernant would opt for items that weren't expendable, which isn't a big deal with your average hiker today. A flashlight? How many batteries does it take to last a year of near daily use? One item I can see being attractive to them, if they understood it's use, would be antibiotics.

The entire paradigm changes when you substitute a modern man who is wanting to escape civilization and live in a well stocked mountain cabin, free to come and go to civilization year round as he pleases. And maintain electronic contact with civilization.
 
Mountain men didn't spend their entire lives alone and up in the mountains, most spent only a few years before retiring back to the towns and farms. They didn't want to be primitives, but were limited by technology of the time.

They used the latest technologies available to them back then to make life easier, so I doubt that they would hold back from any technologies that they could get their hands on today, be it stainless, titanium, goretex, insulation, pack materials, storage, firemaking and of-course firearms.

Only new item that every one would probably take with them would be a DVD player & lots of porn! ;)
 
I think it bears mentioning that they were not "giving up" as many creature comforts as someone checking out for a while today.

Toney Folks from Boston to Charleston may have had swell digs with fancier fireplaces and chandeliers than most but still relied on wood for heat and candles for light.
 
What would a mountain man use today? They'd use what works best for them, with little regard to tacticool or traditional.
 
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