Take a Hike - 1918 Style

Got the chance recently to go on a little hike with some of the AEF members of the PNW Great War group. It was definitely a fun opportunity to break in some of my kit, talk history with some fellow enthusiasts / random members of the public, and get a bit of exercise in the process. 

Kit setup was basically 1918 AEF since we all were carrying M1917 rifles, and I was rocking the M1917 uniform (M1912 on the way). Temperature was brisk in the 30s - low 40s, but the combo of moving and wool uniforms kept us nice and warm!

Loadout of the day was just the haversack, sans pack / pack carrier. Carried in the haversack was the bacon tin (with some beef jerky, butter, and some onion), two tins of hardbread (homemade), an emergency ration, condiment can with coffee, salt, and some chocolate, to cans of corned beef, some toiletry articles, and a sterno canister. Everything clocked in around 28lbs, so not a bad little load.

Besides the haversack being wildly inconvenient to retrieve stuff from, it actually sits very nicely on your back!