The Endicott Norwegian Strip av lerret. (or the Zeltbahn justification) ...

[Jon Mac]

ENDICOTTS

4322

EST. 1937





Sarah and I travelled to Exeter during the spring vacation and visited our friend Kevin in his shop.
This has to be the best little shop of it's type I have ever known.
Kevin sells all manor of equipment for use in the great outdoors.
I have been a customer at his shop for twenty years or so and used to buy equipment for heavy use when I was a S.A.R. Team member.
In the past I have spent many months at a time abroad, living under the stars using equipment from Endy's.

4323

This guy has been hanging around for a long time now.
Probably related to this chap...

4324

Kevin and his assistant Paul are always busy serving customers or packing up kit for mail order.
On this visit I bought some O.G Lightweight trousers and placed an order for some good quality summer boots. Which means I'll have to make another visit...J;-)
I also found an interesting roll of canvas marked (tent).
I had a look at it in the shop and decided to buy it.

4325

It's a Norwegian ' Strip av lerret'.
It's better known using the German word for it.
Zeltbahn.
It's a shelter sheet, poncho and an individual part of a bigger tent.
The idea being that you can button two, four, eight, twelve or sixteen of these sheets together to make larger group shelters.
A bit odd looking I must admit, I bought mine to wear in the evenings by an open fire, I figured it would keep a breeze at bay and not melt at the first hint of a spark.
It can be folded and worn in many different arrangements.
It is also long enough to use with my very long hammock.
You can just make out the instructions printed on the Zelt for constructing larger tents.
I figured that if I were to use this sheet other than a windcheater I had better improve its waterproof qualities.
I hung it up in the garage and gave it a liberal coating of
Thompsons water seal.
It does what it says on the tin.
This treatment can darken the colour of the canvas, on this occasion there was little change.
Whatever you do...
Do not use this treatment on modern carbon based material.
It will dissolve !!!

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Well, if these clouds are anything to go by, it looks like I'm going to need my new bit of kit to keep the weather off.


You can call Kevin on 01392 433331
Or visit his site at...
www.endicotts.co.uk

Endicotts Military Surplus and Outdoor Survival Equipment.
2 West Street
Exeter
Devon

EX1 1BA



For the full picture visit http://spooncarvingfirststeps.blogspot.com

[JonnyP]

Fab shop and suppliers..

[biker-bri]

I have just bookmarked this shop, will check it out later

[Martin]

Endi's has a great reputation on here. Just do a search and you'll see. :)

Martin

[FishyFolk]

The norwegian word for the tent is "Knappetelt", taking its name for the "knappe" = buttons that hold two or more sheets together knappetelt = button tent. The name of the single sheets is "teltduk" = literally "tent sheet"

Strip av lerret sounds very much like a google translation into Norwegian from some other language...., I sure have never heard it :-)

I have slept so many hours under one of those but never as a singular piece. Remember one time when my squad wen't to ground in a scree (yes aI know, but we were young and immortal), and put up some of those to get out of the rain, to wake up in sunshine, with the entire Norwegian population of the common adder soaking up the rays everywhere around us. The man on stag was seriously scared of snakes and was litterally s****ing himself, and did not dare to give a warning to wake us up...lol

Anyway this was standard kit when I was in, with 3 tent pegs, to wooden tent poles, and 5 meters of cord (reffered to as a 5 meter cord), with the tent sheet rolled up around the bundle of stickes, pegs and rope, it all fitted in the left pocket of our Norwegian army rucksack. On some of these sheets you will find patterns for how to put them together into larger tents. We could sleep an entire 10 man squad in one of those. A typical excercise would be to get heli dropped in the mountains to ski back to base. But then we assembled the tent in the warmth of the base, as assembling that thing in -20 and a wind, is pure hell....but once the tent is up, and a cold pit dug by the entrance, and with the optimus 111 running, it gets quite comfortable, sepcially if you put some fresh and unsuspecting recruits around the edges to stop the wind from coming in under the sheets :evilgrin: . We used a standard army sleeping mat, with a Reindeer pelt on top then the standard Norwegian army 3 piece sleeping bag. All heavy gear, but we had ski sleds, so no problem.

Not sure what the lads are using there days. I know they have the Jerven bag, and those can be set up in a similar configuration....

[biker-bri]

Endi's has a great reputation on here. Just do a search and you'll see. :)

Martin There is so much stuff I NEARLY got lost

[comanighttrain]

I have slept so many hours under one of those but never as a singular piece. Remember one time when my squad wen't to ground in a scree (yes aI know, but we were young and immortal), and put up some of those to get out of the rain, to wake up in sunshine, with the entire Norwegian population of the common adder soaking up the rays everywhere around us. The man on stag was seriously scared of snakes and was litterally s****ing himself, and did not dare to give a warning to wake us up...lol


Lol'd! That would actually freak me out a fair bit

[Metal mug]

Ha ha...... I've been meaning to visit Endys since I joined the forum; but I've only just realised (seeing the picture of the shop above) that I've been there a couple of years ago. :D

[Jon Mac]

Sure is Johnny...J
Fab shop and suppliers..

[Jon Mac]

Well worth a rummage B-B...J
I have just bookmarked this shop, will check it out later

[Jon Mac]

:happy-clapping:...J;-)
Ha ha...... I've been meaning to visit Endys since I joined the forum; but I've only just realised (seeing the picture of the shop above) that I've been there a couple of years ago. :D

[Jon Mac]

Good story...J
The norwegian word for the tent is "Knappetelt", taking its name for the "knappe" = buttons that hold two or more sheets together knappetelt = button tent. The name of the single sheets is "teltduk" = literally "tent sheet"

Strip av lerret sounds very much like a google translation into Norwegian from some other language...., I sure have never heard it :-)

I have slept so many hours under one of those but never as a singular piece. Remember one time when my squad wen't to ground in a scree (yes aI know, but we were young and immortal), and put up some of those to get out of the rain, to wake up in sunshine, with the entire Norwegian population of the common adder soaking up the rays everywhere around us. The man on stag was seriously scared of snakes and was litterally s****ing himself, and did not dare to give a warning to wake us up...lol

Anyway this was standard kit when I was in, with 3 tent pegs, to wooden tent poles, and 5 meters of cord (reffered to as a 5 meter cord), with the tent sheet rolled up around the bundle of stickes, pegs and rope, it all fitted in the left pocket of our Norwegian army rucksack. On some of these sheets you will find patterns for how to put them together into larger tents. We could sleep an entire 10 man squad in one of those. A typical excercise would be to get heli dropped in the mountains to ski back to base. But then we assembled the tent in the warmth of the base, as assembling that thing in -20 and a wind, is pure hell....but once the tent is up, and a cold pit dug by the entrance, and with the optimus 111 running, it gets quite comfortable, sepcially if you put some fresh and unsuspecting recruits around the edges to stop the wind from coming in under the sheets :evilgrin: . We used a standard army sleeping mat, with a Reindeer pelt on top then the standard Norwegian army 3 piece sleeping bag. All heavy gear, but we had ski sleds, so no problem.

Not sure what the lads are using there days. I know they have the Jerven bag, and those can be set up in a similar configuration....