Post by sargevining on Apr 29, 2018 22:06:50 GMT -5
While Kenwood Mills got into the sleeping bag business pretty much by accident, the Jaeger Company got into it as the result of a social movement. The company's namesake, Dr. Gustav Jaeger was the kind of German professor who give Mad Scientists a good name. By the 1880's, Jaeger was the ideological leader of the "Rational Clothing Movement" and had designed an entire "Sanitory System" of clothing, underclothing, sleep wear, and bedding to, basically, save the human race from the ravages of linen, cotton, and dyes. In 1884 an English businessman named L.R.S. Tomalin bought the exclusive rights to produce that system from Dr. Jaeger. and formed the Jaeger Company to manufacture and market it. Whether he as a Rational Clothing True Believer, or a guy who saw a good business opportunity is not recorded for posterity. Nevertheless, the early Jaeger catalogs all included the following:
OK. So. There you go. If you're wearing cotton right now, you're probably going to die from Cotton Poisoning or something. He's a scientist and they are never wrong. Ever.
Mr. Tomalin was an agressive marketer, selling "Dr. Jaeger's Sanitory System" through catalog mail order, area distributors, and company store fronts---first in the UK, then expanding rapidly to major cities in Europe, Canada, and the United States. The clothing, especially the underwear, was very popular particularly with an affluent, socially concerned, upper class. Jaeger's favorite material for woolen goods, particularly bedding, was camel hair which was in much better supply in those days than it became after the discovery of oil in the Middle East made camel husbandry less of a means of making a living and more of a sporting activity akin to horses in this country.
The earliest catalog I have been able to find is from 1887 (there are two pages of distributors and store fronts in the United States listed there, cities from coast to coast and border to border), and this is where we find the first reference to a "Sleeping Sack":
From this we get the dimensions of the "sack". Subsequent research shows us that these dimensions remained the same for the next 100 years or so.
The first Illustration of the "Sleeping Sack" is in the 1892 Catalog:
The scroll work design at the top and bottom of the bag is the same as the blankets sold in the Catalog, and I beleive the 60" quoted here is either a typographical error, refers to the width of the blanket used to make it, or is a failed modification as this is the only instance where we find that 60" dimension. We also see 5 buttons down the side of the bag, making it possible to open nearly all the way down to the foot. Sleeping healthy in the woods in 1892 was an expensive proposition, the $25 quoted here is equivalent to about $625 dollars today.
The Jaeger Company wasn't big on illustrations in its advertising---except for the underwear---so its difficult to know when the design shown above changed. We do know that by 1899 the number of buttons had been reduced to three. The bag below is described by the Royal Museums Greenwich of one in thier collection that was used in the Scott Polar Expedition in 1901:
Here we get a good narrative description of the bag that is hinted at in the above illustrations. Three layers of wool arranged so that you can have two layers above you and one below, or two below and one above, making it adaptable to temperature conditions. I beleive the reference to leather reenforcement is a modification made specifically for the Polar Expedition as these bags would see daily hard use over an extended period of time. Its also noteworthy that these bags were used as inserts or liners in reindeer hide bags as a wool bag is not sufficient to provide warmth in arctic conditions.
We also see this design in a photo of an earlier bag in the collection of the National Army Museum in London of a bag with provenance for use in the Boer War.
NAM Accession Number
NAM. 1997-03-26-1
Copyright/Ownership
National Army Museum, London
Here we get the color of the logo, the buttons, and the binding tape. At this point, we really have all we need to make an accurate reproduction of the Jaeger bag. We also have evidence that Officers in the British Army would have been familiar with the bag and used them up until 1901, but we need to know where use of this bag would be authentic in the 20th Century periods.
Well, this ad in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle shows that it was still popular with British polar explorers in 1909:
The Jaeger bag is also referenced in accounts of Shackelton's ill fated later expedition.
And this 1915 ad in a British newspaper shows that popularity hadn't faded and would have been used by Officers during the Great War:
And another post shows a similarly colored bag with a much better preserved logo:
German physician Gustav Jaeger (1832-1917) advocated wearing wool undergarments next to the skin for health purposes in his book Sanitary Woolen System, first published in 1878. Flannel and jersey underwear made of undyed sheep's wool was believed to conserve vital energy, prevent microorganisms from penetrating the skin, and wick perspiration away from the body. Jaeger considered linen and cotton undesirable because they retained dampness, causing illness. The doctor discouraged dyes, because he believed they contained harmful chemicals that were absorbed by the bloodstream.
OK. So. There you go. If you're wearing cotton right now, you're probably going to die from Cotton Poisoning or something. He's a scientist and they are never wrong. Ever.
Mr. Tomalin was an agressive marketer, selling "Dr. Jaeger's Sanitory System" through catalog mail order, area distributors, and company store fronts---first in the UK, then expanding rapidly to major cities in Europe, Canada, and the United States. The clothing, especially the underwear, was very popular particularly with an affluent, socially concerned, upper class. Jaeger's favorite material for woolen goods, particularly bedding, was camel hair which was in much better supply in those days than it became after the discovery of oil in the Middle East made camel husbandry less of a means of making a living and more of a sporting activity akin to horses in this country.
The earliest catalog I have been able to find is from 1887 (there are two pages of distributors and store fronts in the United States listed there, cities from coast to coast and border to border), and this is where we find the first reference to a "Sleeping Sack":
From this we get the dimensions of the "sack". Subsequent research shows us that these dimensions remained the same for the next 100 years or so.
The first Illustration of the "Sleeping Sack" is in the 1892 Catalog:
The scroll work design at the top and bottom of the bag is the same as the blankets sold in the Catalog, and I beleive the 60" quoted here is either a typographical error, refers to the width of the blanket used to make it, or is a failed modification as this is the only instance where we find that 60" dimension. We also see 5 buttons down the side of the bag, making it possible to open nearly all the way down to the foot. Sleeping healthy in the woods in 1892 was an expensive proposition, the $25 quoted here is equivalent to about $625 dollars today.
The Jaeger Company wasn't big on illustrations in its advertising---except for the underwear---so its difficult to know when the design shown above changed. We do know that by 1899 the number of buttons had been reduced to three. The bag below is described by the Royal Museums Greenwich of one in thier collection that was used in the Scott Polar Expedition in 1901:
Here we get a good narrative description of the bag that is hinted at in the above illustrations. Three layers of wool arranged so that you can have two layers above you and one below, or two below and one above, making it adaptable to temperature conditions. I beleive the reference to leather reenforcement is a modification made specifically for the Polar Expedition as these bags would see daily hard use over an extended period of time. Its also noteworthy that these bags were used as inserts or liners in reindeer hide bags as a wool bag is not sufficient to provide warmth in arctic conditions.
We also see this design in a photo of an earlier bag in the collection of the National Army Museum in London of a bag with provenance for use in the Boer War.
Camel hair sleeping bag, 1899 (c).
This bag was made by Jaeger and used by Alfred Leonard Purkis of the 43rd Company, Imperial Yeomanry, during the Boer War (1899-1902). Before joining the yeomanry Purkis had been a tenant farmer in Balsham, Cambridgeshire, and on his return from South Africa was granted the Freedom of the City of Cambridge. During World War One (1914-1918) he served as a captain in a Cavalry Remount Section in Northern France.NAM Accession Number
NAM. 1997-03-26-1
Copyright/Ownership
National Army Museum, London
Well, this ad in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle shows that it was still popular with British polar explorers in 1909:
The Jaeger bag is also referenced in accounts of Shackelton's ill fated later expedition.
And this 1915 ad in a British newspaper shows that popularity hadn't faded and would have been used by Officers during the Great War:
So now we know that the bag was marketed for use by Officers in the First World War, and that a less expensive option of a wool blend in addition to pure camel hair. Heretofore, the Jaeger Company had adhered to the good Doctor's dictum that dyes not be used as they were dang near as poisonous as cotton and linen. But apparently, the winds of war blew in the direction of change. The pics below are of what purports to be a WW1 vinatage Jaeger bag, although no provenance for the claim was given. The logo does appear to be the same as that on the Scott Expedition and Boer War bags.
Jaeger produced these bags well into the 1950s as the logos affixed to extant examples shown below attest, but by the 1960s the company was focusing more on high end fashion than it was outdoor clothing, underwear, and sleeping bags. It is reasonable to assume that they would have been used by British Officers, and probably US Officers as well through the Second World War. The expense of the bag would have likely kept it out of the reach of all but the most affluent campers of the period.
We won't be making these bags out of pure camel hair as the material at today's prices is cost prohibitive, but I have found a premium felt that is a camel hair/wool blend with a color that closely resembles that of the earlier bags, and its safe to assume that most officers would focus more on the utility rather than the color, so I don't think we lose any authenticity by not offering or using an olive drab version (If one wants an olive drab colored bag, there is a material I can get that is about the right color, but would not make for a particularly well insulated bag---I'd not use it under 60 degrees without an additional wool blanket). Nor will we be be making the bags from before 1900 as there is some doubt as to their exact design and we would not be able to reproduce the scrollwork at the top and bottom of the bag. We will be using logos that will be appropriate for the periods that would represent pre-WW1, WW1 and post-war, & WW2.
As a piece of gear, I'd rate the effectiveness of the Jaeger bag (both the originals and the reproduction) lower than that of the Kenwood, Lt Shakelton's enthusiastic recommendation notwithstanding. Kephart references it and notes the fact that if you have two layers above, you have lost insulation below. It is therefore imperative that this bag be used with a pad or mattress (such as our Cottodown mattress). The Kenwood bag, however insures that you always have as much wool below you as you do above----more if you stuff the heavy bag inside the light bag and sleep in the light bag laying on the heavy one. But it is one of those things that is oh so British, and one that the swells would have while the peasants toil the fields.
As a reproduction, its an easier build than the Kenwood and for that reason will likely end up being less expensive---something quite the opposite of how cost comparison between the two worked out back in the day.
I had the good fortune to have purchased an original Jaeger bag, actually one thast had been taken apart and sewn together as a larger blanket, and am in the process of restoring it and use it as a pattern. I'll be posting the progress on that in future posts in this thread.
We won't be making these bags out of pure camel hair as the material at today's prices is cost prohibitive, but I have found a premium felt that is a camel hair/wool blend with a color that closely resembles that of the earlier bags, and its safe to assume that most officers would focus more on the utility rather than the color, so I don't think we lose any authenticity by not offering or using an olive drab version (If one wants an olive drab colored bag, there is a material I can get that is about the right color, but would not make for a particularly well insulated bag---I'd not use it under 60 degrees without an additional wool blanket). Nor will we be be making the bags from before 1900 as there is some doubt as to their exact design and we would not be able to reproduce the scrollwork at the top and bottom of the bag. We will be using logos that will be appropriate for the periods that would represent pre-WW1, WW1 and post-war, & WW2.
As a piece of gear, I'd rate the effectiveness of the Jaeger bag (both the originals and the reproduction) lower than that of the Kenwood, Lt Shakelton's enthusiastic recommendation notwithstanding. Kephart references it and notes the fact that if you have two layers above, you have lost insulation below. It is therefore imperative that this bag be used with a pad or mattress (such as our Cottodown mattress). The Kenwood bag, however insures that you always have as much wool below you as you do above----more if you stuff the heavy bag inside the light bag and sleep in the light bag laying on the heavy one. But it is one of those things that is oh so British, and one that the swells would have while the peasants toil the fields.
As a reproduction, its an easier build than the Kenwood and for that reason will likely end up being less expensive---something quite the opposite of how cost comparison between the two worked out back in the day.
I had the good fortune to have purchased an original Jaeger bag, actually one thast had been taken apart and sewn together as a larger blanket, and am in the process of restoring it and use it as a pattern. I'll be posting the progress on that in future posts in this thread.
