I was wondering if anyone has seen the new rubber blankets being sold by the Regimental Quartermaster? They have a shiny rubber surface, on an extremely light weight cloth backing. They also have the correct small gromets. I believe the price was $54 dollars.

These rubber blankets looked great to me, but I'm sure am no expert on these things. I was wondering what anybody else thought? I need another rubber blanket like a hole in the head, but if I'm carrying my stuff, a few ounces saved are a few onces earned.  

The backing or canvas didn't look right to me, on the group I saw, it seemed more like flannel than canvas. The shine on the rubber side would go away after a couple of nights on the ground. The Amish must be using different ruberized cloth for their buggys these days. The gromets looked OK, although, I didn't check for correct placement around the edge. Did you know the NPS has two gum blankets in their collection with copper gromets. Yea, really. Really, really.  

--Last edited by grumpydave on 2007-10-02 12:48:43 --

Quote :

GrumpyDave wrote : The backing or canvas didn't look right to me, on the group I saw, it seemed more like flannel than canvas.

Grumpy,

The ones I looked at were made of some sort of smooth finished cloth with very little visable weave, somewhat lighter than the drill used for shelter halves. I can't believe the Amish would be using this material for buggy covers!

The very shiny finish is what caught my eye. It reminded me of the 1866 QM photo of the guy wearing a rubber blanket. I can't make any comment on gromet placement or even the size of the blanket. I was viewing the blanket at an event and felt it would be pretty tacky to spread it out on the ground!  

Yepper, the folks who make most gum blankets, buy the material that's used for buggy's.

I'll have to look again next time I'm in town. As for me, I wouldn't have bought one of the blankets I saw. It just wasn't "right."

Thanks Dave.

On the same subject. Is there anyone making a rubber blanket to QM spec size? Everyone I've got is too short. (But, so are a lot of the surviving originals.)  

Yep, Sekela and Jersey Joe have them at times. Jarny is also a very good choice. Folks sell em' used from time to time.

Grumpy,

All my gum blankets came from Jarnagin. Nothing wrong with them and they have served me well, but all of them are about five feet long. Nothing wrong with that either, since a number of surviving originals I've seen are that length. What I'd like is a blanket made to QM specs, which if memory serves, was about 4' X 6'.

Bill -

The Jarnagin gum blankets are very good and the length is there. Small grommets and everything. Mine's about 5 years old and is holding up nicely.

Guys,

For what it's worth. I own two Jarnagin Gum Blankets and one Poncho. These are the measurments:

Gum Blanket, earler production, correct sized grommets, but incorrect placement: 68 3/4" X 46"

Gum Blanket, later production, grommets correctly sized and placed: 66 1/2" X 45"

Poncho: grommets correctly sized and placed: 68" X 45 1/2"

The QM specs call for the Gum Blankets to be: 71" X 46", while the Ponchos were to be: 71" X 60".

The CRRC shows four original gum blankets. The sizes were: 68" X 44", 62" X 38", 68" X 43" , and 69 1/2" X 32 3/4"

The CRRC shows one original poncho sized: 72" X 44 1/2".

As you can see, while the Jarnagin Gum Blankets and Ponchos fall well within the sizes of surviving orginals, they are three to four inches shorter than the specs called for.

It would sure be nice if someone would reproduce that 72" long Poncho!  

Just a heads up that Nick Sekela is planning on doing a run of ground cloths in the near future. I can pass the word along when I get the date.

The Jarnagin gum blanket received a very favorable review a couple of years ago from The Watchdog. Amongst its virtues was the correct sized grommets, but more importantly, the proper spaced grommets on one side allowing it to be worn as a cloak as it was intended to be.  Nick Sekela's also offers those qualities as well as a contractor stamp and inspector stamp to boot.  I'm pleased with both, but one can decide for himself if the stamps are worth the price difference between the two (I thought it was).  

Bill,

If you shoot Ley Watson an email, he can probably sweetalk Mr. Burkholder, aka the Approved POC'R Boys' Buggy Maker, to custom make a gum blanket. He has been a gift from above for Petey's spring wagon project.

Seems I remember some extra tall folks in Minnesota getting some custom extra long gum blankets from Jarnigan circa 1995-1997, and they had the Goodyear stamping in them. Then again, they could have been painted cloth. Could be worth a phone call to Corinth at least.

Naturally, two fellows spooning together have a gum blanket footprint of approximately 80" x 66", but that is if they share blankets and know how to arrange them.  

Quote :

Charles Heath wrote : Bill, Naturally, two fellows spooning together have a gum blanket footprint of approximately 80" x 66", but that is if they share blankets and know how to arrange them.

Charles,

I've always been in the one gum blanket under and one gum blanket over school of spooning. How are you suggesting they be arranged?