Mountain Man Clothing
The Fur Trapper era was only a short period in American history, but it remains a favorite. Every
weekend somewhere in the United States there is a Rendezvous taking place where re-enactors
can live out this period in history. We are excited about offering the Varsity Scouts the opportunity
to learn about this period in history, and we want to do all that we can to encourage them to take
part in the fun. Included here are a few basic ideas and descriptions of period clothing to help
them dress as mountain men.
“His dress and appearance are equally singular. His skin, from constant exposure,
assumes a hue almost as dark as that of the Aborigine, and his features and
physical structure attain a rough and hardy cast. His hair, through inattention,
becomes long, coarse and bushy, and loosely dangles upon his shoulders. His
head is surmounted by a low crowned wool-hat, or a rude substitute of his own
manufacture. His clothes are of buckskin, gaily fringed at the seams with strings
of the same material, cut and made in a fashion peculiar to himself and
associates. The deer and buffalo furnish him the required covering for
his feet, which he fabricates at the impulse of want. His waist is
encircled with a belt of leather, holding encased his butcher- knife and
pistols- while from his neck is suspended a bullet pouch securely fastened
to the belt in front, and beneath the right arm hangs a powder horn transversely
from his shoulder...The mountaineer is his own manufacturer, tailor. shoemaker
and butcher; and fully accoutred and supplied with ammunition in a good game
country, he can always feed and clothe himself, and enjoy all the comfort the
situation affords. No wonder, then, his proud spirit, expanding with the intuitive
knowledge of noble independence, becomes devotedly attached to those
regions and habits that permit him to stalk forth, a sovereign amid natureʼs
loveliest works.” “Rocky Mountain Life” Rufus Sage, Pages 38 and 39.
Trousers and Pants
Mountain men usually started out with at least one pare of cloth trousers. These were usually
made of canvas, heavy cotton, or corduroy. These trousers would have a button fly or a front
button bib. Some also had a two or three inch slit in the back that was laced up to keep the pants
snug. A great place to get cheep pants for rendezvous is a paint store. Painterʼs pants come in
natural canvas (not bleached white canvas), and can easily be made to look “authentic”. Any wide
wale corduroy pants in tan, brown, grey, or even black will also work. Long shirts can cover
zippers and pockets that are not period correct. Blue jeans are not correct at all, but denim pants
in tan, brown, grey, or black will do.
When their cloth pants wore out the mountain men would make leather pants out of buckskin, or
buffalo skin. These pants would have fringe down the outer seem of each leg, and a simple
button fly. Buckskin pants are difficult to make yourself. The hide has to be pre-stretched, and is
very tedious to sew. There are people who will do the work for you, but this is expensive.
Mountain Man Clothing
Shirts
The most common type of shirt worn by the mountain men was a simple work shirt. This shirt was
usually made of cotton, muslin, wool, or linen. These shirts are easy to sew and very
comfortable to wear. They typically were mid-thigh length, and were large and blowsy.
Patterns are available for these shirts from Eagle View Patterns.
Material must be selected carefully to be accurate. A lot of
todayʼs cotton material has the color printed on the fabric.
This is obvious and easy spot, one side will have bright
colors and the other will appear much lighter. Traditional
cotton fabric was woven, which means the color is the
same on both sides. This fabric is still available today
and is usually referred to as homespun. Muslin fabric
is widely available and very inexpensive, but does not
come in many colors. Linen can be expensive, and
Yoked Work Shirt
This shirt had a two-piece body. Both
shirts were made with button cuffs,
short collars, and a three to five button
neck opening. Some had only a single
button opening. Buttons were usually
made of metal, wood, or antler.
Simple Work Shirt
This shirt had a one-piece body, and no
tapering or fitting of any kind.
Waistcoast or Vest
These vests were quite popular. They
are made from heavy wool flannels,
cottons, and light to heavy woven
wool. The vest usually had six to eight
buttons, and some had slash style
pockets. Patterns are available for this
vest from Eagle View Patterns.
Dropped Shoulder shirt
This shirt is more complicated than the
others. It contains an additional piece to
give the dropped shoulder look. This shirt
typically would have three or four metal,
wood, or horn buttons.
Buckskin Shirt
These shirts were typically made to
copy the style of white men cotton
shirts not Indian buckskin shirts. Some
mountain man did decorate their shirts
with strips of beadwork, and most
shirts had some fringing on the sleeves
or shoulders.
Wool Blanket shirt
This shirt is quite easy to sew. There are
only three main pieces, the body and
the sleeves. It was typically worn over a
cotton or linen work shirt much like a pull
over jacket. It is easier to make than a
capote and requires less blanket material.
Footwear
Among the common footwear of the Mountain Man wore Moccasins. Many of the mountain men
who came west with boots soon learned how difficult they were to maintain, or replace. Moccasins
were much more practical and easy to make and repair.
There are many different styles of moccasins and many different books and methods of
construction. Some are made of one piece of leather. Some were made with a “pucker vamp”.
There were hard sole types and some that went up to the knee. Indians decorated their moccasins
with beadwork, porcupine quills and paint. It was common for mountain men to use pieces of trade
cloth for the moccasin uppers.
Basic Moccasin
Most moccasins were constructed of
two or three pieces. The sole that was
often a harder piece of leather, the
upper which could be leather or trade
cloth, and an additional piece around
the ankle that held the moccasin on.
A leather lace was also often used to
secure the moccasin.
The Pucker Vamp
The bottoms of these moccasins were created from one piece
of leather and then gathered around the top of the foot. Often
the top would be made of red trade cloth. Some had extra
leather to wrap around the ankle, and even extended to the
knee.
Moccasins are more common at todayʼs rendezvous than during the mountain man era. Shoes,
boots and other clothing were available at the original rendezvous and trading posts. When their
boots wore out, and they were not in a position to buy new ones, mountain men did construct and
wear moccasins. It is also true that some mountain men might have been partial to moccasins, but
boots were still very common.
English High Top Lace Boot
Made of stiff shoe leather in brown, yellow
tan, black, and brown read. It was constructed
and laced with heavy cotton cord.
Ankle High Work Shoeboot
Made with a sorf brown leather body, and a stiff
leather sole and heal. Sewn with heavy cotton
“sail” cord, and laced with a piece of deerʼs hide.
Hats
Mountain men wore a variety of hats. Felt hats were among the most popular. These came in a
variety of shapes and sizes, and were available at most the trading posts. Some of the other
common hats include the clerks cap, the voyager or liberty cap, the wool hood, and the Canadian
hat.
Another common style of felt hat was a Large Brim
hat with a round crown. Felt hats were usually
brown or grey. Black was a more rare color. These
hats were often decorated with different style
hatbands. Hatbands were made out of everything
from wool trade cloth, leather, strips of beadwork, or
hair pipe. Feathers were also added on occasion.
These hats took on a unique look at they became
more weathered.
Large Brim, High Crown
Felt Hat
Low Crown, Narrow Brim
Felt Hat
Short Soft Brim, Round Crown
Felt Hat
Fur Hat
Fur hats were not all that common.
They would never have been made
of beaver or any fur that was highly
valued. Otter, skunk, and badger fur
were most likely used. These hats
usually were a simple round top
construction, with a feather or two for
decoration. A hard leather bill was
often added. Fur hats with tails, paws,
Wool Hood or Blanket Hood or animal faces
were less common.
Made from a peice of wool blanket, that
when stitched together forms “ears”
Liberty or Voyageurs Hat
A simple wool knit hat that flops
over to one side.
Canadian Cap
This is a fur trimed cap
with four peices of thick
wool forming the crown.
Clerks Cap, or Wheel Cap
Made of wool, canvas, or corduroy,
with a bill of fabric or hard leather.
Sometimes made from scrap
materials such as flower sacks.
Pouches and Bags
Traditionally the Mountain Man did not have pockets in their pants, thus the need to have some
way to carry and hold items that would normally be carried in the pants pockets. A possibles bag is
used to carry anything and everything that you need to have immediately available to you.
Possibles bags vary greatly in size but are
usually around 10 inches square.
They usually have a long strap that can be
put around your neck and on a
shoulder to carry them so the bag hangs
close to the belt line. These bags
would have a flap and some method of
securing them shut.
They would be made of leather or heavy
canvas, and sometimes had pieces of trade
cloth added. These bags also used as shooting bags.
Mountain men would need all of their shooting
supplies close at hand at all times. Often a powder
horn would also be carried with the bag. The
strap of the bag also provided a good place to keep
things right at hand. Sometime a small sheath
for a patch knife was added to the strap of the bag.
Capotes
Capotes were the usual coat worn by mountain men. The knee-length hooded capote was usually
made from a blanket, and was closed with a sash and occasionally buttons. Mountain men might
sew capotes for themselves when winter began or be provided with a
capote from the companyʼs trade goods. Many paintings show
mountain men wearing light blue or white capotes. Grey was
also a common color.
Some fashionable mountain men wore a greatcoat
instead of a capote. Greatcoats are distinguished
from capotes by their fashionable lapels and more
tailored fit.
Capotes did not usually have any fringing or beadwork on
them. If the blanket had stripes or “points” these would be
placed at the bottom of the capote, with some stripes on the
sleeves.
Capotes are easy to make, and require a
minimum amount of stitching. These were
garments that were actually made by the
mountain men, not professional tailors. The
simpler the capote is the more likely it is to
be correct to the period.
Capotes are usually made from a wool
blanket. Today we usually see them made
from a Hudson Bay Blanket, or a Whitney
Blanket. These blankets are expensive to
buy new. You can sometimes find other
brands of point blankets for less, or find
older used blankets at estate sales or online
auctions. Another great place to find wool
blankets is thrift stores or military surplus
stores. The older grey Army blankets even
have a black stripe, and look quite
authentic.
To save time and help with the long term
integrity of the your capote sewing it on a
machine is advisable. Additional hand
stitching can be added on the outside of the
coat to preserve the hand made look. This
“Blanket Stitching” is obvious on many
historical drawings, but is not always
present. This is an element that is really a
personal choice.
To create a capote you will need a wool blanket
72x90”. A larger blanket might be required for a
larger person. Start by folding the blanket in half
lengthwise. Measure the person from the base
of the neck to the back of their knees. Mark
this measurement onto the blanket.
Keep in mind that any stripes or
points should go on the bottom
of the capote. Cut the
blanket strait across.
This should leave you with
around 1/3 the length of the
blanket. This portion will be used
to make the sleeves, and the hood
or collar. Wrap the large portion around the body.
There should be a 12-14” overlap in front. If
the blanket it too big trim the width on the
opposite side of the points. Measure the width
of the shoulders and mark from the center of
the blanket to cut sleeve openings and neck
line.
Take the remaining piece of the blanket and fold
one side over just enough to accommodate the
sleeve pattern. Take special care to keep the
stripes lined up. The sleeves can be square cut
or slightly tapered with a rounded shoulder for
a better fit. Sleeves should be cut to the length
of the arm with a folded width of approximately
10” at the shoulder and 8” at the wrist. Once the
sleeves have been cut the last portion of the
blanket can be used to make a hood or collar.
Measurement from
base of neck to back
of knees.
These are very simplified instructions, and even though a capote is a simple garment, you may
not get it right the first time. It is a good idea to first make a capote out of muslin, or other
inexpensive fabric. This will allow you the freedom to make changes without ruining your blanket,
and give you a pattern to cut from. Eagle View Patterns also offers a pattern for a capote.
Visit Crazy Crow Trading Post for great Mountain Man Clothing Patterns!
Clothing & Attire
Lots of goodies to follow on this page.
Eventually, there will be downloadable patterns, etc... for now, simply click on the images posted here for ideas of what was worn during the Mountain Man Era!
Copyright John Meade. All rights reserved.