Bedroll
Bedrolls are one of a traveller's most essential and appreciated item. They are widely used by Mage Mercenary that are often forced to sleep outside in the wild during their travels.
Appearance
Alhough there are some variety in their size, thickness and level of comfort, most of them don't consist of much more than a couple of standard blanckets sewed together to form a large pocket and are simply made to allow the mercenary the option to not sleep directly on the ground, and nothing more. A small pillow may be transported inside the bedroll, but is never sewed together with the roll itself.Manufacturing process
Large peices of cloth are cut to the desired dimensions, or smaller pieces of cloth are sewed together and trimed to the right dimensions afterwards. One of those cloth is then lattered with linseed oil and left to cure for 7 to 10 days.
Meanwhile, 2-4 other cloth of the same dimension are sewed together on three sides, leaving the top -Where the head would be- open for the next step.
Once the oiled cloth has cured and transformed into a waterproof tarp, it is sewed to the bottom of the other cloth on all 4 sides. Between the second and third layer of cloth, padding is added.
Depending on the material available, the padding can be as simple as dried leaves up to something much more expansive, such as feathers.
Once the padding is added, the top of the layered cloths are sewed together. Some instead choose to have a series of buttons at the top, enabling an easier way to change the padding.
History
Bedrolls have been around for centuries in the past, used by traveling merchants or pilgrims. However, in the last centuries, they have also been extensively used by mercenary during their travels. It is considered an essential item for them, especialy for long trips where lots of days are spent in the wilderness between villages and cities.
Item type
Survival
Weight
around 1 kg
Dimensions
120 cm wide. 2 metres long
Raw materials & Components
- 2 to 4 layers of soft cloth
- 1 layer of impermiable cloth
- Padding Material: Hay, dried leaves, cotton, feathers
Oh man, this takes me back to my 3.5 edition days. A bedroll was ALWAYS on my inventory list when making a new character. There were so many important but simple items to remember to pick up before setting off for an adventure.