>>2259640The Lewis and Clark expedition started off wearing leather boots common with workmen and farmers, but as these boots wore out during the course of the journey, they switched to moccasins, the first set of which they purchased from Indians, and replacements they made themselves. By the time they reached the Pacific, most of their clothing was heavily patched and repaired or replaced with buckskins. The men of the expedition really liked how comfortable moccasins were, and their only complaints were that unlike their boots, the moccasins offered zero protection against thorns and cactus needles that they ran into on one stretch of the journey.
Read Undaunted Courage, by Stephen Ambrose. He quotes from the journals of Lewis and Clark directly, adds in historical and cultural context when he feels it necessary, and relates what they go through with what he's been through in the 20th century, having traveled the Lewis and Clark trail many times himself, on foot, on horseback, on canoe, and in a car. Fascinating reading, and really helps you picture what it was like.
It's hilarious, because they brought a SHITLOAD of booze on the journey and gave the men a daily ration of rum or whiskey, and they lament running out 3/4 of the way to the Pacific. Once they arrive on the coast and make contact with civilized white men again, the first thing they do to celebrate? Buy more booze, then stock up for the return trip.
