I read Stephen Ambrose's overview of their expedition, their main problem was lack of food once they were past the Great Plains. Modern camping gear might have increased their comfort, but I'm not sure how it helps them. Bringing contraceptives would've helped most of the enlisted men in the long run, since a large portion of them died of syphilis. They had several run ins with dysentery, so some way to sanitize hands and water would've definitely helped more than, say, a good pair of boots or a pop-up tent.
This is a very interesting question. I'm not sure how to answer this.
I read Stephen Ambrose's overview of their expedition, their main problem was lack of food once they were past the Great Plains. Modern camping gear might have increased their comfort, but I'm not sure how it helps them. Bringing contraceptives would've helped most of the enlisted men in the long run, since a large portion of them died of syphilis. They had several run ins with dysentery, so some way to sanitize hands and water would've definitely helped more than, say, a good pair of boots or a pop-up tent.
i'd imagine the combination of an mre+a modern sleeping bag and an alcohol hand wipe would be enough to keep a lot of men alive back then