Green’s Dictionary of Slang

ruffer n.2

[? modern adoption of ruffmans n. = bushes, undergrowth, or SE rough sleeping]

(UK tramp) a bed in a bush, thus with no overhead protection.

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[UK]M. Marshall Travels of Tramp-Royal 230: Then we lit our cutties and lay for hours talking in terms of spikes, skyppers, ruffers, and tramp-majors. [Ibid.] 284: Skyppers three and thrang, dad, / Ruffers daurk but dry; / Brekken beds and fire-lowe / Scuddy to the sky.