Rainy day ranging

A place for pics and tutorials on making Soft Kit (clothing and accessories like buckles and cloak pins).

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Ursus
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Rainy day ranging

Post by Ursus »

Had a great opportunity today to get out in the wet and field test some new bits of gear and the overall concept of how I wear my kit.
I wasn't able to capture as many photos as I wanted as the rain got quite heavy and it began to lightning but I did capture the data I was after.

I've had to lighten all of these quite a bit due to the overcast weather and it being taken at 6:30 am.
The main point here is to show how I use my arrowbag which simply tucks vertically into my belt. When I throw my cloak over my gear I push the bag down between my shoulder blades. I consider it a " best of both worlds" piece of gear as it can be accessed like a quiver but doesn't require additional strapping across my body and due to its flat profile it is very comfortable to wear. Here it contains 8 warbow weight shafts, 6 broadheads and 2 bodkins. More on the bag here.http://www.ranger.budgetauthenticity.or ... 9b53ad2983
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My new cloak is medium-heavy olive green melton wool that I've given my customary walnut over dye(rusty green for the win!) and sprayed it with lanolin oil to enhance its water resistance. It is generic in shape and the body and hood are quite voluminous which is great when serving as an extra blanket or a bit of shelter. The important take away about how I wear it is that it goes over top all of my gear to keep things dry on days like this one or when moving through wet undergrowth, snow etc. It also keeps the air moving between my cloak and clothing to keep me from sweating to much and keeps me dry and warm as a result. Something I tend to do that is not shown is to wrap the folds much like I do my eight yard great kilt around my torso. This keeps everything from snagging and making a proper bit of noise when stalking but at the same time is quick to shake out and wrap up in.
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All in all everything functioned very well and I only came away slightly damp after a 2 hour period of stomping around fields and wet woods. More importantly my pack,food, tools, and weapons were dry.
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"Lonely men are we, Rangers of the wild, hunters – but hunters ever of the servants of the Enemy."

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Straelbora
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Re: Rainy day ranging

Post by Straelbora »

Great photos and a great looking kit. I'm looking forward to cooler weather and testing some of my gear.
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feti ganga framar því at óvist er at vita
nær verðr á vegum úti geirs um þörf guma
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Iodo
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Re: Rainy day ranging

Post by Iodo »

Impressive looking kit, that look's like a great way of carrying arrows.
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Elleth
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Re: Rainy day ranging

Post by Elleth »

Interesting - so the arrows are only thrust through your belt? And I assume if they're warbow weigh, then there's no issue with bending the shafts into a set? Neat!

Looks like a fun jaunt!
Persona: Aerlinneth, Dúnedain of Amon Lendel c. TA 3010.
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Ursus
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Re: Rainy day ranging

Post by Ursus »

Elleth wrote:Interesting - so the arrows are only thrust through your belt? And I assume if they're warbow weigh, then there's no issue with bending the shafts into a set?
Correct and as there is no upper anchor point there isn’t really an opportunity for them to bend. Even were the shafts lighter I’d say they are under no more stress than they would be in a traditional quiver. Surprisingly the bag almost never shifts around either. Every great now and again I will have to give it a small push up front the bottom.

Another big plus is that with the arrows all captured and separated by the internal wooden spacer there is no noise ever. After I untie my cloak it is just a matter of reaching back, untying the drawstring and selecting what type of arrow I want, again made easier by the spacer allowing me to organize them by location.

The final plus for me is that in theory if it came to a sudden toe to toe fight I can easily jettison the arrowbag and my entire pack in a matter of seconds and be down to just my belt and sword. No straps or awkward anchor points for an opponent(s) to grab and manipulate me with. Of course it’s just nice to have a pack that’s comfortable and quick and easy to take on and off as well.
"Lonely men are we, Rangers of the wild, hunters – but hunters ever of the servants of the Enemy."

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Greg
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Re: Rainy day ranging

Post by Greg »

That's a pretty neat solution for arrow stowage. The whole thing looks great...nice little bits of brilliance throughout.
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Taylor Steiner
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Re: Rainy day ranging

Post by Taylor Steiner »

Awesome ideas. Lanolin oil huh? Cool.
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Elendur Amloth
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Re: Rainy day ranging

Post by Elendur Amloth »

Great idea about the lanolin oil. Going to give this a try. Thanks!
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Taylor Steiner
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Re: Rainy day ranging

Post by Taylor Steiner »

What boots are you using Ursus? Are they waterproof?
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Ursus
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Re: Rainy day ranging

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TaylorSteiner wrote:What boots are you using Ursus? Are they waterproof?
These are nought but an extremely old pair of some unknown maker of renfair-ish boot. A friend gave them to me years ago, probably more like a decade. Being a size 14 in footware all that I cared about at the time was they fit and they were leather. Originally they were black but I was able to leach enough color from them to get them to take a bit of brown dye. They are fairly water resistant after regular treatments of beeswax based dubbin.

I’m in the process of rebuilding a pair of boots from Bohemond into a more accurate pair of well fitted ranger boots.
"Lonely men are we, Rangers of the wild, hunters – but hunters ever of the servants of the Enemy."

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Taylor Steiner
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Re: Rainy day ranging

Post by Taylor Steiner »

Awesome. I'm looking for some good tall waterproof ranger boots. Looking forward to seeing your new ones. :mrgreen:
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Elleth
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Re: Rainy day ranging

Post by Elleth »

I’m in the process of rebuilding a pair of boots from Bohemond into a more accurate pair of well fitted ranger boots.
What Taylor said. :)

My I ask what the donor boot is? Is the the "medieval high turn shoe" Taurinor was showing off?
Persona: Aerlinneth, Dúnedain of Amon Lendel c. TA 3010.
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Ursus
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Re: Rainy day ranging

Post by Ursus »

Mine are the "Medieval Boot" as I like the low heel they have. The biggest struggle I'm having is designing an upper that will bring them up to knee height and keep them "well fitted" as per the book. I really want to avoid any lacing system on these, maybe a couple of well placed bindings but thats it. I also want them to have my rusticly believable but not Hollywood ugly feel to them.
"Lonely men are we, Rangers of the wild, hunters – but hunters ever of the servants of the Enemy."

“My cuts, short or long, don’t go wrong.”
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