Brisk Morning Outing

[Greg]

^^^That's a large par of it...all I have inside the roll are fabric tubes full of beans which allow the roll to stay very slim, as a rule. Next...take a look at Elleth's roll, hanging in the photo. See the slack in the strap? Mine is pulled pretty tight, so the top of the bedroll is jus t peeking up over my shoulder, and the bottom is just peeking around my hip. Again, it's all. about high and tight. The strap going through the center distributes the weight along the strap far better...running a strap through the bedroll ties puts the weight where it can torque and bounce on the main strap, not comfortable, not firm, and tiring to carry.

The quiver issue can cause this, too...the two straps and bulky objects running parallel encourage them to hang in less desirable positions (especially the bedroll, which is underneath.)

Unfortunately, all of these problems I solved by design, not just moving things around. Low profile quiver, narrow bedroll, adjustable straps, and tumpline running through the center of the bedroll. Don't want to tell you there's no other way...but I AM rather enamored with the setup, for what it's worth.

[Manveruon]

The way I had mine set up worked well enough for my purposes last year, but I don't think it's really a winner in the long-term. Also, threading my quiver strap through my waist belt helped a lot with keeping everything upright and where I wanted it. But for my next go-round, I will be testing out a style much closer to yours, I think.

[Elleth]

This last week I completed piecing together a linen canvas version of Greg's abbreviated snapsack, so I was finally able to try the complete arrangement.

I didn't follow any particular measurements: I simply pieced what linen canvas I had left into a tube about the right size. I was actually a little surprised it held everything from my 18th c. knapsack, though laying them side by side I see why there was no issue:

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I re-folded my existing 18th c. bedroll skinny style, and to make things fair added a bit of ballast in the form of a spare blouse, short length of rope, and beansock half-full of wheat berries.

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I then lashed the items together in a fair imitation of Greg's example. Mine is very much a juryrigged affair at this point, not even having a buckle to use as a mounting point. But it is enough to at least get an idea.

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[Elleth]

I'm continuing to LOVE the setup. I'd never warmed to big capacious snapsacks, but this abbreviated design is perfect. Since it's just about one item wide things don't get lost swimming around inside a giant bag. Better, since it opens at each end I can put my cookpot at the bottom, quick-access things at the top, and camp necessities I rarely touch in the middle... then just open whichever end I want to access at the moment.

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The only downside of this arrangement I've come across so far is that when one ie bedded down for the night, the disassembled bedroll can't serve as a host for the snapsack, so it's not easily grabbed if you need to leave in a hurry. That's just an implementation detail to fix though.


The entire assemblage was heavier than my first time out, and it did get a little heavy as the afternoon wore on. This is the one place my 18th c. kit wins out: by being able to shift the bedroll around from shoulder to shoulder over the course of the walk, no one part of my body gets too much abuse. The bedroll-over-quiver arrangement can't easily be shifted around over the course of a long walk. That's the tradeoff for easy mobility I guess.

I think once I streamline the contents of the snapsack and fabricate a carry strap that's actually intended for this manner of carriage, it will be awesome.

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[Greg]

Looks awesome, especially with your eket!

Good to see it all together...just even more intrigued to see the whole shebang all put together and worn. That eket still makes me jealous.

A solution to the problem of the Snapsack not being usable without the bedroll at night:
Rig it on your quiver strap. You'll no doubt reach for the quiver if you have to leave in a hurry, so set it up in the same way, and all you've lost by ditching the bedroll is bedding and some bulk dry goods, but essentials are still with you, and you're hands-free of one more thing.

[Elleth]

Derp - of course I can tie the bag to another strap. Clever!
I've also wondered about making the strap integral to the snapsack, then using that for the bedroll. Cuts number of discrete things floating around a bit - not certain I want to go that route however.

For a whole photo.. that'll have to wait until I actually get the clothing done to. And I have a Christmas present to make first.
I promise when it's all done I'll do a proper piece-by-piece writeup like the rest of y'all have done.

As to the eket - aha!

I just re-read the thread and saw you have an extra fold in your blanket that I don't - that's probably why mine is still chunky enough the scale looks off. The blade is a "Type XIV" from mcapanelli's "MRL Deal of the Day" thread that Odigan worked over. They make a nice set:

matched-swords.jpg (81.54 KiB) Viewed 14456 times

That said.. at risk of sounding a Goldilocks, neither is a good fit for me. The coustille is balanced oddly: there's too much weight in the hilt, so it feels in the hand like an ungainly dagger rather than a compact small sword. (A PJ/Weta "Sting" though shorter feels decidedly more "swordlike" in the hand, oddly enough.)

Contrariwise, the blade length of the XIV is right, and I can lift and carry it well enough - but I simply don't have the wrist strength to use it effectively. Some of that's technique I'm sure - all I know about actually using swords I learned from kenjutsu and escrima folks ages ago, and the practice doesn't translate as well to either sword as I'd expect. So as nice as they look on the wall, were I in Middle Earth I'd be scouring for a better solution.

I'm rather flummoxed on the "arms in the woods" thing at this point - especially since I've become convinced Ursus is right about archery in hilly woodlands. There's hardly a shot in my woods over 40 yards, and branch clutter makes even those shots dicey. The result is anything in range to shoot at with confidence is also in range to be on top of you in a matter of seconds. Much as the romance that spawned Katniss and Merida and Lara and whoallelse has held attraction for me for ages - hard logic says things can't end there.

So other than "bring lots of friends with spears and shields" I don't have an answer yet.

[Greg]

#rangerproblems, am I right?

Might I ask what direction you're going for Dunedain women's clothing? I'm working on the same topic myself, for my wife.

[Ursus]

Contrariwise, the blade length of the XIV is right, and I can lift and carry it well enough - but I simply don't have the wrist strength to use it effectively. Some of that's technique I'm sure - all I know about actually using swords I learned from kenjutsu and escrima folks ages ago, and the practice doesn't translate as well to either sword as I'd expect. So as nice as they look on the wall, were I in Middle Earth I'd be scouring for a better solution.

Yes, contrary to the advice of every bad fiction sword master it is not in fact "all in the wrists" lol. As an instructor I will not try and attempt to personally advise a solution here without at least a demo video to explain as it would be unhelpful and possibly unsafe. I will however recommend that you read and research some of the fine swordsman online who have already published videos and articles that would point you in the right direction towards easy, safe, training habits.

Alternatively have you seriously considered a well made hand axe? Maybe something custom? Something slightly larger than a hawk with a longish handle and a light well made head could solve all your problems. While you can get pretty fancy with an axe, it doesn't require the fine tuned movements that a sword does. It does however hit hard, even with a simple cut from the shoulder. Also you have a fine tool that's easy to carry as well. Just a thought. My apologies if this needed to go to the WMA forum but the comment got me thinking.

[Peter Remling]

Contrariwise, the blade length of the XIV is right, and I can lift and carry it well enough - but I simply don't have the wrist strength to use it effectively. Some of that's technique I'm sure - all I know about actually using swords I learned from kenjutsu and escrima folks ages ago, and the practice doesn't translate as well to either sword as I'd expect. So as nice as they look on the wall, were I in Middle Earth I'd be scouring for a better solution.

So other than "bring lots of friends with spears and shields" I don't have an answer yet.

Might I make some suggestions as to swords that might be easier to handle? My first choice would be an Atrim 1557 although these are relatively expensive and very hard to find even in the second hand market. People who have them just don't sell them. Next would be some of the Valiant Armoury offerings:

http://www.valiant-armoury.com/index.ph ... duct_id=64

http://www.valiant-armoury.com/index.ph ... duct_id=54

http://www.valiant-armoury.com/index.ph ... duct_id=60

http://www.valiant-armoury.com/index.ph ... duct_id=57

The first one is by far the cheapest and a very decent no frills sword. The second a deal more than the first but similar handleing, the third The Bristol, several people here have them and by looking at the weight and POB this is by far the lightest and at very good point sword. The fourth the Malatesta is the longest and a hand and a half but the weight and handling characteristics make this a very good sword for those who want speed and handling over sheer force of impact.

I have a Atrim 1557 and a Malatesta and in a Zombie A scenario, my wife would take the 1557 and my eldest daughter (who is petite) would take the Malatesta

[Elleth]

Ursus - now that's an idea! From an aesthetic point of view I'm not thrilled with axes, but it certainly makes practical sense.

Peter -thank you! Wow.. That Bristol y'all are so fond of looks numberwise a hair longer but an entire half-pound lighter! That must make a difference. And it'll teach me to read numbers to I guess.

Greg - sure thing!
My woodsy clothes won't be significantly different from those you gentlemen have I think. Additional trim, a different neck, and longer hem to the top; probably leggings instead of trousers- but in silhouette quite similar.

For more "back in the settlement" clothes I've been pondering that, as well as the broader question of Arnorian / Dúnedain aesthetics.

I've got some thoughts: I'll start a new thread on that so as not to derail things here. Should be fun!
edit- here we go: Dunedain fashion

[Manveruon]

At the risk of further derailing this post, for those who have a Bristol, can you tell me a little bit about it? Like, how does it feel in the hand? And does the fishtail pommel allow enough room for a two-handed grip, if one so chose?

[Peter Remling]

At the risk of further derailing this post, for those who have a Bristol, can you tell me a little bit about it? Like, how does it feel in the hand? And does the fishtail pommel allow enough room for a two-handed grip, if one so chose?

I'm adding a link to a review on SBG. Sean the reviewer has reviewed many swords and has had literally hundreds of swords go through his hands. Speaking of hands, he admits to having very large ones, so bear this in mind when looking at the pics.

https://sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/18731

His is not the only review I've read, it's just the first I found on SBG.

[Greg]

I have smaller hands, but there's plenty of room for two hands if you really wanted to, yes. Swings a bit like a Katana in that way...longish handle, short blade. Just...without feeling like an Anime nerd. Major plus.

Floats a bit above 45degrees off of level, but not so much that it feels like a pointer and not a swinger, so to speak. I'll confess that brute strength is not something I have to spare, so to speak, so that's part of the reason for the blade I commissioned being a hair shorter and a little narrower, but I still don't necessarily tire while swinging the Bristol. It was just time to get something that was more specific to my kit...but I'd recommend the Bristol to anyone, certainly. Just...take off the stupid sword frog when you get it and make your own suspension. It just doesn't carry well...too wobbly, too many swinging rings, etc. in the suspension. Oh, and send me your buckles.

[Manveruon]

I have smaller hands, but there's plenty of room for two hands if you really wanted to, yes. Swings a bit like a Katana in that way...longish handle, short blade. Just...without feeling like an Anime nerd. Major plus.

Floats a bit above 45degrees off of level, but not so much that it feels like a pointer and not a swinger, so to speak. I'll confess that brute strength is not something I have to spare, so to speak, so that's part of the reason for the blade I commissioned being a hair shorter and a little narrower, but I still don't necessarily tire while swinging the Bristol. It was just time to get something that was more specific to my kit...but I'd recommend the Bristol to anyone, certainly. Just...take off the stupid sword frog when you get it and make your own suspension. It just doesn't carry well...too wobbly, too many swinging rings, etc. in the suspension. Oh, and send me your buckles.

Awesome! Great info, thank you! Just what I was looking for! I'm leaning more and more towards getting myself one of these - probably with peened assembly and in an antiqued green color. Luckily they actually offer the sword and scabbard without the suspension system at all, so if/when I do end up breaking down and getting it, I'll definitely be forgoing all of that. I've just been thinking a lot lately about how this particular design lends itself extremely well to the Middle Earth "look" established in the Peter Jackson films, and overall it's not the worst, price-wise - which is certainly nice.

And Pete: thanks for the link! Also full of excellent info!

[Elleth]

Hunh.. " Swings a bit like a Katana" I can manage. At the risk of too much uniformity, I might have to try that someday.

Thanks again for the recommendations by the way: After working with the exercises on Matt Easton's channel, the XIV is becoming more manageable. It still feels ungainly to me, but it's better. ("Grow Stronger!" : ) )

Personally, I'm coming to think "long seax (maybe with a hatchet) for jaunts and spear or short glaive for worrisome times" will be where I end up at.

The former's a nice balance of utility and weight for someone not looking for trouble: the latter has at least the potential for buying a bit of standoff distance. And the bo is familiar, so I expect things should translate well.

( Darn those of you who could get real HEMA as kids! : ) )