Middle Earth Ranger Forum

This is a project I’ve been chasing for months upon months and finally managed to wrap up last weekend. While I wouldn’t say that I tend to worship the WETA/film versions of design I have always had a soft spot for the films concept of Aragorn's ranger pack bow and bedroll. The minimalistic size of the whole setup is the white whale that many of us seem to chase. Lets see if I can’t come close.

What we have here is an Osage self bow roughly modeled after the film version. Size wise I had to turn towards the bows favored by the plains Indians. Section wise it is d section as opposed to flat. The overall length is 49 inches unstrung with a max draw length of 25 inches. The draw weight is just over 52 lbs. As you can imagine it stacks very quickly and takes a bit of adjustment to get used to the short draw. For all that it shoots very smoothly and can flick one of the short arrows made for it with a satisfying distance and impact. While it’s certainly to be used mainly for hunting I imagine it could still cause an orc or bandit to have a bad day.

The arrows are from my previous short bow. The old bow was some 56 inches long so I just shortened the arrows accordingly. The tips are a smaller broad heads that were originally a tad bigger that I ground down.

The whole package is carried in a quiver similar in style to the film version with an attached holster to carry the stave. I’m currently finishing tunnel stitching on the bottom piece but it is functional enough to showcase. I’m also sewing a new internal arrow bag to accompany it.

Lastly I included a functional shot for scale. Pardon the non period clothes lol.

Overall I’m very happy with how it all came together and how well it plays with the rest of my pack. The bonus being that it is all very light and being on my back is largely out of the way. Having both hands free isn’t a bad thing either. The stave is small enough that when combined with the angle of the quivers suspension it seldom seems to snag or catch on anything but the densest undergrowth.

Very well done! How is it having your quiver over your left shoulder?

Not bad really. This is just for transport and I like having my dominant arm free for work or action. Usually when I shoot I keep a few shafts in my bow hand. Handily enough the arrows are so short that I can actually reach across my body and still pull one from the quiver without much fuss.

That's phenomenal work.

Rob

Well that is just cool!

How does it feel compared to your arrow bag?

I see you went with wool rather than linen this time for the sock: how's the difference seem to you?
(I just started a waxed linen one myself to see what I was missing. )

Elleth wrote:Well that is just cool!

How does it feel compared to your arrow bag?

I see you went with wool rather than linen this time for the sock: how's the difference seem to you?
(I just started a waxed linen one myself to see what I was missing. )

I like it quite a lot compared to the arrow bag. I really enjoy everything being stored in a one place and being hands free during travel. The arrow bag is easier and more modular and my proficiency at the warbow still makes that setup my favorite. As a whole though I’d rather carry the short bow due to the weight reduction that still allows a ranged contingency for hunting or defense.

The internal arrow bag I’m working on is a heavy weight linen. The wool pictured is just a bit of scrap tucked into the top for picture purposes.

Great work, Ursus! I love it! Turned out fantastic, and I absolutely see it being comfortable to walk in, both on open paths and in tighter brush. Well done!

Care to share a bit more about the points you're using?

The points are a mix of commercially available points that I’ve collected over the years. Most of these have been ground down a bit to suit the lighter shafts.

I was just wondering, how fast can you get the bow strung and firing from having it mounted on your quiver? Im guessing you have to take off everything to get it into firing mode? I have little bow as well and I'm trying to get a system down for drawing the bow from my back, stringing it, and firing. I can't seem to come up with a fast method.

TaylorSteiner wrote:I was just wondering, how fast can you get the bow strung and firing from having it mounted on your quiver? Im guessing you have to take off everything to get it into firing mode? I have little bow as well and I'm trying to get a system down for drawing the bow from my back, stringing it, and firing. I can't seem to come up with a fast method.

I’m not sure honestly. 30 seconds?



The bigger picture from my point of view is this. Why worry about quickly deploying a bow? If you need it that urgently for a defense situation an enemy will have already closed the distance and it will be down to blades. Even if the bow is unstrung but already in your hand the odds of stringing it, pulling an arrow, then nocking, drawing and loosing it in time are slim at best. Just my opinion.

This particular setup is strictly about giving me a ranged option while lightening my load as much as possible. Other than that my bow is a hunting tool or a weapon deployed in a situation I have time to prepare for such as an ambush.

If carrying a longbow I recommend making a string keeper like this one. Even better is keeping your string rolled up and tucked safely in a pouch or jerkin until needed to minimize it snagging annoyingly or getting frayed.

Right. That's about my best time as well. Better to just be ready to go with my sword. I've never seen a string keeper like that though, very nice! Having the string in a pocket is a great idea too. Thanks Ursus!

I, personally, keep my bow strung when I’m walking, and unstrung it when I settle down at camp, etc...but this assumes carrying it in hand on the move pretty much at all times. That being said, it’s not small enough to be slung on my back as in this case, though I can wear it across the chest a la many Robin Hood interpretations. Still, like Ursus, I don’t generally bank on being able to use it “in a pinch” the bulk of the time.

Greg: Aren't you concerned a Game Warden or other LE officer will consider you hunting if your bow is strung ?

In any other state, I might be. However:

1) I only trek in designated public lands, particularly wilderness areas, where hunting is legal.
2) I never trek without a valid hunting+fishing license on my person anymore...even if I'm provisioned to the hilt and have no intention of hunting or fishing.
3) Indiana is the most hunt-friendly state in the lower 48, I'm starting to learn. You've gotta try pretty hard to get in trouble here if you're toting a valid license.
4) Lastly...I don't typically trek in earnest during the summer anymore. Too stinking hot for legitimate clothing. To that end, there's nearly ALWAYS a legal season open here during spring, fall, and/or winter.

Seems you're lucky in that regard. Here in NY, they'd haul my butt in even if I had rubber suction tips on my arrows.