Bedrolls (again!)

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Elleth
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Re: Bedrolls (again!)

Post by Elleth »

By the by - Greg, is there any magic in that strap of yours not pictured in the "Brisk Morning Outing" thread? Or is it simply a (long? pieced?) belt with the snapsack hanging from the single buckle? I assume you don't have any issue with the bedroll sliding down the strap, being that it's wrapped skinny and held close?
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Re: Bedrolls (again!)

Post by Greg »

It's just a long strap (which is, incidentally, pieced because necessity) that buckles on itself, for now. Functionally, the combination of friction and the counterweight of the Snapsack maintain its position. No real room for play between the rig and the torso, lest the whole thing bounce all over during running.
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Re: Bedrolls (again!)

Post by Ursus »

Greg wrote: No real room for play between the rig and the torso, lest the whole thing bounce all over during running.
This was my biggest concern when doing trial runs with the bedroll cover. My first attempt had the strap sewn to the very ends of the cover which proved highly unstable. The current one has the carrying strap moved in about six inches on each end. Once the strap is adjusted to the correct fit and I tie my quiver and water bag at the two tie off points I mentioned everything rides fine during a good run.
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Greg
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Re: Bedrolls (again!)

Post by Greg »

Elleth wrote:I think that walking into the Prancing Pony with an oilskin-tarp wrapped blanket might send more of a message than we commonly perceive. Most anyone can wrap some things in a blanket and head cross country: but the person who has dedicated the resources to even a scant shelter means to be outside.
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Sounds like "professional traveler" material to me! Certainly justifies the necessity.
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Re: Bedrolls (again!)

Post by Kortoso »

I did a very short stint in the California National Guard, just enough to get some infantry training. We carried all of our essential camping stuff in an enormous backpack. It would have gotten in the way during fighting, so our protocol was to carry this until contact with the enemy, or at some other point where we could expect to start fighting. At that point, everyone ditched their packs, to be retreived later.

Our "combat" load at that point was just the stuff we needed for fighting, mostly ammunition, simple first aid and water.

So I imagine a Ranger would be able to drop his bedroll and other gear at the slightest sign of trouble, since shooting a bow, fighting with a sword or spear and such would be a lot easier and effective without the encumbrance of a bedroll.

What do you think?
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Re: Bedrolls (again!)

Post by Elwindil »

I think you're right about that Kortoso, it makes sense as you wouldn't want extraneous gear getting in the way while trying to fight for your life.
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Elleth
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Re: Bedrolls (again!)

Post by Elleth »

So I imagine a Ranger would be able to drop his bedroll and other gear at the slightest sign of trouble, since shooting a bow, fighting with a sword or spear and such would be a lot easier and effective without the encumbrance of a bedroll.

What do you think?
... I think you've got a lot of agreement. :)

http://middleearthrangers.org/forum/vie ... 148#p34704

That said, my admittedly limited experience is that provided it's fairly sparsely packed, the bedroll/skinnysack arrangement Greg pioneered is remarkably easy to move in, and gives one arm near complete mobility. Never a free lunch though: capacity issues aside, putting all the weight on one shoulder like that does get tiring more quickly I think.

I'm reminded of a thread Greg started, talking about arranging things for travel vs. active scouting. I can certainly imagine that - for instance - something like the "Yukon Pack" style bundle with shoulder straps is also used by Rangers when moving camps or otherwise needing to haul a lot of stuff. Plus pack animals, of course.
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Ursus
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Re: Bedrolls (again!)

Post by Ursus »

Elleth wrote:
So I imagine a Ranger would be able to drop his bedroll and other gear at the slightest sign of trouble, since shooting a bow, fighting with a sword or spear and such would be a lot easier and effective without the encumbrance of a bedroll.

What do you think?
... I think you've got a lot of agreement. :)

http://middleearthrangers.org/forum/vie ... 148#p34704

That said, my admittedly limited experience is that provided it's fairly sparsely packed, the bedroll/skinnysack arrangement Greg pioneered is remarkably easy to move in, and gives one arm near complete mobility. Never a free lunch though: capacity issues aside, putting all the weight on one shoulder like that does get tiring more quickly I think.

I'm reminded of a thread Greg started, talking about arranging things for travel vs. active scouting. I can certainly imagine that - for instance - something like the "Yukon Pack" style bundle with shoulder straps is also used by Rangers when moving camps or otherwise needing to haul a lot of stuff. Plus pack animals, of course.
I've experimented with this set up a bit out of curiosity. My liking of it is that it displays a wonderful minimalistic and modular value. While I don't like the frontal mounted snap sack, which is just my own preference for load distribution, I like that it encourages only carrying the essentials.

This is actually what inspired my own snap sack project with Elleth. I wanted a concept and wearability that combined a portmanteau, a "corn quiver", and a need wallet into something that suited my needs and style.

That being said I've one more addition to the rig I shared above in the works. It mods it from my every day scouting setup that can last me several days. To my far traveller setup that can sustain me for far longer while staying minimalistic in approach.
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Re: Bedrolls (again!)

Post by Greg »

The key is, no matter whether you follow my bedroll/snapsack setup identically, or if you take bits and pieces and make it your own, it needs to be the last thing you put on, so it can be the first thing that comes off, and in a hurry. You can make it work in a fight, but if you have more than one/two orcs to deal with, you won't want it on. If you're carrying winter bedding, no way.

Good points, folks!
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Re: Bedrolls (again!)

Post by Ursus »

Greg wrote:it needs to be the last thing you put on, so it can be the first thing that comes off, and in a hurry.

Exactly. Perfectly said.
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Re: Bedrolls (again!)

Post by Greg »

My bedroll strap has a nice fat buckle on the front, and doesn't have a long strap tail for this very reason. Pop, and down it all goes.
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Re: Bedrolls (again!)

Post by Eledhwen »

I used to use a single, thick, green wool blanket with a kind of tarp that doubled as a mattress once the bottom was stuff with leaves and whatnot. I do not do that in this part of the world any longer, although I still have it. I think I did a kind of tutorial on it long ago, although I am not certain.

I still have and use the blanket, mind...I just don't use that sort of bed setup. While we still have plenty of trees I use a hammock. It is green, and a tarp I have is grey. They are both very small and very light so roll up in the blanket easily. They keep me off the ground and protected from ticks...I also have noseeum netting for it. I just say I received them as a gift from the Elves. If I must explain then. Safety over play. Powassan can be deadly and Lyme is so debilitating it can make folk wish it had killed them. We also have West Nile..although that rarely bothers folk and I suspect I was long ago exposed, and Triple E...a kind of elephantiasis. Given Winters are often very mild nowadays and a lot of these critters don't die as they used to, safe over game. Outwardly it still looks the same.

I still use the elk leather tumpline I made long ago. There has never been a reason to change that. I never bothered to decorate it...looks fine as is, to me.

I know, rough, tough, all that. Not worth it though. I am getting older and such afflictions can have an even worse effect. These days I am Taur'Amandil and Nandaro more than fighting Ranger. I can still draw bow and still wield blade...yet the staff and growing things, and the seeking of Wisdom are more my forte at this time.

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Re: Bedrolls (again!)

Post by Elleth »

I've made a bit more progress on my own bedroll project -

I've got a pieced goathide blanket cover catching some rays: hopefully it will be a nice deep brown by late this afternoon, then I can dubbin it up to seal the color and waterproof(ish) the hide.
merf-bedroll-cover-drying.jpg
merf-bedroll-cover-drying.jpg (75.5 KiB) Viewed 12796 times
I figure the whole thing will be ready right about the time Greg convinces me a simple horseshoe roll was the right idea all along. :)
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Elleth
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Re: Bedrolls (again!)

Post by Elleth »

It may have been obsoleted by Greg's experiences even before I could complete the darn thing, but I think it looks absolutely smashing:
merf-walnut-goathide-bedroll-cover-complete.jpg
merf-walnut-goathide-bedroll-cover-complete.jpg (113.93 KiB) Viewed 12727 times

(And I think it's still gonna come along on short fun trips anyhow. 'Cause I'm stubborn. :) )
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Re: Bedrolls (again!)

Post by Taurinor »

Elleth wrote:It may have been obsoleted by Greg's experiences even before I could complete the darn thing, but I think it looks absolutely smashing:

(And I think it's still gonna come along on short fun trips anyhow. 'Cause I'm stubborn. :) )
That looks lovely!

Having used a setup similar to this, I can say it's quite comfortable for quick jaunts. I don't think there is a perfect, one size fits all bedroll arrangement (although if one exists, Greg seems the most likely candidate to find it!) - I think there's just what works best for you with the gear you're carrying and where you're going.
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