New Water Bottle, Blowing Horn...and other new stuff...

[Peter Remling]

Excellent price! Everyone said Sonny was great to deal with but that's got to be at cost.

[Greg]

That's what I was thinking. Those buckles are far too nice for a price like that...which is why I'm getting extras. I almost feel guilty...but hey, he offered it, not me. I can't argue with that!

EDIT: Order placed! They're shipping the day after thanksgiving! It's funny...I and many like myself have spent hours oogling over Christian Fletcher's handiwork...I never thought I'd tear his handiwork apart to make my own!

[Greg]

New belt from Pete, coupled with a modified attachment for the Christian Fletcher Locket that came on my Bristol. It still swings, but NOTHING like it did with the suspension system it came with. I may decide to dye the belt a little darker and add an extra rivet to each end of the strap that's holding it up, but it's very comfy and functional right now, so we'll see. Thanks again, Pete!

January is fast approaching. When January arrives, I will be setting out on a journey into the wilds. Snow-covered wilds, to be exact. I am still building up kit (and body fat...thank you Thanksgiving!) for warmth and water repellent. I just ordered one of Ron Laclair's Wool long hunter shirts, which are reportedly warm AND water resistant, as an overtunic. I may cut the slits up the sides and/or the front to achieve a more surcoat like feel for the below-the-belt portion of said shirt, so that it frees up my legs and would allow me to sit on horseback, but I'm definitely not cutting the slits higher than my belt line. That'd be far too drafty for the snow, and my sides would freeze. Ravenswood leather has caught up to my order for a new jerkin after working through their backordered list, so ideally, by january, the jerkin will be here to add an additional layer over the wool and all that good stuff, but we'll have to see.


As modeled by the lovely Ron LaClair.

[Greg]

Alright, instead of posting a new thread, I figured I'd continue my recent one.

HOLY KIT UPDATE, BATMAN!

My new bracers are almost done; they're awaiting a trip to tandy leather to get some last-minute thread and that kinda stuff so I can finish them up, and then I'll be posting pictures of them here.

The wool longhunter shirt from Shrew Bows has arrived today, and is fantastic. The order took awhile to process, but it's finally here. It's SUPER warm and comfy; it's not very itchy, as I had kind-of expected. It may begin to itch over time when worn under bracers when sweating, but if I keep a good thermal base layer under it (after all, this shirt's primarily for cold weather anyway) the itching should be minimal if not nonexistent. It nearly reaches my knees, so it's exactly the length I was hoping for. Again, it's super warm and cozy, and water repellent (though some spray added on would help prevent water from soaking in at all...something I'm probably gonna do for the sake of safety and comfort in the cold.)

If any of yoiu are looking for functional wool for trekking, look no further. He sells hooded cowls of the same fabrics as well as his shirts in green, brown, grey, and striped patterns. The head of the St. Hubert's Rangers huntsmen group, Paul Wilburn, has a shirt and matching hood that he hunts in during the cold season, and he's SUPER-specific about being period-accurate, so if it goes for him, I'd say it goes for us. Here are some examples (that's a pretty sweet quiver they sell there, too, btw...) The first is their Tamarack green shirt, and the other is their grey shirt (and the grey hood they sell) on Paul Wilburn, from his endorsement letter.




With all that said and done...I need some pants. I've been using dickies work pants and/or sweatpants since the day I stopped using jeans for this, and I'm sick of them. They get stickers caught on them constantly, and they're completely not durable. Lori's got some McCall's patterns for pants, but I'm not sure what kind of material I should be getting for pants. I kneel a lot, and I get my pants rubbed on everything. I'd rather not something harsh like canvas so my every footstep isn't marked by a loud swoosh and all that jazz...but I need something that I can waterproof/resist treat that won't wear down easily. Thoughts?

[Eric C]

While you're at Tandy, pick me up some needles for saddle stitching. Oh, sorry. It'll be better if I just go myself .

Anyway, can I tell you how to make a good update a great update? PICTURES!!! Thanks for letting us know. We look forward to seeing these things on screen soon. I'm going to have to do some clothing redoes soon. My shirts are wearing out. So I'm thinking of making a tunic (unless a trade is worked out).

[Willrett]

I have been looking at those shirts and hoods for awhile and now it seems like a very good possibility.

For pants the idea I have is wool (medium weight) lined with linen (to stop itch) and with leather knee patches. I know it could be a lot of material but it would be good for cold weather.

[Peter Remling]

I have an old pair of grey sweat pants I put leather knee pads on, works well!

[Greg]

Leather kneepads may be what I wind up doing...the pants'll probably end up being wool.

I won two full mule deer hides on ebay today for less than $15 each (AND got the shipping costs combined...yay!), so I'll be working on some more cold weather gear this coming week after they've arrived. The scraps left over from the hides may be used to make some cold weather gear for my dog, who has been accompanying me on my treks again lately. Maybe just a blankey for him...we'll see. I'm still working on getting my camera, fresh batteries, and my new kit pieces all together in one place at one time...you'll all be notified when that happens.

Oh...if you have any thoughts on things that I might make for the dog, let me know. Photos for inspiration/example would be much appreciated if you have them.

[Frothgar]

Hundpanzer

[David]

Since you seemed to like my pants so much Greg, I'll post a link to them. They are a little more expensive ($43.99 +S&H), but that's because they are fully customizable, and fitted to your size (Waist & length). They are not loose, but there's room for breath-ability and/or thermals underneath them. I'm pretty sure that you can waterproof them too...

http://tinyurl.com/y9vwpu6

[Greg]

They certainly looked awesome, but I'm looking for something thicker, most likely in wool. Thanks for the link, though.