Nemo's Ranger Kit
Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 4:07 am
Hi there everybody! A friend of mine recommended me to this forum, and it is outstanding!
My name is Nemo of Calh. I participate in the LARP Dagorhir, which is centered almost entirely around fighting. I've always wanted to be a Ranger, though, so I've built up a set of gear over the years that goes beyond the norm of Dagorhir, extending into real tools, weapons and period camping equipment. I figure this is the perfect place to share my gear and have it critiqued by people who are more knowledgeable in Rangering than the Dagorhir community, as great as it is. Get ready for a wall of text!
Nemo is the main character of a book I’m working on. He is from the continent of Olor which is reminiscent of Renaissance Italy, with many city-states constantly vying for power both out in the open and behind the scenes. Nemo’s city-state, Calh, survives by selling their mercenary services to other city-states. They are the best fighters and assassins in Olor, and their elite corps, the Brown Cloaks, are the stuff of legend. Nemo is one such Brown Cloak.
This is all of Nemo’s gear, including my camping kit. The camping gear is spread across the pouches on my baldric and belt, and my tent is on my back. Even with everything on, I can move and fight just fine, though obviously not as well as if I was wearing just garb. [The halberd is not part of my main kit any longer; it's for my armor].
The normal way to wear the Brown Cloak (a Sagum style rectangular cloak) is over the left shoulder to leave the sword arm and quiver free. Nemo carries the bow unstrung most of the time, but throws it over his shoulder if he'll need it quickly. The halberd is a situational weapon that normally stays in Calh or wherever Nemo's current home base is and he only uses it in an open battle.
Nemo uses a sword and dagger for melee combat. He has both weapons on him whenever he can, as do most Browncloaks. The dagger is used primarily for stealth and assassinations, as well as extreme close quarters, while the sword is for open battle and can be used equally well in one hand or two. When facing multiple opponents or an opponent with multiple weapons, Nemo can use both weapons together.
Wearing the Brown Cloak on one’s shoulders is forbidden in the city of Calh or on diplomatic missions. In such cases, the Cloak is folded into a sash. This can also be good for extreme hot weather, but removing the Cloak should always be a last resort.
My garb itself is iimportant camping equipment. My two layers of leather with removable leather sleeves keep me warm at night (if I need to be warmer, I can pack the layers with leaves for more insulation). My Cloak is a blanket. Having these two items on me means I don't need to carry an additional sleeping bag or blanket, which saves significantly on space and weight.
The knife and front pockets, as well as my holy symbol.
Sword, hatchet, survival supplies pouch.
Waterskin, dagger, money pouch. You can see the strap for securing my food bag just next to the dagger and above the pouch.
Tent and Cloak.
Stuff on my back with the Cloak and tent moved aside. Removable clothing pouch and medicinal supplies pouch.
Here is everything Nemo would carry (minus any actual food). The pack consists of a baldric, a belt, a canvas food bag, and a tent. When I wear everything, it actually acts like a modern backpack to a certain extent; the belt keeps the weight of the sword and hatchet around my hips and my shoulders only need to support the quiver, food and tent. The baldric goes from my right shoulder to my left hip, then the belt goes on top of that. The tent goes on over my Cloak (also my blanket) and hangs from my left shoulder across my back. The only thing that feels heavy or unwieldy at all is the tent, and even that is not at all bad. It moves my center of gravity slightly backwards, but since it is such a nice trekking tent (thank you, Panther Primitives!), it isn't very heavy at all. I can move and fight relatively freely with everything on, though obviously not as well as if I only was wearing garb.
This is the baldric. It houses my sword, hatchet, utility knife, weapon maintenance supplies, quiver and food bag. By itself, it's kind of heavy on my right shoulder, but with the belt most of the weight goes on my hips. The quiver is actually Ravenswood leather make, and it was nice and modular to begin with. If I don't need the quiver (say, I'm going on a hike in a public park and I don't want to be flashing weapons around), I can easily detach it. The sheath for the sword is nice and smooth, and the sidering and pouches help to keep the sword in the sheath if I'm moving around a lot. The hatchet isn't meant for especially quick use; it isn't primarily a weapon, only a tool for cutting firewood and hammering in tent stakes, tasks that can be completed at my leisure. When the belt is attached, the pouches help to keep it in its ring, and it can hang straight down over the sword. The sword is at a perfect angle that it doesn't stick out too far and bump into things, but I can easily kneel to work on starting a fire, for instance.
The utility knife is kept across my chest and it's nice and accessible without getting in the way. Same with the pouches. They contain my sharpening supplies, extra bow string & wax and my commando saw/snare (can also be a garrote in character) [I'm going to make the saw look more period].
The food bag is relatively small, but it's only meant for trail foods. If Nemo isn't in a city where he can buy food, he's walking to one, on the march with a supply train, or in a position to forage. The long strap loops around the quiver and the bag hangs in the triangle formed between the baldric and the belt on my back. I can fasten and unfasten it on the move, without removing the baldric. There's an additional strap on the right side of the belt to act as an additional anchor for the bag so it does not move around. As well as food, the bag contains a small pan for cooking and eating, my utensils, and my pipe and tobacco pouch.
This is my "utility belt." Everything on it is directly attached to the belt (except for the large pouch), and is very secure. From left to right, the pouches hold survival supplies (fire starting supplies, candle, compass), a change of clothing, medicinal supplies (small modern first aid kit in an inconspicuous pouch, "poisons" [essential modern fluids that Nemo wouldn't have such as hand sanitizer, dish soap, etc.], and "surgical tools" [lockpicks]*) and my money and odds and ends pouches. The wooden disc is Nemo's holy symbol. The pouches don't get in the way much at all, and I can move just fine in them. The clothing pouch is removable so that I can use it as a pillow in camp, and also if I know I'm going to fight; as the largest pouch it would free me up the most to leave it behind. It doesn't get in the way at all though.
*Browncloaks such as Nemo are infiltrators and assassins as well as warriors and diplomats. The lockpicks and "poisons" are kept in the medicinal supplies pouch because Nemo could write them off as medical supplies as most people wouldn't recognize the nature of the items. The lockpicks are just for fun. I can barely use them and I don't plan on breaking into anything, but they're there for character.
I had the dagger semi-custom made to match my sword, which it does very well. I made the sheath myself and it's secure but smooth. It's kept tight to the body and out of the way.
Here is the contents of all of the pouches. From left to right, top to bottom, these are:
Money and odds-and ends pouches (mostly just for character)
Clothing pouch
Food bag with pan and pipe
Fire starting supplies, candle and compass (I'm going to paint over the Altoids labels. . .)
Sharpening oil and stone (In character, the test tubes are glass, but for practicality they're really tough plastic)
Commando saw and handles
Extra bow string and bow string wax
Hatchet
Medicinal supplies (First aid kit, "surgical tools," "poisons" [same situation as sharpening oil])
Utility knife
Dagger
Sword
(This picture is from over a year ago, but the tent remains the same, with the addition of some wear. Picture this with a shorter, vertical pole instead of the unstable, slanted pole that's in this picture.)
The tent is a 12' x 12' waterproof oilskin tarp. I can fold it into different styles of tents. At Ragnarok XXVI (the largest Dagorhir event each year), I had it in essentially this shape, only with the front tied to a tree instead of the ground. I have a decent amount of room for gear next to me with a floor (very important!) and a decent amount of privacy. It was a little cold on the ground but I survived, for a whole week. As well as this setup, I can fold it in either of these fashions:
Which each provide increasing amounts of room with the loss of a floor. I can also fold it into a tetrahedron that is sealed on every side and even has a door, but has no floor.
When rolled up, all of the supplies for setting up the tent look like this. The bundle includes the tent, a guy line, a bag of wrought iron stakes and a two piece wooden tent pole.
By folding the tent into fourths along one side, I can roll it around the other supplies with the rope sticking out. After it's rolled, I just tie the bundle closed with the attached tie down straps and then tie the ends of the rope together, braiding the extra length along one half of the loop it's formed to beef up the thickness. That way, the extra length of rope goes somewhere and it doesn't dig into my shoulder when I have it on. I got the idea from Aragorn's bedroll in Lord of the Rings, but mine's better since it's a whole tent. ;D
This is one of my tent stakes and the pole when it is put together. Figured I might as well take the picture while I had everything unrolled on my kitchen counter (don't worry, I scrubbed the counter down after I was finished taking pictures).
Nemo, like all Brown Cloaks, has his own armor for open conflicts. To keep mobile and protect the most vital areas, he only wears half armor most of the time (I'm going to get legs and a helm eventually, but not quite yet). Under the vest is a coat of plates; the vest is the Calhian military uniform, it's worn at all times.
If he's going to be on the battlefield and not likely to need his survival/camping equipment, Nemo does not wear all of his belts. Instead, the sword simply gets placed though a ring on his belt (not shown) and he carries the halberd.
So there's everything. Since the last time I've used everything, I'm thinking about making two changes. First, I think I'm going to relegate the sword to the armor kit. It may not be overly large, but I feel that a Ranger should carry as few single-purpose items as possible. I don't want to be carrying a heavy sword and a heavy hatchet, one of which can only be a weapon and the other is only used as a tool. I'm going to get a longer handle for the tomahawk, and I'm going to attach langets and a nice handle to it, as well as some nice designs to make it look personal. The bow is my primary weapon, then I can use the dagger and tomahawk together if I absolutely have to. The dagger will be moved to my left hip and the hatchet to my right; that way I can quickly draw them together with the dagger in a reverse grip.
I might also only use the tent for special occasions, especially if I switch to the tomahawk instead of the sword. With two short weapons, I'm going to have to be much more active than when using longsword. The tent, as light as it is, moves my center of gravity too far backward and makes me too bulky. The problem isn't bad, it's just not optimal. So, I might modify or replace my Cloak (as sad as that makes me; it's supposed to be sacred to Nemo). It'll still be brown and worn in the same way, but it'll probably be heavier, and I'll treat it to be waterproof. That way, I can use it as a shelter. I'm still not sure what I'll do for poles, though. Nemo could use trees easily enough, but most of the places where I end up camping don't have conveniently placed trees.
So, there it is. What do you think?
EDIT 8 May 2012: Here's my new tomahawk, that I'll probably be making my primary weapon/tool.
My name is Nemo of Calh. I participate in the LARP Dagorhir, which is centered almost entirely around fighting. I've always wanted to be a Ranger, though, so I've built up a set of gear over the years that goes beyond the norm of Dagorhir, extending into real tools, weapons and period camping equipment. I figure this is the perfect place to share my gear and have it critiqued by people who are more knowledgeable in Rangering than the Dagorhir community, as great as it is. Get ready for a wall of text!
Nemo is the main character of a book I’m working on. He is from the continent of Olor which is reminiscent of Renaissance Italy, with many city-states constantly vying for power both out in the open and behind the scenes. Nemo’s city-state, Calh, survives by selling their mercenary services to other city-states. They are the best fighters and assassins in Olor, and their elite corps, the Brown Cloaks, are the stuff of legend. Nemo is one such Brown Cloak.
This is all of Nemo’s gear, including my camping kit. The camping gear is spread across the pouches on my baldric and belt, and my tent is on my back. Even with everything on, I can move and fight just fine, though obviously not as well as if I was wearing just garb. [The halberd is not part of my main kit any longer; it's for my armor].
The normal way to wear the Brown Cloak (a Sagum style rectangular cloak) is over the left shoulder to leave the sword arm and quiver free. Nemo carries the bow unstrung most of the time, but throws it over his shoulder if he'll need it quickly. The halberd is a situational weapon that normally stays in Calh or wherever Nemo's current home base is and he only uses it in an open battle.
Nemo uses a sword and dagger for melee combat. He has both weapons on him whenever he can, as do most Browncloaks. The dagger is used primarily for stealth and assassinations, as well as extreme close quarters, while the sword is for open battle and can be used equally well in one hand or two. When facing multiple opponents or an opponent with multiple weapons, Nemo can use both weapons together.
Wearing the Brown Cloak on one’s shoulders is forbidden in the city of Calh or on diplomatic missions. In such cases, the Cloak is folded into a sash. This can also be good for extreme hot weather, but removing the Cloak should always be a last resort.
My garb itself is iimportant camping equipment. My two layers of leather with removable leather sleeves keep me warm at night (if I need to be warmer, I can pack the layers with leaves for more insulation). My Cloak is a blanket. Having these two items on me means I don't need to carry an additional sleeping bag or blanket, which saves significantly on space and weight.
The knife and front pockets, as well as my holy symbol.
Sword, hatchet, survival supplies pouch.
Waterskin, dagger, money pouch. You can see the strap for securing my food bag just next to the dagger and above the pouch.
Tent and Cloak.
Stuff on my back with the Cloak and tent moved aside. Removable clothing pouch and medicinal supplies pouch.
Here is everything Nemo would carry (minus any actual food). The pack consists of a baldric, a belt, a canvas food bag, and a tent. When I wear everything, it actually acts like a modern backpack to a certain extent; the belt keeps the weight of the sword and hatchet around my hips and my shoulders only need to support the quiver, food and tent. The baldric goes from my right shoulder to my left hip, then the belt goes on top of that. The tent goes on over my Cloak (also my blanket) and hangs from my left shoulder across my back. The only thing that feels heavy or unwieldy at all is the tent, and even that is not at all bad. It moves my center of gravity slightly backwards, but since it is such a nice trekking tent (thank you, Panther Primitives!), it isn't very heavy at all. I can move and fight relatively freely with everything on, though obviously not as well as if I only was wearing garb.
This is the baldric. It houses my sword, hatchet, utility knife, weapon maintenance supplies, quiver and food bag. By itself, it's kind of heavy on my right shoulder, but with the belt most of the weight goes on my hips. The quiver is actually Ravenswood leather make, and it was nice and modular to begin with. If I don't need the quiver (say, I'm going on a hike in a public park and I don't want to be flashing weapons around), I can easily detach it. The sheath for the sword is nice and smooth, and the sidering and pouches help to keep the sword in the sheath if I'm moving around a lot. The hatchet isn't meant for especially quick use; it isn't primarily a weapon, only a tool for cutting firewood and hammering in tent stakes, tasks that can be completed at my leisure. When the belt is attached, the pouches help to keep it in its ring, and it can hang straight down over the sword. The sword is at a perfect angle that it doesn't stick out too far and bump into things, but I can easily kneel to work on starting a fire, for instance.
The utility knife is kept across my chest and it's nice and accessible without getting in the way. Same with the pouches. They contain my sharpening supplies, extra bow string & wax and my commando saw/snare (can also be a garrote in character) [I'm going to make the saw look more period].
The food bag is relatively small, but it's only meant for trail foods. If Nemo isn't in a city where he can buy food, he's walking to one, on the march with a supply train, or in a position to forage. The long strap loops around the quiver and the bag hangs in the triangle formed between the baldric and the belt on my back. I can fasten and unfasten it on the move, without removing the baldric. There's an additional strap on the right side of the belt to act as an additional anchor for the bag so it does not move around. As well as food, the bag contains a small pan for cooking and eating, my utensils, and my pipe and tobacco pouch.
This is my "utility belt." Everything on it is directly attached to the belt (except for the large pouch), and is very secure. From left to right, the pouches hold survival supplies (fire starting supplies, candle, compass), a change of clothing, medicinal supplies (small modern first aid kit in an inconspicuous pouch, "poisons" [essential modern fluids that Nemo wouldn't have such as hand sanitizer, dish soap, etc.], and "surgical tools" [lockpicks]*) and my money and odds and ends pouches. The wooden disc is Nemo's holy symbol. The pouches don't get in the way much at all, and I can move just fine in them. The clothing pouch is removable so that I can use it as a pillow in camp, and also if I know I'm going to fight; as the largest pouch it would free me up the most to leave it behind. It doesn't get in the way at all though.
*Browncloaks such as Nemo are infiltrators and assassins as well as warriors and diplomats. The lockpicks and "poisons" are kept in the medicinal supplies pouch because Nemo could write them off as medical supplies as most people wouldn't recognize the nature of the items. The lockpicks are just for fun. I can barely use them and I don't plan on breaking into anything, but they're there for character.
I had the dagger semi-custom made to match my sword, which it does very well. I made the sheath myself and it's secure but smooth. It's kept tight to the body and out of the way.
Here is the contents of all of the pouches. From left to right, top to bottom, these are:
Money and odds-and ends pouches (mostly just for character)
Clothing pouch
Food bag with pan and pipe
Fire starting supplies, candle and compass (I'm going to paint over the Altoids labels. . .)
Sharpening oil and stone (In character, the test tubes are glass, but for practicality they're really tough plastic)
Commando saw and handles
Extra bow string and bow string wax
Hatchet
Medicinal supplies (First aid kit, "surgical tools," "poisons" [same situation as sharpening oil])
Utility knife
Dagger
Sword
(This picture is from over a year ago, but the tent remains the same, with the addition of some wear. Picture this with a shorter, vertical pole instead of the unstable, slanted pole that's in this picture.)
The tent is a 12' x 12' waterproof oilskin tarp. I can fold it into different styles of tents. At Ragnarok XXVI (the largest Dagorhir event each year), I had it in essentially this shape, only with the front tied to a tree instead of the ground. I have a decent amount of room for gear next to me with a floor (very important!) and a decent amount of privacy. It was a little cold on the ground but I survived, for a whole week. As well as this setup, I can fold it in either of these fashions:
Which each provide increasing amounts of room with the loss of a floor. I can also fold it into a tetrahedron that is sealed on every side and even has a door, but has no floor.
When rolled up, all of the supplies for setting up the tent look like this. The bundle includes the tent, a guy line, a bag of wrought iron stakes and a two piece wooden tent pole.
By folding the tent into fourths along one side, I can roll it around the other supplies with the rope sticking out. After it's rolled, I just tie the bundle closed with the attached tie down straps and then tie the ends of the rope together, braiding the extra length along one half of the loop it's formed to beef up the thickness. That way, the extra length of rope goes somewhere and it doesn't dig into my shoulder when I have it on. I got the idea from Aragorn's bedroll in Lord of the Rings, but mine's better since it's a whole tent. ;D
This is one of my tent stakes and the pole when it is put together. Figured I might as well take the picture while I had everything unrolled on my kitchen counter (don't worry, I scrubbed the counter down after I was finished taking pictures).
Nemo, like all Brown Cloaks, has his own armor for open conflicts. To keep mobile and protect the most vital areas, he only wears half armor most of the time (I'm going to get legs and a helm eventually, but not quite yet). Under the vest is a coat of plates; the vest is the Calhian military uniform, it's worn at all times.
If he's going to be on the battlefield and not likely to need his survival/camping equipment, Nemo does not wear all of his belts. Instead, the sword simply gets placed though a ring on his belt (not shown) and he carries the halberd.
So there's everything. Since the last time I've used everything, I'm thinking about making two changes. First, I think I'm going to relegate the sword to the armor kit. It may not be overly large, but I feel that a Ranger should carry as few single-purpose items as possible. I don't want to be carrying a heavy sword and a heavy hatchet, one of which can only be a weapon and the other is only used as a tool. I'm going to get a longer handle for the tomahawk, and I'm going to attach langets and a nice handle to it, as well as some nice designs to make it look personal. The bow is my primary weapon, then I can use the dagger and tomahawk together if I absolutely have to. The dagger will be moved to my left hip and the hatchet to my right; that way I can quickly draw them together with the dagger in a reverse grip.
I might also only use the tent for special occasions, especially if I switch to the tomahawk instead of the sword. With two short weapons, I'm going to have to be much more active than when using longsword. The tent, as light as it is, moves my center of gravity too far backward and makes me too bulky. The problem isn't bad, it's just not optimal. So, I might modify or replace my Cloak (as sad as that makes me; it's supposed to be sacred to Nemo). It'll still be brown and worn in the same way, but it'll probably be heavier, and I'll treat it to be waterproof. That way, I can use it as a shelter. I'm still not sure what I'll do for poles, though. Nemo could use trees easily enough, but most of the places where I end up camping don't have conveniently placed trees.
So, there it is. What do you think?
EDIT 8 May 2012: Here's my new tomahawk, that I'll probably be making my primary weapon/tool.