Middle Earth Ranger Forum

It is all very well for Tolkien's Ranger to trudge about the countryside with just a blanket roll, sword, knife & a bow, but the fact is that real rangers, from at least the 12th century to the 18th century had the job of ranging the countryside for quite long lengths of time searching for the enemy. They actually needed more than just weapons & a blanket.
We need to carry a water container, it is also perhaps a good idea to carry some form of water filtration unit, a medical kit, sewing kit, whet stone, & trail foods. A spare pair of footwear would not go amiss either, or an oilcloth.
For water filtration I carry a set of cotton & linen bags, one larger one, & two smaller ones; one inside the other for finer filtration.




My knapsack, blanket roll, oilcloth secured under the flap closure, my market wallet also secured under the flap closure for carrying extra trail foods, & a spare pair of moccasins.

Very true. I always make sure when I assemble my ranger kit that I actually have all the neccessities for living. It might make for a heavier costume, but I never really think of it as a costume since I actually use the gear that I wear. I like the water filtration bags, do you only use them for water filtration? They strike me as being a good multi-use item.

Brian

Hi Brian. You are right, they could be used for containers, but it would have to be something you can remove when the bags are needed for filtering, & you would not want to contaminate the bags with anything. I just don't have anything that I need to keep in a bag. They are light, & don't take up any room. They fit inside my brass trade kettle along with some food bags.

Good to hear that you actually use your gear. I hear of people trying to "age" there clothing etc, & I always tell them to just get out there & use it. It will get marked & dirty & age itself soon enough. Everything was new at one time.
All the best Brian, good to hear from you.
Regards, Keith.

There's a truth; no need to age anything if you are actually living in it. My stuff gets that lovely aged look rather quickly. Since much of my Longhunter gear doubles as Ranger gear, it gets used doubly hard. Indeed, repairing my mocs and boots tends to be a fairly regular occurrence.

I always take things I need and use while hunting and being out for extended periods, regardless of the actual length of the outing. This state makes not carrying things I cannot use easy; swords are forbidden, as are spears. Bows are often frowned upon out of hunting season, but I take that anyway when doing Tolkien style rangering; I just take the field point arrows instead of hunting or war arrows.

On the Colonial front, I can carry my musket along as it is not considered a true firearm under the law, and as long as I do not charge the pan it is not considered loaded, even with ball or buck and ball in the barrel. Finally getting a 'Ranger' Brown Bess. Been a long wait.

Eledhwen

Wishing you all the best with your new gun Eledhwen, good choice. Built to last.
Regards, Keith.

Just in case you are interested:
http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com.au/

http://eighteenthcenturylivinghistory.freeforums.org/

I follow your blogs, Keith. Thanks!

This musket has been a long time coming. One of my grandsires served under Robert Rogers with one of the Massachusetts Companies of Rangers during the F&I. He was up around Fort William Henry and Fort Edward. May have carried a musket much like this one as this one is patterned after one dating from that period. Yes, I am excited. LOL

Eledhwen

Eledhwen wrote:I follow your blogs, Keith. Thanks!

This musket has been a long time coming. One of my grandsires served under Robert Rogers with one of the Massachusetts Companies of Rangers during the F&I. He was up around Fort William Henry and Fort Edward. May have carried a musket much like this one as this one is patterned after one dating from that period. Yes, I am excited. LOL

Eledhwen

Well, pretty cool!

So, making sure I have this right: Nest all three bags one inside the other and use that as a system to filter the water? Seems like a nice simple method for filtering particulates.

I fully support using your kit to actually live in. It is not a costume, it is clothing and kit meant to be used.


Erich

E.MacKermak wrote:So, making sure I have this right: Nest all three bags one inside the other and use that as a system to filter the water? Seems like a nice simple method for filtering particulates.

I fully support using your kit to actually live in. It is not a costume, it is clothing and kit meant to be used.


Erich

Hi Erich. I take my kettle to the waters edge, then use the large bag to scoop the water up. If it is relatively clean, this can run through the larger bag into my kettle for boiling before pouring into my water bottle or for use making tea etc. If the water is mucky, then I scoop with the larger bag & run the water through the two smaller bags (one inside the other) & into my kettle.
Sounds fiddly & awkward but you get the hang of it after a while. I also use my kettle to catch rain water off my shelter, making sure it has rained enough first to have washed the surface of my oilcloth.
Regards, Keith.

In regards to the bags: how effective are they in filtering water? It seems to me that it would still be dangerous to drink water found while trekking, even if filtered through bags like this, but I'm honestly not very knowledgeable in that area.

Varies with the water and place. There are certain things that cannot be filtered out, chemicals and bio agents both. The bag method is not bad...it can work better if you pack sand and charcoal into the bags...sand in one, charcoal in another, etc. That will take much of the particulate out. Boiling is, however, the method that will make the water safest to drink. Even iodine won't kill cysts from some of the bugs, and bleach doesn't always either.

I carry a piece of bamboo...some other hollowed out wood would work too...in which I pack sand, pebbles, charcoal... when I know I'm going to be a long time and water resupply is dependent on streams and whatnot. Here in the U.S., much of our water has had some industry on it at one point or another...and all of it is subject to the booming rodent populations. Giardiasis and Leptospirosis are two of the more common afflictions here..although there are more.

As in Mountaineering, safe rather than sorry. Reenactment is fun and educational..as long as you don't die from it needlessly.

Be careful.

Eledhwen

If you want to know all there is to know about "safe water", then go to our group forum here:
http://eighteenthcenturylivinghistory.f ... -t396.html

This is a great series of articles written by one of our group members who is a professional in this area. Well worth taking the time to read. You are also very welcome to join our forum if you wish.
Regards, Keith.

Good info, thanks!

Manveruon wrote:Good info, thanks!

You are most welcome.
Keith aka miingan.

Wow Eledhwen!

Another great use for bamboo! I bet you could fill a tube with filter floss and charcoal like a fish tank filter and cap the bottom with some cloth and sinew and have a cool little filter!

New project!