My friend wants you oppinion on his garb [PIC HEAVY]

[Addreonynn]

He's going for a ranger of the tolkein world and needs opinions! He gets all paranoid about his stuff!!! lol so any constructive criticism, tips and trick, and the like are welcome!!! Thanks in advance!


P.S. tell him to join the forum! If he hears it from you guys, he might actually do it!

[wulfgar]

I think his kit is great! Very well done. Are his "boots" a kind of spat or gaiter?

[Addreonynn]

Yes they are! I actually had to look up the terms, but now that I know what that means, yes.

[caedmon]

It's a good start.

What's his intent? Is this just for cosplay and the like, or is he intending to get out into the wild? Is it for fun or practicality? What are the weather extremes where he lives? I can point my comments and suggestions better if I know what he wants to do.

-Jack

[Udwin]

Alright, I'll bite.
It's not my style, but for an amorphous, generically-'medieval' woodland skirmisher, I'd say your friend is well on his way to having a good outfit. I assume the duster and shirt are based on Strider's ranger duds from the films?
I'm with Jack though, is this just for bumming around the local Ren faire on the weekends or does he plan to wear this and get dirty out on a trek in the backcountry?
As is expected for new gear, the leather and buckles and such are Much Too Shiny.
Tolkien seems to suggest in his description of the Dunedain

"...the Rangers sat, silent, in an ordered company, armed with spear and bow and sword. They were clad in cloaks of dark grey, and their hoods were cast now over helm and head. ... There was no gleam of stone or gold, nor any fair thing in all their gear and harness: nor did their riders bear any badge or token, save only that each cloak was pinned upon the left shoulder by a brooch of silver shaped like a rayed star." - The Lord of the Rings, Book V The War of the Ring, Chapter 2: The Passing of the Grey Company.

that they should be as un-shiny as possible. Luckily, brass is easy to tarnish (using either saltwater, ammonia, or vinegar), and strong rubbing alcohol will quickly take the shine off new leather.
I'm wary of the metal gauntlet and longsword (just seems a little too late-medieval-showy to me). And swap the double-d-ring belt for one with a proper buckle. But not a bad start overall!

[Eledhwen]

It is a great beginning, if field work is intended.

'They are a strange company, these newcomers,' said Gimli. 'Stout and lordly they are, and the Riders of Rohan look almost as boys beside them; for they are grim of face, *worn like weathered rocks for the most part*, even as Aragorn himself; and they are silent.'

The shine of most things, such as brass buckles and rivet heads, even highly polished leather, will settle down with time spent in the bush.

If they are for field work, sturdiness is the order of the day, and natural fabrics over anything synthetic.

For what it is worth.

Eledhwen

[Addreonynn]

It's a good start.

What's his intent? Is this just for cosplay and the like, or is he intending to get out into the wild? Is it for fun or practicality? What are the weather extremes where he lives? I can point my comments and suggestions better if I know what he wants to do.

-Jack

His intent is all of the above, with an emphasis on trekking.

Alright, I'll bite.
It's not my style, but for an amorphous, generically-'medieval' woodland skirmisher, I'd say your friend is well on his way to having a good outfit. I assume the duster and shirt are based on Strider's ranger duds from the films?
I'm with Jack though, is this just for bumming around the local Ren faire on the weekends or does he plan to wear this and get dirty out on a trek in the backcountry?
As is expected for new gear, the leather and buckles and such are Much Too Shiny.
Tolkien seems to suggest in his description of the Dunedain

"...the Rangers sat, silent, in an ordered company, armed with spear and bow and sword. They were clad in cloaks of dark grey, and their hoods were cast now over helm and head. ... There was no gleam of stone or gold, nor any fair thing in all their gear and harness: nor did their riders bear any badge or token, save only that each cloak was pinned upon the left shoulder by a brooch of silver shaped like a rayed star." - The Lord of the Rings, Book V The War of the Ring, Chapter 2: The Passing of the Grey Company.

that they should be as un-shiny as possible. Luckily, brass is easy to tarnish (using either saltwater, ammonia, or vinegar), and strong rubbing alcohol will quickly take the shine off new leather.
I'm wary of the metal gauntlet and longsword (just seems a little too late-medieval-showy to me). And swap the double-d-ring belt for one with a proper buckle. But not a bad start overall!

He agrees with the shiny problem, but didn't know how to dull it down, so to speak. Thanks for the tips! And his persona is a combat oriented ranger, hence the metal gauntlets.

It is a great beginning, if field work is intended.

'They are a strange company, these newcomers,' said Gimli. 'Stout and lordly they are, and the Riders of Rohan look almost as boys beside them; for they are grim of face, *worn like weathered rocks for the most part*, even as Aragorn himself; and they are silent.'

The shine of most things, such as brass buckles and rivet heads, even highly polished leather, will settle down with time spent in the bush.

If they are for field work, sturdiness is the order of the day, and natural fabrics over anything synthetic.

For what it is worth.

Eledhwen

That's what he's been doing so far to give it a worn look. Most of the holes in the cloak are from a battle with thorns and the like! lol thanks for your input!

[Manveruon]

Overall, I like it. He looks like he's comfortable in it, which is important. I agree with what Udwin said, for the most part, as well. I would probably lose the studded gloves, or just take off the studs. I also think the armor piece on his shoulder looks like it might restrict his movement a bit. I get it's function, on his sword arm, but since the rest of his body isn't armored, it seems a tad out of place to my eye (same with the bracers). To me, it seems a little silly for a "combat oriented" person of any kind to armor his forearms and right shoulder, but not his chest, neck, groin, or head. I'd say go armored, or go un-armored, with optional leather protectors here and there - but some of that is just personal preference.
I also agree with the above statement about getting a belt with a buckle instead of the double-ring setup (it's far more secure that way).
Finally, I would say that proper boots may be in order, but ultimately the spats he's wearing don't look too bad, under the circumstances.
Otherwise I think the kit looks good, fits him well, and seems fairly functional. Over time he may want to add things like a haversack, water container, bedroll, etc. but as a basic starting point, he could have done much, MUCH worse.

Cheers!

[Addreonynn]

Overall, I like it. He looks like he's comfortable in it, which is important. I agree with what Udwin said, for the most part, as well. I would probably lose the studded gloves, or just take off the studs. I also think the armor piece on his shoulder looks like it might restrict his movement a bit. I get it's function, on his sword arm, but since the rest of his body isn't armored, it seems a tad out of place to my eye (same with the bracers). To me, it seems a little silly for a "combat oriented" person of any kind to armor his forearms and right shoulder, but not his chest, neck, groin, or head. I'd say go armored, or go un-armored, with optional leather protectors here and there - but some of that is just personal preference.
I also agree with the above statement about getting a belt with a buckle instead of the double-ring setup (it's far more secure that way).
Finally, I would say that proper boots may be in order, but ultimately the spats he's wearing don't look too bad, under the circumstances.
Otherwise I think the kit looks good, fits him well, and seems fairly functional. Over time he may want to add things like a haversack, water container, bedroll, etc. but as a basic starting point, he could have done much, MUCH worse.

Cheers!

this was just garb. he does a full bedroll instead of a pack, and he has a hard leather belt pouch thats pretty good sized and fits all that he needs. thanks for the input!!!

[caedmon]

OK, I do think this is a good starter kit. I'm going to get critical, not to put him down, but because he asked for opinions. (Also, please remember I'm in Alaska, so take my trekking advice from that perspective. )

My biggest problem with this kit is that it seems to be mostly made of cotton materials. Cottons are problematic because of their propensity to wick heat away from the body. If he's in a hot clime, this may be a good thing.

I'm not to worried about shinyness, use will take care of that. But some browning/weathering would go a long way if he's impatient.

Things that I would change are the gloves and boots. Fingerless gloves are very useful, but the studs are disconcerting. (Browning might change that, though.) For boots, I'd go for something like Viking Leathercrafts laced ankle boots with winningas (leg windings).

[Manveruon]

^ What he said

[Eothain]

Hey that is me! Thanks to everyone for your comments and suggestions!

[Addreonynn]

Hey that is me! Thanks to everyone for your comments and suggestions!

[Greg]

Eothain...pardon if I seem forward and if this question comes out of nowhere, but have you ever lived in or near Glendora, CA?

You look exactly like an older version of someone I knew when they were a pre-teen back home in So Cal. Even the bow you're holding looks familiar. If it's not you...no worries.

[Eothain]

Eothain...pardon if I seem forward and if this question comes out of nowhere, but have you ever lived in or near Glendora, CA?

You look exactly like an older version of someone I knew when they were a pre-teen back home in So Cal. Even the bow you're holding looks familiar. If it's not you...no worries.

No need to pardon yourself for asking, Greg. Though I've lived in Missouri all of ny life.