Middle Earth Ranger Forum

Mae govannen and happy weekend, rangers! My full kit update will be forthcoming, but I thought I would share a couple of the major updates to my kit. Check it out.



The bow I've had for a little more than a year now, but I'm not sure whether I talked about it. It was one of those "finish it yourself" bow kits that you see on the internet, and for about $30 I thought it was more than worth picking up, because my only functional bow at the time was that $5 fiberglass one. I needed a very low poundage bow for Dagorhir, and being so inexpensive I don't have to fret over the wear and tear it acquires at the medieval faire.

The quiver has been my ongoing project for quite some time now. Up front: the original design is more or less that of Greg's quiver here (http://middleearthrangers.org/forum/vie ... f=4&t=1299, which I bookmarked my first week on the forum. I loved the way that it alters the PJ Ithilien Ranger design to be a bit more sleek, and I've known forever that it was the design I wanted. (So thanks to Greg for posting that!) It was the first leather project I've done that was so large, and I've learned a lot that will make future creations much easier. The arrow sock is a rather simple linen tube dyed dark brown. It will have a hem of thin leather around the top, with a drawstring closure to protect the arrows from rain or stop them from rattling around.

Those with keen eyes will note that the buckle is just a belt buckle, affixed with electrical tape. Obviously, that is temporary solution that will be amended when I finally decide on a bloody buckle! It's function here was so I could see how it works when worn, where the belt sits, etc.

The arrows are cheap-o's from China on ebay. I was actually startled with the quality for the price they were, as they are less expensive per unit than carbon shafts from Walmart. So even if they don't hold up, it's worth the investment.

The sword was a birthday gift from my beautiful wife. I was quite surprised to receive it, and I love the feel of it. It is an Italian Long Sword by Cold Steel, with a fishtail pommel that I thought was beautiful. The leather frog is something I cut and dyed myself, so I have a way to wear it while I decide whether I want to make a custom scabbard. (I don't need another project just now, so I'll put that off for a while).

That's about it! The backdrop is actually my new linen cloak, which will be in the upcoming update. It was dyed using the color match formula Rit Dye provided to me based on a color swatch from one of the cloaks in the film (I don't remember which. Not sure if this photo shows it the best.

Lot's more to come this year. Cheers!

Fantastic work and acquisitions, Mat! Can't wait to see this stuff with everything else, all put together.

I've heard good things about that Longsword...lucky man!

I'd assume you used Faramir's cloak or similar for that color swatch...most of the other cloaks weren't that shade of green. Looks cool!

Pardon me while I blush for a moment...glad my quiver could be inspiring. That's actually my 2nd of three quivers based on that initial pattern I developed...I gave that one to a young friend a few years back and now carry this one. You did a fantastic job on yours. Hope it serves! Looks like you're finishing up the essentials not long before spring (hopefully) arrives...just in time to get out there and party like it's 3A: 3018!

Oh that is very nice! Awesome! I like the contrasting colors on the quiver.

Greg wrote:Fantastic work and acquisitions, Mat! Can't wait to see this stuff with everything else, all put together.

I've heard good things about that Longsword...lucky man!

I'd assume you used Faramir's cloak or similar for that color swatch...most of the other cloaks weren't that shade of green. Looks cool!

Pardon me while I blush for a moment...glad my quiver could be inspiring. That's actually my 2nd of three quivers based on that initial pattern I developed...I gave that one to a young friend a few years back and now carry this one. You did a fantastic job on yours. Hope it serves! Looks like you're finishing up the essentials not long before spring (hopefully) arrives...just in time to get out there and party like it's 3A: 3018!

The sword has been named Carnianqualë, or "Red Agony" for the gift it will give to the servants of the enemy. Haha, dramatics aside, it's on the cheaper end of what we might call "real swords" but it suits me beautifully.

The wife and I already have plans to hike and camp for Memorial Day weekend. Just the two of us, the dog, and what we can carry. She's a photographer, so photos will be sure to follow.

Very nice.

Do you have the arrow seller's info from Ebay? Thinking of investing in some 'period' arrow that are a bit more expendible than the ones I have.

The cloth bag within the leather quiver is a modification I need to make to my quiver. I noticed when I was out deer hunting this fall that they arrows in the quiver clicked and clacked with every step.

Straelbora wrote:Very nice.

Do you have the arrow seller's info from Ebay? Thinking of investing in some 'period' arrow that are a bit more expendible than the ones I have.

The cloth bag within the leather quiver is a modification I need to make to my quiver. I noticed when I was out deer hunting this fall that they arrows in the quiver clicked and clacked with every step.

Absolutely. Ebay seller is red_star1689. They run $32.18 for a dozen, which is $2.68 per arrow. Pretty darn good for 30" cedar shafts. Obviously there are pros and cons to ordering from China, and I have firm respect for the folks who handcraft arrows, but I'm simply not able to put the money into historical arrows that they cost. (Particularly as often as I tend to damage/lose them!)

Mine arrived SIGNIFICANTLY quicker than the shipping date quoted, if you order some, don't get put off by the arrival date it claims.

Farodel wrote:

Straelbora wrote:Very nice.

Do you have the arrow seller's info from Ebay? Thinking of investing in some 'period' arrow that are a bit more expendible than the ones I have.

The cloth bag within the leather quiver is a modification I need to make to my quiver. I noticed when I was out deer hunting this fall that they arrows in the quiver clicked and clacked with every step.

Absolutely. Ebay seller is red_star1689. They run $32.18 for a dozen, which is $2.68 per arrow. Pretty darn good for 30" cedar shafts. Obviously there are pros and cons to ordering from China, and I have firm respect for the folks who handcraft arrows, but I'm simply not able to put the money into historical arrows that they cost. (Particularly as often as I tend to damage/lose them!)

Mine arrived SIGNIFICANTLY quicker than the shipping date quoted, if you order some, don't get put off by the arrival date it claims.

Thanks. I'd like to practice with something other than fiberglas or aluminum modern arrows, but don't want to risk the beautiful arrows that came with my bow.

Re the Chinese arrows.
I have bought a number of shafts from China, almost all of some exotic wood from Indonesia. They shoot well and my only problem is that when you order 11/32" shaft from China, they send you the closest metric which is too large or too small for Western heads. Same with the 'medieval' arrowheads they sell. They are metric and so NOT 11/32" so be aware of that when you buy.
Other than that, I saw no appreciable difference in their flight when compared to my Cedar shafts.

additional note: I never bought the completed arrows from China, only the bare shafts that I requested be 35-40#.
Thus I have no experience in the Chinese completed arrows.

That blade is a sleek beauty. Cold Steel has really stepped up the last few years. In my opinion the sword is a pivotol piece of gear for any ranger worth their salt. Good score!

Great stuff here, Farodel! Thanks for sharing!
It's awesome to see your kit really coming together! There have been a few particular people I've really enjoyed watching improve their garb and gear over the years (in some cases going from complete newcomers to experienced, well-equipped Rangers right before our eyes), and Your progress is definitely among them!** (in fact, if I may be so immodest, I suspect I was this to several old-timers around the boards, although I hardly pretend to be an "experienced Ranger" really).
In any case, yeah, awesome work here! Was the bow from Ringing Rocks Archery on Etsy, by any chance? For extremely inexpensive archery supplies, I've found they offer some pretty decent equipment. And as for the arrows, HOLY COW that was a good deal! I'm more than a little tempted to grab a set myself! I've enjoyed making arrows for several years now, but it's a bit of a laborious process, and honestly, you can't even buy the supplies for the price they're charging for the finished product. Dang. Tempting indeed, especially if we're talking about arrows to just use for stump shooting or otherwise out in the wilderness where they are very likely to get lost or broken.
As for the rest, the sword is gorgeous, and the quiver is wonderful work! Quite excited to see where you take everything next! And I can't wait to see the pics from your upcoming outing (do let me know if there are any you'd particularly like me to use on the Instagram account, by the by).


**Speaking of, has anyone seen or heard from Eothain lately? His kit was really coming along, but I haven't seen hide nor hair of him in quite some time.

Manveruon wrote:Great stuff here, Farodel! Thanks for sharing!
Was the bow from Ringing Rocks Archery on Etsy, by any chance? For extremely inexpensive archery supplies, I've found they offer some pretty decent equipment.

It is, in fact, Ringing Rocks. I wish that I had eschewed the option for the arrow rest actually, but it's been a pretty good bow so far. Certainly for the price. I have to shoot off the glove with my cheapo carbon arrows, because the arrow rest will chew the vanes right off of them. Meant to modify that, but it doesn't have that problem for feather fletchings.