Quivers

[Beornmann]

I have been trying to imagine what a ME Ranger would want for a quiver.
*variable arrow capacity - less for hunting & more for patrol.
*side draw for minimal movement and higher rate of fire
*worn on back, slung low for low profile and ease of woods movement. Side-worn and high on the back will flap too much and catch on brush & branches.

Several traditional archery mags, suggests for hunters:
Jack's Traditional Archery
The "Stealth" and "Chief" seem very similar in looks to the Rohan quivers, when I compared to them in the Weapons & Warfare book. But the Rohan does not appear to have a side opening, but a cinched top. It looks like a leather bottomed and partial sided tube with an internal canvas bag. Aragorn's & Legolas' are both leather top open, tubed quivers. Really not what I would expect for them.

Anyone have any better ideas?

[Peter Remling]

There were a number of "hunting" quivers around 20 years ago that had straps like a backpack. The quiver hung vertically down the center of ones' back and the fletched end of the arrows was behind your head reducing profile and the drag potential on brush.

I actually feel the diagonal shoulder better for the skirmishing and hunting of a ranger. The diagonal isn't too bad in the woods and it's very quick when your targets are likely to shoot back.

I'm surprised the Rohan weren't shown with saddle quivers.

The cinched top works well, I have a picture of the one I made somewhere.

I'll have to find it tomarrow, just got home and need to be back to work in 6 1/2 hours.

[Hereward the Wake]

Personally a diagonal shoulder quiver works , you can swing it out of the way in thick brush, The Ice name and a number of Native North American tribes used them.
One that can also be worn at the waist is a good idea and can therefore fullfill different roles.
Historically there are very few surviving examples of quviers in Medieval Europe. An arrow bag seems to have been a popular choice. It is a tapered bag, cinched top and bottom with a draw string and with a strap for carrying over the shoulder it can be used as a regular quiver, or stuck in the belt with the top and bottom open, the arrows being drawn through from the bottom stopping the heads being stuck when drawing the arrows.
They often have stiffener rings sewn in to keep the bage away from the arrows when closed, especially at the fletching end. Some have a spacer disk in, with holes punched through to keep the arrows evenly divided.

[Andy M]

I prefer the dual back-pack straps as Peter mentioned with the quiver canted just enough to clear the neck/head. That way if you're in the prone you can look up without hitting the back of your head on your arrows.
I also use shearling to hold the arrows still and quiet. I made a few broadhead sheaths that I keep a arrows strapped on the outside of the quiver just in case. The bodkins and field tips will pull out of the shearling with no problem.
When going through brush or trying to move low when going under limbs I've learned to lead with the fletching and glancing up toward the fletching/obstacle. This seems to work well.

Andy

[Peter Remling]

These are a couple of shots of the test quiver I made early this year. It's a cross between a arrow bag and a quiver. As a test I didn't dye the canvas. The quiver/bag is long enough to completely cover the arrows or can be lowered to expose the fletchings. Very quiet in the woods as the arrows are held together.

The gentleman modeling the quiver/bag is by brother Mike, who also can been seen in several of my pics entered into this year's photo contest on Christian Fletcher's site.

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn46 ... rbagA2.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn46 ... rbagB2.jpg

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn46 ... erbagC.jpg

[Peter Remling]

The test quiver/bag is fairly small and will only carry about 10 arrows. I'll eventually get around to making a war quiver/bag which should be big enough for 3 score arrows.

I like Andy's idea of having broadhead sheaths for hunting a little seperate from field or bodkins. Broadheads would get caught on the shearling and would be easier to identify by touch if kept seperate.

[Hereward the Wake]

I'd suggest making the bafg tappered and also putting a supprting ring in the top of the bag, otherwise you will end up with badly squahed fletchings.