A tested Archers Hard Kit

[Rhonin]

Hey Rangers!

I have a long way to go (and a lot to learn) to making a complete Hard Kit, but I do have a very thoroughly tested smaller chunk of a hard kit. Here is the kit expanded:



Working from the top left:
-Bracer
-Beeswax Candle (for melting glue)
-Glue
-Leather Strop for helping to melt wax into string
-A smaller pouch to hold the above
-Stringer
-Shooting Glove
-Pair of fingerless felt Gloves (bottom left) for cold weather shooting, which fit nicely over my shooting gloves
-Main Pouch
-Klass medium fixed blade knife (good for skinning, birds, fish, utility)
-Bastard file with orange osage handle
-Sharpening stone
-P-51 style can opener (I use this thing more often then not at camp... someone always forgets one)
-sheath for the knife, file, can opener and sharpening stone.

Here it is all closed up. I normally wear the arm guard when I'm out with my bow, but if for some reason i'm not it folds up nicely under the flap of the pouch.


I did want to point out the importance of the file in an actual hunting situation. I can not tell you how many times i've missed a shot and skidded my broadhead off a rock or tough root. If you bend, chip or ding a broadhead in the field, its almost impossible to fix with a normal sharpening stone. The file makes quick work of any chips or bent pieces of steel.

Not pictured, but normally in my kit:
*1 Extra broadhead
*Extra bow string

This has been my hunting kit for years and I have to say it has held up to a lot of tough weather and was able to skin/gut small game and fish with no problem. The file has not only sharpened my broadheads countless times, but many other archers who had the unfortunate luck of skipping their broadheads off a chunk of quartz rock.

[Frothgar]

Very nice,

I love these micro kit posts. Kind of a primitive pocket dump. In my opinion they are more usefull than a full costume post, costume and outerwear is so changeable, the imprtant stuff rarely changes and is often found on belts.

Thanks

[Rhonin]

Thanks Frothgar!

I completely agree, the basics rarely change, despite being tested by time. I seem to enjoy the micro kit posts as well. I've looked through a couple of them and have gotten some great ideas!

[Urthgard]

Nice post Rhonin! For those, like me, who are relatively new to archery this info is gold. Thank you!

Could you expand on the "Leather Strop for helping to melt wax into string" part? Why and how it is used would be most appreciated.

[Rhonin]

Well Met Urthgard!

I'd be more than happy to expand on it! I'll try and keep it short

Back in the olden days when you had hemp and muscle fiber bow strings, you'd use beeswax to help keep the individual strands together. Not only to help prevent fraying, but also to prevent undue wear on your arrow nocks (remember, they were carved into the wood back then). Nowadays, we have modern materials such as "Fast Flight" and "Dacron" and "B-50" and the likes. Each of these materials is a modern marvel in itself, but archers, especially traditional archers, never really fell out of the habit of applying beeswax to the bowstring.

The beeswax also helped stop the string from stretching and absorbing water and helped prolong its life in general.

The purpose of the leather strop is simply to save your fingers. When you apply the beeswax to the string, you tend to only get the outer layer of the threads. To help the wax "sink in" and get between the strands, you need to apply some friction. You can use your fingers if you like, but I found that as an archery, my fingertips are already quite blistered from shooting all day. The leather strop helps build up a good level of friction and saves your fingers from it as well!

I might add that you'd normally do this on a strung bow as it the string becomes more like a stiff wire, which helps you apply the wax. I can say that it does not take a lot of wax at all to coat the string. Just a couple of quick "zips" over the string with the string between the wax and your thumb with light pressure.

[Laothain]

It looks good and it gives me a few ideas for myself

[Rifter]

Agreed, it's always nice seeing these posts, makes you look at how to make your own kit better