Middle Earth Ranger Forum

I am trying to think of a comfortable way to carry a bedroll on my back. Any ideas would be helpful.

There are three ways that most of us use:

First is the gear rolled up in your blanket and slung over the shoulder across the chest/back on a diagonal with the two ends joined and tied together. This is the same way many carried their bedrolls throughout the American Civil War.

Second is attached to either the top or the bottom of a backpack.

Third is attached to the straps of a quiver and running parallel to the quiver. This was how movie Aragorn carried his.

You can also run two straps through the middle of a rolled blanket (bedroll) and wear it backpack style. Then there's the swag, that was discussed here http://www.ranger.budgetauthenticity.or ... wag#p25766

Brian

You can also run two straps through the middle of a rolled blanket (bedroll) and wear it backpack style.

Hunh... I would not have thought of that. Clever!

I'm partial to the single strap running through the center. Then it can be worn across either shoulder, or BOTH shoulders like in this image caedmon found -


I did a 16-ish mile all day hike with mine that way a couple years back - being able to change the position around as one shoulder or another got tired of the weight was a godsend.

.... haven't found a way to get it to work well (for me) with a quiver though.

http://www.26nc.org/Articles/knapsack%2 ... 20roll.pdf

This is Civil War era, but the blanket roll stuff at the end of the article is very useful. I prefer the hobo roll over the horsecollar.

Kind of interesting, there was a contractor during the Civil War that produced knapsacks by the name of Issac & Campbell.

If you'll notice Viggo in LOTR is sometimes carrying his cloak tied in such a manner.

I didn't think Viggo's was secured to his quiver, I thought that was a separate strap and sack it strapped into. I know he wore his black cloak strapped to the quiver or bedroll strap. I had toyed with a bedroll but I don't trek out enough overnight to justify one

I don't have it in front of me, but my recollection says Viggo's bedroll was independent of the quiver.

I carry my bedroll this way, though unlike some others, I carry the bedroll over the shoulder opposite my quiver. The two just don't ride well next to each other...either the quiver gets pushed up where the arrows are hard to reach, or the bedroll gets pushed out, away from me, making my center of balance far more precarious.

I'm wrapping up (har har) a completely new bedroll setup in the next week or so, and will detail it in its own thread soon, along with some other new toys soon-to-come.

It seems like it would conflict with the wearing of a cloak. Note in the film, they are wearing packs and other burdens over their cloaks, which sort of defeats the purpose of the cloak, I'd think.

I would put the cloak over whatever is on my back, in case of rain. Else, I would roll up the cloak and save it for bad weather. Cloaks get in the way of things: swordplay, archery, etc.

Greg - as always, I can't wait to see your new projects! It's always a good day when I log on and see new pics from you!

Anyway, as for the wearing of gear over cloaks, yeah, I agree, it's not very practical. In fact, I think we already had a fairly lengthy discussion about just that subject around these parts in the last year or so, but I don't remember which thread. Can anyone help me out with that? In any case, the way they wore their gear and cloaks in the movies was definitely more about looking cool on camera than actually being functional (although that's not to discount it completely - some of what they used and wore in the films was very practical, especially when it came to Strider).

As for the rig mentioned above with regard to Strider, yes, he definitely did wear his cloak in the sort of "horseshoe," over-the-shoulder style we've talked about. He did so at least once, but probably more during Fellowship, but not again after he received his Elven cloak. His bedroll definitely was not attached to his quiver, but instead strapped into a sort of leather or oilcloth wrap or shell, and then slung on his back with its own leather strap, parallel to his quiver. Personally, I love the look of that set-up, but I fear Greg is right about it throwing off one's center of gravity. Still, everything I say on the subject should be taken well salted, considering that I have absolutely no personal experience with trekking in gear so far (unless you count jaunts to the local ren-faire).

Reposting for reference!

Yyyyep, there it is. Third photo down, left column. Two independent straps.

Happy to bring smiles, Manveruon. I can only hope you smile as widely as I do when UPS rolls up...

Elleth's wicker basket pack looks very similar to the Viking Gokstad backback.