Middle Earth Ranger Forum

Thanks, everyone!

I was able to get hold of a hanging scale so I weighed everything. Everything in that picture, including the walking stick and the costrel filled with water comes in at 30 lbs. The tarp/blanket/rope/tentstakes/axe roll is 12 lbs, the bag part of the swag is 5 lbs, the full costrel is 5 lbs (it holds close to 2 liters), the haversack is 3 lbs, and the various pouches, cloak, and walking stick make up the remaining 5 lbs.

There are a few things that I can do to lighten the pack up if I decide to. The tent stakes I carried for this trip are steel, and the 8 of them I carried are about 1 1/3 lbs. If I camp somewhere where I don't have to set up on a sand tent pad, I won't need those. I can also switch out the pipkin for something a little lighter. I carry a relatively large one so I can boil a fair amount of water at once. I could get a tin-lined copper cooking vessel (I like the patera from Soul of the Warrior), but I worry about tin-lining my lentils if I cook them too far. Another option would be to get a StoneWave cooker, which really looks a lot like a pipkin, but is quite a bit smaller than mine.

In all honesty, though, I'm pretty comfortable with the weight the way it is. The swag balances itself pretty well, and I wear the tarp roll high on my back. Eventually I'll get into my full kit and take some pictures with everything strapped on so ya'll can see how it sits.

Now this is how it's done! Looks fantastic!

I finally got kitted up and took some pictures with my pack system. Excuse the scenery, or lack there of - I live in an apartment, so the best I could do was the tree behind the building.

I like it all. The scenery looks fine so don't sweat the proximity to your apartment. How are the boots, fit ?, durability ?

Can't tell there's an apartment there at all. Looks good!

Peter Remling wrote:How are the boots, fit ?, durability ?

I like them. The design makes them pretty adjustable, and I think they fit comfortably. They stood up to 6 miles on gravel paths and are still going strong, so I figure they'll last a good long while if I stick to dirt paths.

Ooh, that looks like a great setup, I like it! The only constructive criticism I can make is: have you thought about natural dying the swag bag?--the white stands out against all the other greens and earth tones. Plus, period-speaking, getting linen bleached to that level of whiteness would've been expensive; natural, beige-ish would be much more likely. Otherwise, looks awesome!

Thanks!

Udwin wrote:The only constructive criticism I can make is: have you thought about natural dying the swag bag?--the white stands out against all the other greens and earth tones. Plus, period-speaking, getting linen bleached to that level of whiteness would've been expensive; natural, beige-ish would be much more likely.

I had the same thought when I looked at the pictures. In all honesty, that bag needs to be replaced - I made it out of a canvas dropcloth, just to make sure I liked the setup before I made a bag out of a more expensive cloth. At some point I'll swap it out for one made out of unbleached linen, probably waxed like my haversack, which'll tone it down quite a bit.

Wow! The kit looks amazing when assembled! I have made a check list of things I need to replicate a hard kit similar to yours and am I getting there one purchase at a time! For some natural linen I recommend fabric-store.com as that is where I get all my linen.

http://www.fabrics-store.com/first.php? ... or=Natural

Looks really nice Taurinor! And comfortable as well!

Looks like it all breaks down and carries well. Any plans to try and incorporate a bow and quiver or arrow bag?

Ursus wrote:Any plans to try and incorporate a bow and quiver or arrow bag?

I'd like to. My current thinking on that is to make an arrow bag like this and tie it off to my belt when travelling. I may make the string long enough that I can wear it across my chest like a back quiver. I currently have a longbow, which isn't the best for carrying in the woods, but I may get a recurve and carry it under my bedroll.

Hey nice looking stuff

Since my knife disappeared while I was taking the picture of my whole kit, I figured I'd put some pictures of it up.





The fixed-blade knife is from R&A and is based off 14th-15th century examples. It came with a sheath, but it didn't fit as snugly as I wanted, so I made the one in the photos. It's my primary utility knife. The folder is my back-up; it's from G. G. Godwin and is an 18th century design.

I also got a new tinderbox. It was a rectangular wooden box with a lid that just sat on top, so I made a leather hinge to keep it attached. Here are some pictures of it next to my old one.





One think I like about the next tinderbox is that I can keep my striker in it. It didn't fit in the old one.

That is a great kit. Well done putting it all together. Thanks for all the pictures.