Well, I hope that I am posting this in the right place! My wife and I finally got some pics up of my gear this afternoon. She was kind enough to make a page for me on one of her sites, so here is the link:
http://dubhsidh.bravepages.com/packout.html
The first three pics are of my "Two Towers" shirt that I had made by a lady off Ebay, from The Wizard's Closet. She does outstanding work and that is one comfortable shirt!
Next is a pic of my new boots from Get Dressed For Battle. I have to start breaking them in soon for Faire. I will say that they do fit true to size, unlike a pair of boots I got from Museum Replicas that tend to run small.
The next 6 pics are of my Strider inspired quiver, which was my summer project/test from God. I've wanted one like Strider's since I first saw Fellowship of the Ring, so I set out to make one. I used the quiver accessory from the 18 inch NECA Aragorn figure for reference. I used some old leather to make the body and then faced it with a 5 dollar Goodwill find leather jacket. The throat of the quiver is actually the collar of the jacket. The actual color is black but came out lighter in the pics. I constructed the quiver so that it will expand a little, like an accordion. The straps are adjustable, and I left the leather ties long because you never know when you need extra line to strap something down with. The arrow bag is natural linen and the bottom is leather. There's 13 arrows in the bag as pictured; it could probably hold 20 or so.
The next two pictures are of the Ranger banner that I discussed in another thread. The White Tree is covered by a faint golden star, representing the lost kingdom of Arnor. Above the tree are the 7 stars, which are small tin stars I found in the craft store and held on by magnets. I used a 7 pointed star as my Ranger star, and the rabbit symbolizes our house. Alot of sewing but fun to make.
The next 8 pics are of some weapons and armor. Most of my stuff comes from Museum Replicas, but I think the Viking Sword (which I am sure everyone out there has a copy of) came from Bud K. Three of my knives are hand-made and came from the Loch Norman Games, as did the hatchet. I made the chainmail shirt, which took me about two years off and on. The rings are aluminum, and I spun them from stock wire with a multi-speed cordless drill and a dowel rod. The pattern is an 8-in-2, called by some King's Mail, and was my first attempt to make anything from rings. It came out pretty decent but the armpits are still being worked on, and I need to add some length as well. I've worn this shirt several times, and have lost few rings in the wearing, despite being told (repeatedly) that aluminum rings will come apart under weight. It does get hot though. There is a pic of my pipe and tobacco pouch, a pick of some pouches (most are packed away) and a fire-starting kit. I got the baldric off Ebay, and it came with this really crappy (fake) short sword. Good scabbard, though. The guy selling it said he customized the rig for an internet production, but I think the baldric might be from CAS Iberia. I think it was rigged for a claymore or greatsword originally, because it had two hangers welded to a steel plate on the back that was very uncomfortable, so I took the plate and hooks off. The neat thing is that you can strap all sorts of stuff on the baldric, so it's another way to carry kit and gear. The staff has a steel spike and is hickory, I think. Makes for a good walking staff and/or orc sticker
The next pic is one of Angus McBride's Middle-earth illustrations and I include it because I want to make the bag in the picture next.
The next three pictures are of yours truly, taken last year. I am wearing the chain mail and a helm, which is why my hood looks so pointy
The moccasin boots were made by a guy at the flea market, and I added the soles. They wear ok but they give no ankle support. The Ranger star I made out of steel. I need to lose weight.
Finally, two pics of me at the Carolina Renaissance Festival from 2005. This is more of a wayfarer outfit, which has a hobbit-ish flavor to it, maybe from Bree. My backpack is pigskin and came from Bud K about 15 years ago, and is still going strong. The sword is one of those SS Ranger knock-offs, and a little TMI, almost pulled my pants down.
At least my pointy hat was in vogue Thanks for checking out my kit and gear, and I will be happy to answer any questions!
