Middle Earth Ranger Forum

A few weeks ago I found a long sheepskin coat in a thrift store very cheap, I had it cleaned and started modifying it for use with my kit and last weekend I went out hiking in it in the snow, the temperature was -2°C and I wasn't even slightly cold but didn't also seam to get sweaty. The only real issue seemed to be weight and packing bulk.
Since then I have looked through the forum and apart from a thread on making Bards coat I can't seem find any refarance to use of sheepskin. Is there a practical reason that it isn't much used? I'm intreased to hear others opinion on sheepskin as a material.

I assume you mean shearling? Sheepskin with a bit of the fluff still on, but not all shaggy?

If so there's no mention of it in the text I can find, but it's wonderful stuff. I used to have a vest of it, now that I think on it. Wonderfully comfy in chill weather.
The only constraint I can think on is if the people of Middle-earth can tan sheep's hide with the fur on - and since they wear fur-trimmed garments, I can't imagine that wouldn't be the case. Certainly there's quite a few mentions of sheep and shepherds in both The Hobbit and LOTR.

I know I've asked Udwin about doing a hair-on tan for some of our sheep next year, and as I recall he said it was doable. Udwin - have you more thoughts?

Shearling is great stuff--in the right conditions.

I have some modern hats, boot and gloves made of the stuff. I have them for extremely cold weather. The main functional difference between shearling and wool is that wool breathes better--there is no hide to prevent it. But the hide makes shearling wind resistant. Anything above a mild wind seems to penetrate wool garments (unless there is another layer of something combined with it). So shearling has its place.

I read somewhere that they used a dyed sheepskin on Jon Snow's cape to immitate some other type of fur.

I don't see any reason why it can't be used for ME. I mean, most wool comes from sheep.

Elleth wrote:I assume you mean shearling? Sheepskin with a bit of the fluff still on, but not all shaggy?

Yes the coat is shearling, the only other issue, especially in the UK , is that sheepskin isn't waterproof.

Harper wrote:Shearling is great stuff--in the right conditions.

I have some modern hats, boot and gloves made of the stuff. I have them for extremely cold weather. The main functional difference between shearling and wool is that wool breathes better--there is no hide to prevent it. But the hide makes shearling wind resistant. Anything above a mild wind seems to penetrate wool garments (unless there is another layer of something combined with it). So shearling has its place.

I read somewhere that they used a dyed sheepskin on John Snow's cape to immitate some other type of fur.

I don't see any reason why it can't be used for ME. I mean, most wool comes from sheep.

For Jon Snow's cape fur, they used off-the-shelf IKEA sheepskins. They come in white, tan, and black, for a reasonable price.

A few first thoughts:
I don't see why it would be out of place in a M-e context...from what little brief research I've done, it can be semi-braintanned, just by working the dressing in from the flesh side only and frame softening. The trick seems to be avoiding immersing the hide, as the wool wants to slip out much more readily than something like deer or goat. Unclear why this is, some animals are just different!
I'm not sure it's really *necessary* for garments, however, unless you're planning on operating in bitterly cold deep winter for periods of time. IMHO, -2°C (28.4°F) isn't that bad if you're active and well-fueled. For day hikes and the like, you could easily save weight/bulk, and get away with layered wool over linen. As you say, if you wear it flesh-side-out, you might feel the need to waterproof the exposed hide, but I personally wouldn't worry about moisture, and if it's cold enough to need sheepskin, you shouldn't have to worry about rain soaking in.
The one place I can definitely see a sheepskin coming in handy would be for sleeping...especially over a bed of leaves one could be quite comfortable. If you wanted to save your blanket for covering up, that's where I'd use one, the bigger the better. Of course, the weight and bulk would be a pain on the trail, but with pack animals or canoe, quite manageable. Ikea, you say? Hmmmm. Might have to check that out.

You can often find them at Sierra Trading Post for a good price:

https://www.sierratradingpost.com/auski ... kin-rug%2F
https://www.sierratradingpost.com/auski ... kin-rug%2F
https://www.sierratradingpost.com/auski ... kin-rug%2F

http://springfieldleather.com/shearling there's a few shearling skins here, and they're reasonably priced too.

Udwin wrote: IMHO, -2°C (28.4°F) isn't that bad if you're active and well-fueled. For day hikes and the like, you could easily save weight/bulk, and get away with layered wool over linen. As you say, if you wear it flesh-side-out, you might feel the need to waterproof the exposed hide, but I personally wouldn't worry about moisture, and if it's cold enough to need sheepskin, you shouldn't have to worry about rain soaking in.

I agree that layered wool is a more practical option, I now have a very thin wool tunic I made from fabric from the market, it makes a great base layer but isn't anywhere near thick enough for winter weather, I am on the lookout for some thicker fabric but in the mean time the sheepskin coat is a good temporary solution

Great information everyone so far this thread has been very interesting

well, if you don't mind spending some serious cash, there's a website I have saved that carries boiled wool, which from all I've read as a fabric is a period correct thing, that should be well within the abilities of ME residents to make. now, some of the COLORS might be wrong/inaccurate, but the material isn't. https://www.moodfabrics.com/fashion-fab ... oiled-wool

Udwin wrote: ... if it's cold enough to need sheepskin, you shouldn't have to worry about rain soaking in.

Maybe for here in the Midwest of North America. When I lived in the UK, there were two and three week stretches of constant drizzle with gusting winds, temps in the lower 40s F.


The one place I can definitely see a sheepskin coming in handy would be for sleeping...especially over a bed of leaves one could be quite comfortable. If you wanted to save your blanket for covering up, that's where I'd use one, the bigger the better. Of course, the weight and bulk would be a pain on the trail, but with pack animals or canoe, quite manageable. Ikea, you say? Hmmmm. Might have to check that out.

Even in summer, I carry a rolled-up sheepskin to sleep on. It really keeps your core body warm, and the older you get, the more your bones and all their connecting points complain about that deep chill.

I've camped outdoors in the snow in Michigan, with temps in the 20s F. I slept fully clothed in wool garments with silk thermal underwear, a wool blanket, and a sheepskin carpet on the snow. You can get the sheepskin carpets at Costco for $100. It's make from 4 skins sewn together. And in looking on their website, I see that they sell ones made from 8 skins- you could use that as a bed cover or blanket and I'm sure it would keep one warm. The 8 piece is on sale on the website for $159, down from regular $199.

BTW- next time you're in the Indy area, there's now an IKEA about 20 minutes from my house, and I'm a Costco member, it's about 10 minutes from my place.

Straelbora wrote: Even in summer, I carry a rolled-up sheepskin to sleep on. It really keeps your core body warm, and the older you get, the more your bones and all their connecting points complain about that deep chill.

My sheepskin coat is almost large enough when spread on the floor to sleep on, with the addition of my sheepskin rug from my bedroom floor it makes a nice cosy camp mat, I will keep this in mind for the future since I haven't even thought about camping overnight in kit yet

Iodo wrote:

Straelbora wrote: Even in summer, I carry a rolled-up sheepskin to sleep on. It really keeps your core body warm, and the older you get, the more your bones and all their connecting points complain about that deep chill.

My sheepskin coat is almost large enough when spread on the floor to sleep on, with the addition of my sheepskin rug from my bedroom floor it makes a nice cosy camp mat, I will keep this in mind for the future since I haven't even thought about camping overnight in kit yet

Honestly, a rolled up sheep skin is as bulky as heck, but nice padding and keeps the ground from sucking the body heat out of you.

If anyone's interested in some other options for sleeping furs, Tandy has their white sheepskin rugs and reindeer hides on sale this month. Neither is big enough to provide a complete ground cover, but they'd help keep your torso off the ground and save some body heat loss. A lot of modern backpackers use torso length pads rather than full length ones to save on weight and bulk. They're still bulky, don't get me wrong, but less so than a 4 hide rug.

Sorry about the double post, but I finally found a sheepskin I liked on Goodwill's auction site that I was able to snag!



It rolls up smaller than I would have expected, but I'll still only be using it for camping events where I either don't have to pack very far in or it's expected to get cold enough to justify the added weight and bulk. Since I'm short, it's just long enough to go under my head and torso. I'll still be making pine needle/leaf litter beds under my groundcloth, but I think the sheepskin will be a nice addition when the situation calls for it.