Middle Earth Ranger Forum

Good morning eveyone. Thank you for allowing me to join. I've been a big Tolkien fan since I first read the Hobbit at 8yrs old, followed by the Lord of the Rings at 10, then the Silmarllion and Lost Tales later on. Was a boy scout many years ago and have always loved hiking and camping although I haven't had much of an opportunity for either for several years. I'm interested in Bushcraft especially Firecraft and Cooking in the Wild, also interested in learning Archery, Leather Working, and Woodcarving. Looking forward to learning what I can from the members here.

Welcome!

Welcome, Ranger!

Welcome

Welcome!

Welcome Ranger.

Welcome and be hale Faragon, tell us some more about your goals as far as Middle Earth goes, have you any idea who or what you want to portray?

Hello and thanks for the welcome. As for Middle Earth, I have always felt a kinship with the Dunedain, in particular the Rangers of the North. However, considering I live in the hot and humid SE USA, a Ranger of Gondor would be more realistic. Still have a lot to learn as my woodcraft skills are amateur at best. If I wasn't going to be a Ranger would probably be a Traveling Loremaster/Scholar. Plan to mostly just absorb some of the great info here for awhile. Have some kit items already: Sword, Seax, Linen Tunics (short sleeve and long sleeve), Linen Pants, Belt, Suede Cuirass, Suede Bracers. Mostly stuff from RenFaires my wife and I have visited.

Welcome! Maybe you could be a Dunedain on a mission to the southlands? But hey, I could always use another ranger of Gondor to help patrol the southern and eastern borders! Either way, its a fun hobby with cool people.

Thanks for the welcome and the idea Togon. Something to think about.

Welcome! Sounds like you came to the right place.

Welcome! You're definitely among friends!

Mae govannen! We're getting more and more southeast USA members all the time!

Thank you for the welcome. At the moment I've been taking stock of the kit items I have and trying to focus on the pieces of kit I should prioritize to acquire/make.

Kit Items I have:
Linen Tunic - Short Sleeved - Very Dark Brown
Linen Tunic - Long Sleeved - Brown
Linen Trousers - Very Dark Brown
Medieval Ring Belt - Cheaply made, works for now but will replace.
Costume Grade Boots - Dark Brown w/Zipper on the side. Definitely need to replace with some sturdy boots that can handle trekking in. May be hard to find have a EE width foot. High Priority to Replace.
Longsword - Medieval Long Sword Knight's Sword "Chivalry" Golden Ring from Ace Martial Arts Supply. Could use a sharpening. Nothing fancy but should work for now.
Viking Seax - Needs a good sharpening and may add a patina using Vinegar.
Chest Armor - RFB Viking Leather Armor - Black (darkknightarmory.com) Not sure if this will work for a ranger.
Bracers - RFB Viking Leather Bracers - Black
Wool Blanket - Old Army type wool blanket, Dark Grey.

Kit Needs at the moment:
Trekking Boots - Looked at Bohemonds not sure if they are wide enough for my EE width feet.
Water Bottle
Belt - May try to make one myself. Been wanting to break into leatherworking. Made a Viking Shield with a leather rim a couple of years ago. Turned out ok, would have been better but rushed it and made a few mistakes.
Cloak - Anyone knows anybody who makes a good Bocksten style Cloak?
Belt Pouch - Another potential leatherworking project.
Snapsack - Anyone make these? Or does anyone have a good pattern/tutorial?

I haven't delved into making one yet, but this is the snapsack pattern I have my eye on;

https://thebuckskinners.com/snapsack/