Middle Earth Ranger Forum

Elleth Thank you so much for this detailed instruction thread. The links are most helpful and the pictures /drawings informative.
Postings like this are a great way to expand the Ranger knowledge base. I know I learned a few things reading it.

The only missing steps I see are...
How do I raise a goat and process it to a finished hide?
And
What is the planting date for flax in zone 3 so I can weave my own cloth?

Thanks all!

does the spine run up the inside as well, like over top of the linen liner?

You can run the spine stitches through the lining, but I don't. Partly because I just like the cleaner look, but also because when the linen finally gives out - and it will eventually - it will almost certainly rip along a seam line. Less seam lines in there, less points of strain as things move about inside.

i also like hand-peened copper&brass rivets for added durability, and see a few places where i'll add some like around the D's.

Great! I think you'll find that the goatskin and fabric is more of a limiting factor than the stitching, but to each their own.

do both ends have the drawstring setup or is one stitched shut? this is only the 4th time i've read through the pattern lol

lol! I do both ends identically. With a bigger, wider pack that you can fish around inside of, either way works. With a narrow sausage-type pack, it's really handy to be able to get into the bottom end as well. The downside of open at both ends is of course that you can lose little stuff out the bottom. I often tie an extra cord around the bottom as insurance, and leave something big in the bottom like a cookpot or stuffed cloth or something.

How do I raise a goat and process it to a finished hide?

Goats are easy, hides are a pain. Talk to Udwin.

What is the planting date for flax in zone 3 so I can weave my own cloth

Hunh... fall, it looks like. I've only tried it once with mediocre success. Maybe someday.

Fantastic work Elleth, a really useful resource and very clear and simple to follow.

One thing I would suggest is cutting your buttonholes (or cord-slits) with a woodchisel, that way you get a clean cut though all the layers and you can't accidentally make them too long as the length is set by the chisels width...... I was given this advice by a retired Taylor & Dressmaker as thats how she was taught to do it.

Well, dang!

I had been planning on making my own style of snapsack to try to avoid homogeneity with the rest of the group but with such wonderful instructions, I would be quite the fool not to follow them!

Thank you for taking the time to write all this up and put it together Elleth!

that is an awesome tutorial Elleth

I know such a detailed guide takes time and care to write. Thank you Elleth, you're one of the best.

Excellent guide - If I hadn't already made a snapsack, I would probably do one of these. I do have one question - why leather for waterproofing instead of waterproofing the linen itself? It seems like the leather would be heavier than oilclothing or waxing the linen.

Mostly because I just like it better.
I do think hide is a bit easier to keep treated against water (hair-on hide even moreso) - but either will work.

I've finished my snapsack and your guide has been such a great help. Thank you!










I sized it to fit my cook pot and bags of food, spare socks, etc. Just need to make some proper toggle cords and work out a better method for attaching to the quiver chest strap.

Good lord, Elleth, this is some seriously next-level stuff! For my own part, I still absolutely love the simple snapsack I received from you several years ago for the Yuletide gift exchange! It gets constant field use with my kit, and doesn’t look to be wearing out anytime soon - and it’s JUST a simple single layer of walnut dyed goat skin - so I feel like one of these would go strong for a good many miles on the trail, and for most of us here, many many years of intermittent trekking! Hell, built as you’ve detailed here, it would likely last about until the apocalypse!

I definitely need to get more miles on mine, that's for sure.

redhand - yours looks great! Well done!

Elleth wrote: ↑Wed Mar 22, 2023 1:30 pm Mostly because I just like it better.
I do think hide is a bit easier to keep treated against water (hair-on hide even moreso) - but either will work.

I just re-read this bit here. Do you think a hair-on hide would work for a snapsack? It might be kinda fun to have a fuzzy snapsack!

There's historical precedent- (at least some) English snapsacks of the French and Indian war era and German satchel-packs of the same period were hair-on goatskin. I've seen pictures of nineteenth century central European soldiers wearing fuzzy knapsacks as well - and I believe I've heard it was for water resistance.

... and the practice lasted right up into the 20th century - both German and Swiss (and probably others) used tornister packs, where the outermost flap is covered in fur (horse I think? )

Anyhow, I've never tried it, but since the practice went on for centuries I'm inclined to think there's something to it.

Well, consider me intrigued and inspired now. That may be just the ticket for mine since I like being different haha. Now to find veg-tanned hair-on goat hide.

Looks like I missed this one too, beautiful work redhandfilms