Britain BC Kit?

[Dave_the_Pilgrim]

Why not look at the webpages for Ozzi, the man found in the mountains who'd been under the ice ? There's quite a bit of info about what he was carrying and wearing. That might be a good place to start.

Dave

 

[Dunk]

Why not look at the webpages for Ozzi, the man found in the mountains who'd been under the ice ? There's quite a bit of info about what he was carrying and wearing. That might be a good place to start.

Dave

Do you mean Ötzi the Iceman?

 

[gregorach]

That's probably where Toddy's suggestion of the grass cloak comes from...

 

[Nagual]

For your hypothetical trip, using a fantasy ranger as a template. What people have said above is about right I think, a woollen cloak, an oilskin perhaps, a good pair of boots etc, and some food. Although to be honest if you're thinking along the lines of Strider from Lord of the Rings, why not read the books - not the films, which are a travesty.

 

[Dunk]

For your hypothetical trip, using a fantasy ranger as a template. What people have said above is about right I think, a woollen cloak, an oilskin perhaps, a good pair of boots etc, and some food. Although to be honest if you're thinking along the lines of Strider from Lord of the Rings, why not read the books - not the films, which are a travesty.

yeah i've read nearly all the Tolkien books and Strider has just a bedroll, sword, small knife, oil stone and a few other bits and bobs.

Need to get me some Lambas bread eh

 

[sandbender]

and Strider has just a bedroll, sword, small knife, oil stone and a few other bits and bobs.

Don't forget that he also has the blood of Númenor flowing through his veins and thus is probably a bit more ruffty tuffty than anyone here

Additionally I'd think that the Dúnedain of the North and the Kingdom of Gondor would be more analogous to the early European middle ages rather than Pre-Roman Britain.

 

[Toddy]

Okay, 60 miles, wilderness Scotland at let's say this time of year.
Traditional clothing ?

Think trews and tunics. Linen under, wool on top.
A wool hat or hood with a yoke.
A good, well fulled woollen plaid, for both your cloak and your blanket, or even as a tarp.
A strong leather belt.
A knife.
A small bag of dry firestarting materials.
A bowl and spoon of wood or horn,
A small leather bag of oatmeal, the stuff Scots call pinhead meal for making real porridge.
A small leather bag of dried fish or meat or pemican.
Since it's now and not then, and you might not trust the water, a waterskin.

That would do quite comfortably so long as you're fit and motivated.
Best of luck with it

cheers,
Toddy

 

[big_swede]

what kind of shoes toddy?

BTW, I love when people mix up fantasy novels with historic stuff! Fascinating world you must live in! Was the battle of gondor before or after the battle of hastings?

 

[Mikey P]

Why not look at the webpages for Ozzi, the man found in the mountains who'd been under the ice ? There's quite a bit of info about what he was carrying and wearing. That might be a good place to start.

Dave

Ozzi Of Bourne?

'Shaaaarrooooonnn! Where's moy possibles bag?'

In all seriousness, from my bad memory, I think Otzi had firelighting kit - certainly flint and possible iron/steel?

 

[Toddy]

what kind of shoes toddy? QUOTE]

You know I logged back in to add them

I'd go with either felted wool stockings or footwraps and leather ankle boots.
Something like the medieval ones that have a thong around the ankle to wrap and tie closed.

No getting away from it, Scotland's wet, but at least in wool he'd be warm as well as damp.

cheers,
M

 

[big_swede]

what kind of shoes toddy? QUOTE]

You know I logged back in to add them

I'd go with either felted wool stockings or footwraps and leather ankle boots.
Something like the medieval ones that have a thong around the ankle to wrap and tie closed.

No getting away from it, Scotland's wet, but at least in wool he'd be warm as well as damp.

cheers,
M

Hmm, I know vikings used seal skin boots (warmer when wet than ordinary leather), would surprise me if they didn't use seal skin in the UK too.

 

[Toddy]

Hmm, I know vikings used seal skin boots (warmer when wet than ordinary leather), would surprise me if they didn't use seal skin in the UK too.

It's a funny thing that, seal skin doesn't wear well on land travel though, while deerskin, which was used until comparatively recently does. On frozen tundra, snow and ice, or on a boat, then, yep, I reckon sealskin too.
I tried sealskin for courrans and wore through them in a fortnight, deerskin wore soft and thin but were still sound after several months.
Scottish and Irish courrans and brogues were originally fashioned with the hair inwards for warmth. So I suppose they'd be suitable too.
We're not really used to wearing that type of unsupported shoe nowadays though, and if he's after 60 miles in a few days, I think he'd be a lot better off with something a bit more solid. It seems that most folk in the past went barefoot except in really bad weather.

Has anybody made a fish skin or marine animal intestine waterproof overjacket ?


cheers,
Toddy

 

[big_swede]

It's a funny thing that, seal skin doesn't wear well on land travel though, while deerskin, which was used until comparatively recently does. On frozen tundra, snow and ice, or on a boat, then, yep, I reckon sealskin too.
I tried sealskin for courrans and wore through them in a fortnight, deerskin wore soft and thin but were still sound after several months.
Scottish and Irish courrans and brogues were originally fashioned with the hair inwards for warmth. So I suppose they'd be suitable too.
We're not really used to wearing that type of unsupported shoe nowadays though, and if he's after 60 miles in a few days, I think he'd be a lot better off with something a bit more solid. It seems that most folk in the past went barefoot except in really bad weather.

Has anybody made a fish skin or marine animal intestine waterproof overjacket ?


cheers,
Toddy

Interesting to hear real experience, I know I should have trusted my gut feeling and not put down that payment and taken that loan for that seal skin trekking boot factory.

 

[Toddy]

What do they use for the soles ?
They wore through on mine so fast
You don't know what they are tanned with, do you ? Mine were veg tanned.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Bravo4]

i want to go on a weekend hike with nothing but the minimum that the ancients would have.

Hi Dunk, this is a pretty cool idea. Let's do it. You over there and me over here. What say we pick a date for next month, which will give time to get kit and route sorted out and some time to get the feet in shape. I'm not quite up to travelling "B.C." or "Period" style myself but I was thinking wool blanket, knife, and everything else has to fit in a musette bag. I'm always more motivated to do this kind of thing if other people are "going" with. A solo/"virtual group" event. Interested?

 

[jimford]

before the bloody Romans got here and ruined the place.

Yeah - what did they ever do for us?

Jim

 

[big_swede]

What do they use for the soles ?
They wore through on mine so fast
You don't know what they are tanned with, do you ? Mine were veg tanned.

cheers,
Toddy

I have no idea. I don't even know if they left the fur on. I think they did, but don't know for sure. I guess they would use really thick cow leather tanned in oak brine for soles, but it could also be rawhide maybe? There is one version of tanning where you leave a center layer almost raw (untanned), this method was used for soles by the sami peoples, I think that would be good for soles also for the vikings.

I definitely think the vikings were so 'civilised' that they had the technology to do veg tanning, I think mainly oak and maybe other hardwoods too. Can't say I'm sure though

 

[Toddy]

I'd never heard of that type of sole, really interesting

Don't suppose you have any links I could read ? My courran soles are too thin when walking around on modern paths and the like, and I pad them inside with wool or grass. It'd be excellent to try something different that might work just using the leather.

The Vikings made some truly excellent leather, there's a lot of it turns up in wet sites like York, Dublin and London as well as within Scandinavia.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[hurrahbro]

*de-lurks*

A bunch of 4th century Roman auxiliaries on a 'patrol'

http://www.comitatus.net/events_files/WallWalkIII/index.html

Can't be much different?

 

[sam_acw]

I've often wanted to try bronze age buschrafting for some reason