Traditional kit...

[Bushmeister]

So anyone know where I can buy traditional inuit type clothing - i.e - reindeer coats/hats/gloves/boots etc?

Every time I see Ray with the locals I drool over their traditional kit. I am currently making a scandi knife (not very well) but would like to try some other old school stuff!

 

[Chinkapin]

The Good News is yes. You can buy the real thing at: www.furcanada.com/traditional-inuit-hunters-outfit-kamiks-boots.html The Bad News is the parka, pants, boots, and gloves i.e. the entire kit is going to shoot a large hole in 3000.00 dollars Canadian.

 

[Bushmeister]

OUCH!!!!

Oh well, guess I could have a go at making my own!?!

 

[durulz]

Surely, for it to be 'traditional' it needs to be home made, not bought.
Otherwise it just looks like you're trying to buy into an image...

 

[Daegurth]

yeah, spending a fortune on stuff that looks either hand-made, worn or old is one of the hallmarks of modern consumerism, pretty much the antithesis of bushcraft.

i assume you can buy pre-treated reindeer furs from scandinavia, try making your own. i doubt it's too hard, providing you can aquire the patterns.

 

[Bushmeister]

Well there is some truth to that, but surely getting locally crafted clothes, made using skills passed down through the generations from locally sourced materials is what it is all about too?

I wouldn't presume to be able to make anything as well as the indigenous Inuit, and I certainly wouldn't believe I had an ounce of the ancient skills or knowledge they have. Surely it is better to support their craft and produce rather that a giant company peddling gortex this or microfibre that?!?

Is buying the latest top of the range petrochemical Arctic coat more 'bush-crafty' than this? If so, then perhaps I am missing something. If not then I can't see the harm in it - gotta be better than clubbing a polar bear to death and making some ill fitting wellies!!!

 

[Daegurth]

locally crafted to you, yes. not importing stuff that takes your fancy from thousands of miles away, that isn't really designed for the local climate.

sewing hide isn't a mystic art, it just takes practice, same as any other skill- not taking anything away from these cultures, but we're capable of doing anything that aboriginal tribes are. they just have the advantage of knowledge and practise (mostly our fault for giving it away in the first place).

the point is that the giant company peddling goretex isn't trying to pretend it's something it's not- they make clothes with modern materials, likely flown thousands of miles. you want to do the same thing, but with clothes that would make it appear as though they were environmentally better than the company's, when in reality they're about the same- a certain amount of oil goes into the production of the product, directly or indirectly, and then it's flown a very long way.

personally i think something local to the UK and more suited to its weather patterns would be better, and more "bushcrafty" (whatever that is).


edit: if i sound antagonistic, it's completely unintentional, i've just sort of slipped into "debate-mode".

 

[British Red]

Surely its not authentic then unless you kill the beast and cure the skin yourself?

And I guess the UK stuff isn't unless you shear the sheep, card and spin the wool and then felt it or weave it?

(also in debate mode)

Or - just do wahtever you fancy - its a hobby and there are no rules!

Red

 

[Bushmeister]

No worries 'debate mode' is good! I was in that mode too!

Also good points! However, I wasn't thinking for 'this climate'. But for trips to Canada etc (reindeer hide would be too warm for our gloriously wet winters!)

Certainly I take the point that we should not take the 'craft' out of bushcraft!

But again I come back to the augument - I could probably knock up a simple overcoat, or perhaps a hat, but footwear - would be really difficult (I am currently waiting for the epoxy to cure on my puronvasi bladed scandi). And the hides would likely be flown from similar countries to the locally made clothing - unless I could source UK hides - so enviromentally similar.

I am certainly not jumping on the kit queen philosophy of 'oooo that looks nice, where do I type in my pin number!' But I would love to try some of the traditionally made stuff in the enviroment it was made for, by people who know what they are doing!

I guess anyone is capable of making anything, with enough time, the right tools, knowledge, raw materials and patience - trouble is we often don't have all those things!

 

[Daegurth]

red- a fair overall point, but my argument was more about keeping items' delivery distance down and spending more in the local economy than the necessity of making everything yourself, the part concerning self-manufacture was more of an incidental comment.

BM- if you're going to use it in canada, by all means buy it- but wait until you're in canada to do so. then you really are stimulating the local economy, and it hasn't flown 5000 unnecessary miles to somewhere it's not actually needed. plus you might get a fitting service.

footwear seems to be one of the simplest parts, if the sami episode of ray mears is anything to go by. i have no doubt that anyone who's got as far as you appear to have would have any real difficulty in making hide clothing. perhaps you should make a UK outfit as well, from leather and hides sourced from over here? i think that would be a good project, and intend doing leatherwork myself when i have the time/money- which is, as you say, the major issue.

well, that's fine then! while i don't dispute the point that specialised clothing, made by experts, is the ideal, i think that bushcraft is about self-discovery and -improvement as much as external discovery and environmentalism (the sensible kind, not the kind where you set bunnies in labs free ). seeing what you're capable of yourself is always exciting, and something i like to test myself on a regular basis.

 

[Bogman10]

Well there is some truth to that, but surely getting locally crafted clothes, made using skills passed down through the generations from locally sourced materials is what it is all about too?

I wouldn't presume to be able to make anything as well as the indigenous Inuit, and I certainly wouldn't believe I had an ounce of the ancient skills or knowledge they have. Surely it is better to support their craft and produce rather that a giant company peddling gortex this or microfibre that?!?

Is buying the latest top of the range petrochemical Arctic coat more 'bush-crafty' than this? If so, then perhaps I am missing something. If not then I can't see the harm in it - gotta be better than clubbing a polar bear to death and making some ill fitting wellies!!!

Good luck to you with your "Clubbing to death a polar bear"
I totally agree. Support the locals, so they can maintain there way of life.
I bought a Titanium mug last year and a Kuksa as well, like wood much better! This year I bought a hook knife, and I noticed a few Birch burls around my usual Deer hunting areas, so I will give making my own a try. I also hope to try tanning my deer hides this year too!

 

[Chinkapin]

You can talk all you want about making it yourself, or buying it locally, but when you get right down to it, the only true, traditional Inuit clothing is that sewn up by Inuit women in the arctic, using the same animal furs that they have always used. Anything else is a COPY. Having said that, if Bushmeister is content to get the proper furs, find out how they are assembled, and make himself an Inuit hunter's suit, then I say, "power to him." but it is not "traditional Inuit clothing." It is a "knock-off." Now there is nothing "wrong" with knock-offs, as long as they are recognized as such. As Bushmeister stated , it would be a good thing to support the local crafts. But, we all realize 3000 Canadian, is big money in any language, and I don't think anyone would fault him for trying to come up with a cheaper alternative. I know that I wouldn't.

 

[charadeur]

Well there is some truth to that, but surely getting locally crafted clothes, made using skills passed down through the generations from locally sourced materials is what it is all about too?

I wouldn't presume to be able to make anything as well as the indigenous Inuit, and I certainly wouldn't believe I had an ounce of the ancient skills or knowledge they have. Surely it is better to support their craft and produce rather that a giant company peddling gortex this or microfibre that?!?

Is buying the latest top of the range petrochemical Arctic coat more 'bush-crafty' than this? If so, then perhaps I am missing something. If not then I can't see the harm in it - gotta be better than clubbing a polar bear to death and making some ill fitting wellies!!!

I agree 100%. If you have ever seen a pair of Inuit boots made by someone who has made 100s of pairs for their family over the years you will know that skill is beyond just sewing some leather bits together.

There is a fine line between buying into an image and wanting to use traditional kit for it's simplistic elegance. In execution there is no difference between the two. Why would I, or anyone, care about what is in the mind of the wearer?

 

[Bushmeister]

Thanks for the support and interesting alternative viewpoints!

The truth of it probably lies somewhere in the middle.

I thought I would let you all know, in order to start this journey of discovery, I have just finished sanding down my Scandi knife handle (will post pics) and am looking to buy a large tanned hide on e-b*y to start a leather rucksack project!

Will still drool after the traditional cold weather clothing - but will perhaps look into that when in the country of origin!!!!

 

[locum76]

surely wearing proper inuit kit in this country would be a bit too warm apart from the one day a year when we get any snow?

 

[Tengu]

That is what I was thinking.

Why not learn Greenland leather embroidery? Thats something you could apply to many different things.

 

[Toddy]

As someone who hand sews traditional British clothing, and who has nothing but the highest regard for the needlework of the Native Americans of the far North, I tell you bluntly that $3,000 Canadian, is *cheap* for the materials and the time and effort involved.

Good on you though for thinking about this though

It's all too easy in this modern world that we in the West take for granted, to accept, " one size fits no one very well but it'll do 'cos that's what's available, and it has the right label " clothing.

There's no dearth of patterns, and materials are available for anyone choosing to make their own.
Besides, there's a great satisfaction in it too

cheers,
Toddy

 

[w00dsmoke]

I have a pair of these (but in seal skin) but tbh it's too wet in the winter to wear them in the uk and too hot in the summer!

http://authenticcanadianmukluks.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=143

WS