Ursus: Soft Kit

Tunic
My main tunic is brown linen thats been over dyed with dark green and then aged to be a mottled green/brown. Its based on a viking tunic but I chose because it closley resembles the longhunter hunting shirts I used to wear. The baggy cut allows for good breathing thus helping cut down on sweat but the material also keeps in warmth much like wool. My second tunic is an exact copy only made of a medium weight gray wool. Normally I keep this shirt rolled up in my bedroll as a spare shirt or a shirt to sleep in on colder nights.

Pants
My pants are made from medium weight linen that started life an off white but were dyed green as soon I got them.

Boots
My boots were originally Bohemunds High Medieval Shoe that I modified by adding longer cuffs and a series of loops to aid in lacing. I intend to add thicker soles asap as turn shoes do not in my opinion mesh well with the woods and carrying a full pack.



Jerkin
My long leather jerkin is made from moose hide that was gifted to me years ago that I brain tanned and stained a light brown. Years of sweat and wear have darkened it to a chocolate color. Mainly it serves to help keep the thorns and brambles from catching on me as I move along. This jerkin houses a holdout knife concealed by the front split by my left knee. Also there is a garrote wire in a pocket up by my left armpit. The great thing about this jerkin is that its been waterproofed and can function as a bit of extra shelter or what not in a pinch.

Bracers
Nothing fancy here. Simple thick cowhide cut to a rough pattern with lacing holes punched by hand. Much of my kit has literally been made on the trail with what I have to hand. The leather for these where in my bag as replacment soles. One day in camp several years ago I was bored and crafted them using nothing but my small camp knife and scissors from my sewing kit. They are heavy enough to allow me to grapple and glance/set aside blades yet not so heavy as to interfere with wrist articulation during sword use.



Cloak
My cloak is made from some large green survival blankets that I aquired a while back. The body is one piece and has strategically placed holes for the straps of my quiver to go through. I decided this was the most practical way for me to carry my gear over my cloak as it still gave me the ability to 'shroud' completly when needed. The original green didn't quite suit me so I boiled the whole thing in a large vat of homemade walnut dye to give a beautfully rustic greenish brown color consistent with Tolkiens discriptions of ranger clothing.

Gloves
My gloves are a pair of brown gauntlets I bought off of ebay and modified by cutting the fingers off. Note that the first three fingers on the right hand are longer. This is to act as finger tabs when shooting my warbow, but have enough of the finger tips are missing to aid in dexterity. They allow me to half-sword in combat as well as aid in gripping an opponets weapon during close combat.

Belt
My belt is made from heavy inch and a half wide black leather with an ornate bronze buckle. From the start I insisted that everything involving my sword stand out as different from the green/brown earthy color scheme of the rest of my kit, thus my belt does as well as it supports the sword.