Working on a pair of Braies this morning, hand sewing of course. When finished I will use powdered walnut hulls to dye them a rich brown color...or well, as rich as linen gets when dyed. ;) In fact, I have a couple of pairs that need the color change; white is no friend of mine in the forests outside of Winter.
I am also planning to make a padded leather and linen coif although I have not yet decided if I will sew it into the maille coif or leave it separate. Probably the former, but we shall see.
Dark green tunic, short sleeved and long sleeved, in the works. Brown hosen, brown leather soldiers' boots (medieval), a green dyed belt with black pouches on it, a rucksack of brown leather, very light weight grey shirts, and of course the flights on my arrows are grey and grey-barred white, the shafts being natural ash darkened only by the linseed oil I work into them. My quiver is brown, my blanket roll is green, and my glove gauntlets are brown.
I have a 'Robin Hood' style hat in dark olive green, but also a mantled hood in green with a black lining and green with a grey lining. I have a dark heather grey hooded cloak too. I also have basic linen coifs...but they need dyeing badly. My bow is of ash..although it is aging and I need to replace it soon. It is the only difficult part as my other bows either have bamboo backing or are a sandwich of bamboo, epee, and hickory. I am thinking I will take advantage of the deal St. Huberts' Rangers get with Taurus bows and have him sort me another traditional bow, but we will see. I am, after all, working on making bows myself.
With these colors I fade into the forest very easily...and they all do double duty for my St. Huberts' Rangers activities and my MER pursuits. I more often wear pants with the latter, but that's about the largest variation.
I wander, or patrol, the forests in all kinds of weather. To be effective one must learn to operate in any weather and terrain...and wet or snowy forests and hills are very different from dry Spring, Autumn, or Summer forests in the level of cover, concealment, footing, and whatnot. One must know the area of operations so well that anything unusual is instantly noticed. The patterns of game movement, changes they make in the terrain, these things are constant and can throw an unfamiliar person. The locations of edible and medicinal plants are important. Crossings of various streams and rivers. Prevailing winds, storm sign, stone and soil type. All matter.
Being a Ranger is no easy task, for the person who wishes to immerse themselves. It takes a lot of time, resources, and an open and agile mind.
Eledhwen
