The Adventurer's Gear Thread

[AlanC]

Okay, here's my Riverina in tawny fawn. I've extended the side dents forward with water and steam and, obviously, added the pugaree. It's 1" cotton twill tape in natural, not dyed at all.

 

[Mojave Jack]

Nicely done, Alan! I hope I can make mine look as good as yours. I think 1" was the same width that Mike used, wasn't it?

That's exactly the hat I have coming. It looks very brown on my screen. Does it look as brown in person? Did you get it through Outback Outlet? They are pretty nice folks there. They've been exceptionally courteous and friendly. They even called me to let me know when they had shipped it, because it is so close to X-mas!

 

[AlanC]

^Yes, mine came from Outback Outlet, and 1" is what Mike used. It was a bear to find (found 1/2", found 2"...) for some reason. Mine is 'natural' rather than being tea-dyed like Mike did. And the Outback guys really are very nice.

 

[Mojave Jack]

hey, wait a minute! Alan, what are you doing home on a Wednesday afternoon wrapping a puggaree?! Did you take the day off work to bash your hat? Now that's what I call dedication!

 

[AlanC]

:whistling

 

[Mike K.]

Wow! I never realized my hat would become such an inspiration.

Jack - how many slouch hats do you now own? That was a great find on eBay. I'm surprised nobody else bid.

AlanC - that hat looks great! The fawn color actually looks more like the darker khaki color of my hat than the lighter shade depicted in another thread.

When I wrapped the pug I actually had difficulty finding anything except 1 inch or smaller twill tape (I originally was looking for 1.5-2 inches). Turns out that the 1 inch was perfect. Each new fold of the pug nestles just right at the half-way mark on the previous wrap of the pug.

*Tip* - To finish the pug and not have uneven folds around the base, take the last piece of wrap (should start at the back of the hat) and fold it in half. Wrap this folded piece once around the entire base of the hat and tuck to finish.

 

[carebear]

That cotton tape looks an awful lot like the bandage material used for boxing wraps.

It looks good and could help with a wound in the field.

Double Bonus Adventure Points!

 

[Mike K.]

It looks very brown on my screen. Does it look as brown in person?

Based on AlanC's photo - just the contrast between the hat and the pug - I'd say what Outback Outlet is selling as "tawny" is actually the same as what other companies are calling "khaki." Khaki is the darker of the two colors Akubra offers, and it has a greenish cast.

...then again, Akubra may have changed their colors.

 

[Mojave Jack]

Wow! I never realized my hat would become such an inspiration.

Jack - how many slouch hats do you now own? That was a great find on eBay. I'm surprised nobody else bid.

Well I have my original slouch, which is an issue hat, and is a wool blend (the one in my avatar and that I had at the QM). It is heavy, stiff, and hot, but I love the style and the brim width.

Then I have the aborted resizing attempt with the Akubra Imperial Felt (Yes, Nick, it did belong to a girl!). It was sold to me as a 56, but it was actually a 53! I stretched it, but the brim just wouldn't accomodate the increase, and went all cattywhompus. Boy, it's nice felt, though. I wish I hadn't messed with it, and just given it to my wife.

Then I have this new one, and the Riverina on the way. I really liked your Riverina. Actually, I really like Mark's custom hat, too, but since I totally lack the skills necessary to pull that off, the Riverina is perfect. My fedoras just don't cut it in the field. A snap brim looks nice, but doesn't do a dang thing to protect the neck from the sun.

AlanC - that hat looks great! The fawn color actually looks more like the darker khaki color of my hat than the lighter shade depicted in another thread.

Good to know. I liked the color of your hat, too, but the price at Outback Outlet was just too good to pass up, color notwithstanding. I figured I could adapt the color of the pug to complement the color, but Alan has demonstrated how perfect that will look without even having to dye the twill. Still, just in case we all end up together somewhere, I should probably shoose a slightly different color!

When I wrapped the pug I actually had difficulty finding anything except 1 inch or smaller twill tape (I originally was looking for 1.5-2 inches). Turns out that the 1 inch was perfect. Each new fold of the pug nestles just right at the half-way mark on the previous wrap of the pug.

*Tip* - To finish the pug and not have uneven folds around the base, take the last piece of wrap (should start at the back of the hat) and fold it in half. Wrap this folded piece once around the entire base of the hat and tuck to finish.

Noted for the very near future. I'll have to start the hunt for the 1" tape post haste. Outback Outlet promised a 5-day delivery via UPS, which puts it on my porch on Friday, possibly Monday.

 

[Jerekson]

Currently, this is what I go for whenever there is a possibility of adventure:

Akubra
Denim jacket
MKVIII
Any button shirt - this one is cotton
Field khakis
Gloves (I have two pairs, athletic and work)
Sketchers boots (I hope to update to the LL bean boot soon)

 

[John in Covina]

"A Rifleman Went To War" - Capt. H.W. McBride

If you are interested in WWI, marksmanship, fieldcraft/sniping or machine gunnery this is a great resource. You really get a sense of what kind of a man he was and the differences between then and now in terms of how and what folks thought.

**********

I have read this one and it is superb. Anybody read "The Emma-Gees" by McBride? It is suposed to be his reflections on the use of Machine Guns in the Great War. I haven't, It is supposedly not easy to find.

 

[Yorker]

Noted for the very near future. I'll have to start the hunt for the 1" tape post haste. Outback Outlet promised a 5-day delivery via UPS, which puts it on my porch on Friday, possibly Monday.

Try Wooded Hamlet they might have some, I know they have worsted wool and mohair twill tape- I've used them for other hats, not for pugs but for the brims. http://www.woodedhamlet.com/


They are worth a try. As for the hat that was too small for you- how badly is it messed up now? It should be able to be reblocked, even completely remade if you so desire. The tough thing is finding good hat blanks, you've essentially got one. How wide is the brim on it?

 

[Mojave Jack]

Try Wooded Hamlet they might have some, I know they have worsted wool and mohair twill tape- I've used them for other hats, not for pugs but for the brims. http://www.woodedhamlet.com/

I'll give it a shot. Thanks for the link!

They are worth a try. As for the hat that was too small for you- how badly is it messed up now? It should be able to be reblocked, even completely remade if you so desire. The tough thing is finding good hat blanks, you've essentially got one. How wide is the brim on it?

Yes, I've held onto it to see if I can't shrink it back down to the size it wants to be any way, and setting it up for my wife again...If she would ever wear it, of course! It is a regulation Australian slouch, with the typical 3-1/4" brim. I need to find a 53 block (or make one) to get it back into shape.

 

[Yorker]

Yes, I've held onto it to see if I can't shrink it back down to the size it wants to be any way, and setting it up for my wife again...If she would ever wear it, of course! It is a regulation Australian slouch, with the typical 3-1/4" brim. I need to find a 53 block (or make one) to get it back into shape.

Do you need a 56 or 57? I think there is an older akubra on eblag right now that is a 57 - for like $5. Your other had should be able to be restored, hat making is fairly easy- the trick though is to have the blocks in the size you need. If worst comes to worst you could have someone re-block it for you in the size and style you desire.

 

[Yorker]

Here are a couple more pics from the same fellow:

 

[Kaleponi Craig]

Hat...always an Adenturebilt (unless I'm going somewhere really, really hot, then I wear an old Knox Panama).

Sunglasses...Raybans, baby!

Jacket...US Authentic A2, lambskin

Shirt...whatever, usually an REI long sleeve, although I in this photo (at Sacsaywaman, above Cusco, Peru) I'm just wearing a polo shirt.

Pants...Rei convertible pants, so I can wear 'em as shorts when it's hot.

Shoes...Keen sandles, LL Bean loafers, or REI hiking shoes....

 

[Yorker]

this is about the last of the interesting ones:

 

[Mojave Jack]

Yorker, those are interesting pics. I'm not familiar with the collarless, half-front shirt. When was that shirt worn? Was it worn only on the Northwest Frontier? Also, the short sleeve collared shirts; are those cellular weave, just with short sleeves?

 

[Cobden]

In India, all units in the 20's and 30's would have had, along with their greybacks, a theatre made shirt specifically for wearing on campaigns. The shirts were mass produced at a battallion or other unit level, as opposed to individuals going and buying them. These were worn on campaign when the tunics weren't worn for practical reasons - when the tunic was worn (on parade, when walking out, etc), a normal issue greyback would be worn, especially on the frontier. For the British Army, these were various shades of khaki wool (which absorbed the sweat and was suprisingly cool); for the Indian army, blue-grey (same colour, but not cut, as the greyback). Different units had different features: some had collars, some just a neckband, some had no neckband at all. Some had pockets, some didn't, some had long sleeves, others short. All varied depending on unit. The one feature that they all had in common, and the original reason they sprung up, was the shoulder straps: these held the heavy 08 webbing in place on the shoulders. It's worth mentioning that, whilst the above pictures shew what appears to be a V neck, they are probably neckbanded shirts: traditionally, the British army opened their collars and tucked the neckband under the shirt, giving a V shape, presumably because it looks smarter in shirtsleeves. You see this happening right through WWII with the BD shirts, and even the Indian army did it with their collared KD aertex shirts at times!

Each unit would also have it's little traditions in dress, too, on the frontier. The Northamptonshire Regiment wore their 08 equipemt with the large pack, no small pack, and with the water bottle strapped onto the intrenching tool straps at the back of the belt. They also had another strange tradition of OR's having their jumpers tucked into their shorts, officers having theirs outside. In late 1937, during the Waziristan campaign, they copied the Sepys and wore their capmaign shirts untucked, as it was cooler and more comfortable. Khaki cellular shirts were often worn by officers on campign prior to their formal introduction in around 1938. Incidentally, the chaps in the top photo are wearing cut down issue cellular shirts

 

[Mojave Jack]

Very interesting! Thanks, Cobden. With enough info, then, you could almost identify units by the style campaign shirt they were wearing?

Also interesting about the aertex shirts. I never really wear my WPG aertex because of the weird way the cuffs are sewn. I'd probably get a lot more actual use out of it if I cut down the sleeves. Now that I know it was done, it's an attractive option. I also noticed that the corporal in the cut down aertex is wearing chevrons on both sleeves. Was that also an India tradition?