starting out

[Duane]

How about some advice for the person just starting out clothing etc.etc. Crazy Crow how to go about getting a nice outfit together for the coming summer.

[Pare]

Here's pictures of some friends' clothing & gear. Might have to do this in a few posts...

[Pare]

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[Pare]

There's more that other's could add, but that's just the basics.

Pare-

[john]

Fantastic pics Pare.  I'm still gearing up and would like to discuss sources for quality stuff with you, but wanted to respond to Duane right away.  Duane, couldn't tell if you were asking about Crazy Crow, but if so my opinion is that, in general, much of their stuff is not of the highest quality.  That's based on only a few orders, so maybe somewhat unfair, and some things look ok in their catalog, but in general what I've received has generally been a step lower in quality than expected.  Example, one of the first pieces of gear I bought over a year ago was their Snake River butcher knife.  Unlike the pic in their catalog, the knife they sent me had "Made in Pakistan" stamped in black lettering in the center of the blade!  It's also a highly polished stainless steel.  I scraped off  the lettering and now have a large marred section in the finish.  That knife is going to turn into a kitchen knife and I'll be looking for a replacement!  Townsends has much better quality stuff in my opinion.  My impression is that there were many more gear suppliers say 10 or 20 years ago than there are now.  Not sure exactly why that is but part of it is likely that our hobby continues to slide a bit in terms of general interest and popularity.

[Leifer]

Pare- thanks for posting all those pics! I was going to post some but didn't get a chance to before you did.

Here's a presentation I did several years back for a Ranger Talk about how we put a fur trade impression together by looking at journal entries, trade lists, and surviving examples. While this isn't the only way to go about doing what we are doing, it's a sound methodology that can be applied to a variety of time frames. Hope this proves useful for folks. It's called "More than Buckskins: Experiencing the life of the Fur Trade through Living History and Experimental Archeology."



Leifer

[Pare]

I've steered clear of crazy Crow for almost 15 years now. The last thing I got from them was a brass kettle, which was heavier than the originals I have and made me think it was just kettle that was painted yellow. But if you scratched it off and found it was, you wouldn't be able to return it, so you're stuck with it. That's just my opinion on their stuff though. I did like their wool cloth, even though it was made in Pakistan. I'd rather support a Fort or a friend who makes what I needed first.

Townsend has some decent stuff. I believe Leifer got an axe from them a few years ago, but I could be wrong. The Jeff White knife they carry is a nice one, but their kettles are a bit early for us. I'll attach a sketch of French brass kettle lugs/ears here.

Ft. Union is a good place. Leif & Rod L. would know more about that than I would. Rod posted several links in the Sutler link near the bottom of the home page on here.

Northwest Traders is great for blankets, along with master weaver, Rob Stone.

I've shopped around on Etsy and found kettles, blankets, horns, etc.

What are you looking for in particular?

Great presentation, No 'Baccer!




Pare-

[Old Solitair]

All sage advice in the above post. Start slow with what you want to do and who you want to portray and research out your kit before buying. Check out our website Rocky Mountain Outfit rockymountainoutfit.com/. We have some good info, links and recommended reading that will help you down the trail on a good start. Also check out our sketches from the field. Everything is well researched and tried on the ground. Have fun!

Bill #H1880 

[Leifer]

I second what Bill said. Be sure to check out the site he posted. LOTS of GREAT stuff!

Leifer