Cloth bag

[garrelt]

Because of a transport problem, no Van anymore, I had to come up with a substitute for transporting my basic gear without the use of wooden tranport Boxes.
Leather being fairly expensive so I looked at the alternative of Linen or Wool.
Found some reference to cloth being used for purses and bags in early and late medieval contexts.
So the use of cloth for this purpose was known.
But what for Roman era cloth bags?
One article put me on track: Comitatus_Article_Bags.pdf
In that there is a picture and a discription of a flax(linen) bag from Qasr Ibrim,Egypt dated C1st.
Ok Egypt is a long way away from Gallia-Belgica but for now it helps me out.
Anyone who has info about Cloth bags from the Limes regions, I'm interested.

The bag holds:
1 Woolen tunic
1 Linen feminalia
1 Linen Bracea
3 Long sleeved linen tunics
3 Sleeveless linen tunics
1 pair of needlebind socks
1 pair of gaiters
1 Money/flint and steel pouch (bagger compascum)
1 belt
1 pugio with scabberd
1 bowl with spoon
1 pair of shoes

Still there is room left for a cup and some food.
I changed the carrying strap a bit, made it from one piece of linen instead of tying it in a knot, for the rest I used the dimensions as decribed in the article.
This bag will look good in a tent, hanging from the ridge pole to keep it of the sometimes wet ground.

Thanks Stephen for writing this article.
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[Titus Marius Secundus]

you didn't by any chance, get that wooden bowl in Costa Rica did you?

[garrelt]

No, bought it at our Museum for 18 euros some years back. :wink:
But I know that these are made in Poland.
That is another thing on my list: wooden plates/bowl and cup replicas from our region.
I already have some find documentation, now looking for a person who can make them for me and my family.

Except for the spoon, bowl, pugio and belt buckle everything else is made by myself.

[M. Demetrius]

Nice work, and a good way of getting the job done.

[Cavok]

Nice one.
I am currently putting together stowage bags for my wet weather gear from
dearskins that I had donated to me. they will simply be attached to my Furca all the time unless needed I don't know how they will hold up as they are a bit thin in places. Definately better than a wooden crate though. The one I have weighs about 30 kilo's empty!!
Cheers

Steve

[garrelt]

Thanks for the compliments guys.
Gone use it this weekend for the first time.

[M. Demetrius]

Send us an update, and have a great event!

[agrimensor]

Looks like, the bedroll. A rolled blanket with your personel belongings in it, carried over the shoulder. Maybe an other option.
But your bag looks great Garrelt.

[garrelt]

Used it last Easter weekend.
It is even big enough to hold
2 woolen blankets (Green ex-Dutch army)
a 150(wide)x225(long) linen sleepingbag
a linen pilow cover
a feather pilow
a linen straw mattress sack, ofcourse without the straw in it :wink:
2 linen curtains.

For sleepingbags there is some reference from the early-medieval times in Byzantium.

Because I slept in our longhouse, I could use the sheepskins present there to make a bed without the use of a "modern" self-inflating mattrass.
[attachment=3685]100_3723.JPG[/attachment]

So in all this bag is simple to make yourself, very practical, light and sturdy, easy to carry, roomy enough for stowing and transporting a lot of my gear and after a event or show this bag needs not much space to be stowed away, cleaning is easy just throw them in the washing machine.
They fit very well in a historical setting. don't have to be covered up (camouflaged).
I'm going to make 2 more but the with the carrying strap made out of 2 separate pieces, because when you make a Knot in the strap you can also close the bag.

[M. Demetrius]

Linen is available all over Europe, but not so easy to find in the US. Just in time for your post today, I received this sale email from a US source for linen. Made in Ukraine.

http://www.fabrics-store.com/first.php?g...n=4C22&go1

I have ordered from them quite a few times, and never had a problem with anything that wasn't my own mistake. The 4C22 is not quite as heavy as canvas, but is good for bags and such, much too thick for tunics. Might work for braccae, though.

[garrelt]

Your correct there David, for us here in the Netherlands it is quite easy to obtain Linen.
It can be that in the States it is harder to get Linen because there is a "local" cotton industry.

At our local market it sells for around 8 euros per meter.
I have a store close to us where I can get rolls of 20meters of 120/150cm wide linen in natural or different colours.
Most of the linen comes from regions like India, at least the more lighter fabrics.
Flax, Hemp and Nettle are plants that grow in Europe since ancient times and were used, next to wool, for cloth, rope and other uses.

The Linen from Eastern Europe is sometimes to thick, at least the cloth examples that I have seen, for clothing but perfect for Tents and bags.
Also a good price for a good quality.
Thanks for the weblink.

[garrelt]

Cloth bag Nr 2


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Ready to carry.


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Closed.

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Closed and ready to carry.

Only 2 more to go.
1 for sleeping material and 1 for my helmet,light armour and small weapons.

[Crispvs]

"Because I slept in our longhouse, I could use the sheepskins present there to make a bed without the use of a "modern" self-inflating mattrass."

I don't think I have ever used a mattress of any sort during re-enactment events. I just lay my cloak on the ground and sleep on that. If we are sleeping on a hard floor I also sometimes lay a blanket underneath the cloak but I don't think I have ever used more than that.
Here is a photo that some wag took of me a few years ago at Butser Ancient farm (note also the tunic doubing as a sleeping bag).




On another front, if you are looking for heavy weight linen, it might be worth checking with a furniture upholsterer. I have obtained heavy enough linen to make a subarmalis from upholsterers in the past and for a very reasonable price as well.

Crispvs

[garrelt]

Due to an old injury I need a mattrass otherwise I can have problems with my back(spine).
Don't want do a gladiatorial fight or ride in a horseshow while being in pain.
Seen that, done that, been there!
So it is for me a comfort issue, but then again it is known that mattrasses were used in a housing context.
Militairy, like being on patrol, is a different thing.

The upholsterers sugestion is a good one, will check that one out.
This summer I go to Poland again where thick linen can be found at some events.

[M. Demetrius]

At a certain age, the bones demand more padding if the body is to function well the next day.