What would you liked to see reproduced?

[Elaine Kessinger]

Cheap reproduction "French" post cards. What young soldier didn't have to toss some away before going into battle? They didn't want them sent home to mama with their personal effects in case they fell, so the ground leading to the field of battle was often littered with them.

Gary

Those actually CAN be had from certain vendors if you know whom to ask. We need to remember though that this has become a "family hobby" and many Mothers don't want Junior and Sissy seeing things like that when they scour the "battlefield" after the battle... and they have very LOUD,LOUD voices when complaining to event organizers. Better to save the cards for around camp and store them with a pard rather than litter the ground with them.

[Hank Trent]

Those actually CAN be had from certain vendors if you know whom to ask. We need to remember though that this has become a "family hobby" and many Mothers don't want Junior and Sissy seeing things like that when they scour the "battlefield" after the battle... and they have very LOUD,LOUD voices when complaining to event organizers. Better to save the cards for around camp and store them with a pard rather than litter the ground with them.

Wait... a battlefield after a battle is where a child would find men with their heads blown off or their intestines exposed. Why are parents letting their children run around out there?

I think this may be one of those "different event" things, where some reenactors (and the public) are expecting their events to be a family friendly camping weekend, while others are wanting to imagine how it might have been and react as if it were real--which would mean there would be other reasons than a fear of finding French postcards, to keep children away from a battlefield.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

[Choatecav]

MODERATOR HAT ON!

Folks, I have pointed out once before that this thread has gotten way off of what Will originally asked. Here is his original post:

"I was wondering what the cph cavalry community would be interested in having reproduced in the way of tack and accoutrements. I ask because I have a relative who owns his own saddle and leather shop and he has displayed an interest in making gear in the past. And if he thought there was a decent market he might be persuaded to make some things."

Notice it is for tack and accourtrements. We have gone into event bashing and now french post cards. I think this is a worthwhile topic as originally asked and if we can keep this back onto "tack and accoutrements" then great. If not, the thread will be closed.

Thank you for your support.
Mark

[Forrestcavalryman]

Honestly, I'd like to see more variety in the civilian tack. It seems most reproduction saddles are either Muleys or Texas saddles.

[GAR]

Sorry Mark, my bad. I guess I'm a little confused.

I certainly understand what "tack" means. "Accoutrements" opens the door a bit to other things a trooper might carry, doesn't it? Wouldn't field glass cases qualify for an officer impression? Leather jacket covers for Bibles? I was trying to think in terms of missing or hard to find leather goods.

accoutrement
Noun:
1. Additional items of dress or equipment, carried or worn by a person or used for a particular activity.
2. A soldier's outfit other than weapons and garments.

The post cards were an after thought- and btw, I wasn't talking about porn. Victoria's Secret catalogues are much more risqué than most of those post cards were anyway. "In olden days a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking.." so the song "Anything Goes", goes.

I can't think of anything tack related that isn't already being reproduced for Federal impressions. The main thing I'd like to see is better quality and correctness at a much reduced price. Informed people don't chose sutler row stuff over authentic for any reason other than price and ready availability. Yeah, I agree that quality lasts longer, looks better, is more comfortable and so on, but in my neck of the woods, many reenactors are still hurting economically and can't afford to attend all the events they would have attended just a few seasons ago when gas was about $1 a gallon lower than it is now. So better quality at a lower price is what I'd like to see.

And a field glass case.

[Choatecav]

Gary,

No harm done.

We are trying to keep the threads on track so as to make them more efficient for research purposes. It helps for the integrity of the posts to follow the original theme as closely as possible.

We do allow some lee-way with some of these questions that are more general in nature, but this one revolved around someone having a leather shop, etc. Actually, some of your ideas and comments were very interesting and in a more general thread would have been fine.

Thanks for contributing!

regards,
Mark

[cavman63]

If I can slip in here, more or less as a former cavalry trooper in the ranks, I would add to what was already mentioned by Zack , myself and Andrew about the almost total lack of good , accurate, repops of civilian saddles and tack by saying that I also agree completely with Ken. More and better CS Mac repops, including those of the painted cloth variety are very much lacking. Also, what seems to me to be the most obvious problem I hear about these days is a really accurate reproduction Texas tree. I think a leathers pre-cut "kit" offering would be excellent as well. However, having said that, from my own observations in the field, "authentic" cavalry has gone, in my time, from the early days of almost no Texas saddles in the ranks to nearly too many IMHO. So while I am all about some better Texas trees ( I would buy one myself) I think a wider variety of appropriate saddles/tack suitable for CS is needed. I also agree with Ken on the weapons he mentioned. I cannot think of much on the Fed side that is not already available really.


BTW...I also agree 100% with Hank and also Dave.

[TexCavly]

More variety in civilian holsters. Some stamped, some slim Jims, some with flaps, some with buckled flaps, half flaps the list goes on.

[Philip cav]

Also would like to see reproduced a screw top canteen also in EOG.

[Third Mainer]

Federal Mounted Pattern overcoats, patterns or kits.