Tuesday 12 March 2013

The ever present kit issue.

HEMA still isn't big enough to have mass produced "standard" kit.  We're getting there, but there's always going to be issues and the need to cobble together certain things.  Plus... it's quite nice to have a bag that is different to everyone else's.

Sword Bags are a particularly tricky thing to source- Rapiers are much longer than foils, golf bag covers can be a bit bulky and are still a little short. Snowboard and ski bags are a possibility, so are rifle and fishing rod  bags.  I don't think there is one solution that's good for each person, which is why I'm going to recommend Decathlon's physical stores.  The physical stores have a different range to the website- http://www.decathlon.co.uk/

Decathlon is, basically, a giant department store dedicated to sports. You've got archery, riding, canoeing, hunting, hockey, skiing, rollerskating and the mundane stuff that every "sports" store has. This allows you to wander around with a set of requirements in your head and to poke things until you've found the stuff that suits your needs.


I spent £6 on a fishing rod cover which holds 2 long rapiers, a smallsword and a dagger without becoming unnecessarily bulky,. It's thin, ripstop nylon, and durability is a bit of a concern.  However, most of my bags go at the zip and this one doesn't place that along any of the major planes of pressure- so that's promising.

The padding and protection issue can also be, in part, addressed in the same trip.



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