how long did it take you to put your kit together?

[Cornelius Quintus]

Ave,

some definitions:

Battle ready equipped = Roman miles

Overloaded with full equipment = Marius’ mule

Much more equipment than lots of miles and mules could carry = re-enactment hobbyist :wink:

Greetings from Germany

Heiko (Cornelius Quintus)

[FAVENTIANVS]

:roll: It helped me from getting a cold in Archeon last summer!

Puh. :wink:

That was a winter for us!!!

[John M McDermott]

Yes, this is a good question. How many of us can carry all our equipment?

[FAVENTIANVS]

With my new Super leather lamellar I can!

[Robert Vermaat]

Yes, this is a good question. How many of us can carry all our equipment?

Goodness no!
4 scuta, hamata and squamata, all those spears, etc. etc....

[FlaviusCrispus]

Avete, contubrunali!

I've been dressing up as a Roman soldier since I was a kid. My first "real" piece of Roman gear (as opposed to plastic costumy stuff) was my Gallic G helmet, made for me by an armorsmith named Keith Howell in 1989. I got my Blacksword armory Newstead cuirass about a year later, along with my caligae, so I guess my initial kit was sorta complete by then. Then I started upgrading and fiddling, and....

....16 years later, I'm still at it. I've built five or six complete impressions along the way, including fist century infantryman (seg), first century infantryman (maille), 4th-5th century cavalry officer, Carthaginian wars-era legionary, late Republican legionary, and 2nd century Optio. I've kept virtually everything, much of which has ended up in the Legio VI loaner pile. Most of my original stuff was bought or traded for, since my leather and metal skills were pretty poor, but I've gotten a lot better since I fell in with Matt Amt's Legio XX in '99 and have built and/or heavily modified most of my own kit since then.

Since my Legio voted me Centurio, I've been putting together a Hadrianic Centurio impression. I'm nearly done, honest I am. Just picked up a lovely set of Phalarae made by Toni Feldon, and recently finished a nice subarmalis. Of course, I guess I could use a new baltaeus, and maybe a better helmet. And a new pugio. And a better sword. And a new....

AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGH! It never ends, it really never ends.

[Restitvtvs]

I bought my first Roman Legionnaire-related books in 1983, in Regensburg, home of Legio III Italica Concours. Could neither find nor afford replicas until 1996. I bought barely affordable 1st century helm, lorica segmentata, gladius, pugio, caligae (all of questionable quality) in 1996, but with work, school, helping spouse with her work, didn't have time to reenact until 2002. Finally started reenacting in 2002 with ~70% basic kit, and had to borrow baltaeus, baldric, scuta, etc. I finally helped make pilli & furci in 2003. I bought a paenula & subarmalis; and my spouse made tunics in 2003. One of my reenactment buddy's got back problems, couldn't carry the weight, so he sold his full 1st century kit to me in May 2005.

So, from start to finish, it took me only nine years & some months to finally have a complete, nice 1st century kit.

Then, four weeks later, I got serious back & other medical problems; so like my friend last year, now I also can't carry the weight!

Now, I still plan to sell/trade my kit during the next year or so, to build 5th century infantry kit of my dreams. Although I'll probably have to stick to unarmored veteran impressions (I'd still like to have a complete 5th century infantry kit). +r

[emj1s]

If you all are fussing about too much equipment. There is always starting legionnaries out there. :wink:

[Restitvtvs]

I'm not. :wink: We're sharing how lonnggg it took to complete our kits, and how we're hooked for more.

Enjoy your healthier years while you can! Wish it had been cheaper & better quality when I was younger, stronger, and started during the "good old days", when we had fewer options. :wink: I

However, on another thread, for my permanent health reasons indicated above, I mentioned that I plan to sell my 1st century infantry kit this year. (Hint, Hint)

My sales dates depend on when I recover enough to handle the weight & on a DeKalb County electrical inspection of our apartment complex garage that will eventually happen (date TBD by county), so we'll have space to unpack, clean, photograph, the goods, etc.

Ain't life grand. Some say getting old "stinks" or worse. +r

[Magnus]

I think my basic legionary gear took me about a year to complete. That's Helmet, crest, segmentata, gladius, pugio, balteus, pilum, caligae, manica, greaves and all the clothing that goes with it. Scutum I think came a bit later, and then it was just getting some odds and sods like a marching pack and pole, plus a few other items. Most of it I made, but the helmet, sword(though I modified it) and pugio I bought or was given to me on permanent loan.

Luckily the need to make/buy more Roman gear has petered out, and my interest in building gear has gone to a new era and culture, otherwise there would be no end.

So now there is no end, but it just has more variation...lol.

[emj1s]

I was just hinting not complaining about your "complaining. :wink: :wink: