Feedback Please on Series of Early Va Pouches

[Mark Elliott]

Please check out the Early Va pouches on the page below and let me know what you think.   I have three bags shown, all based on an original example.  I believe the last bag is the closest to the original example.   I say "believe, because the bag had been repaired many times, was missing a back corner and the strap.   

I have made a number of hunting pouches over the years.   I haven't been happy with any of them.   I like this pattern.   If I make any more, which variant do you think I should pursue?  I can tell you that I think the close copy of the original is the most durable and servicable, but I do like the woven straps.   

If you think I have made some errors in my interpretation(s), let me know.   What have I done right? What have I done wrong?

http://www.valongrifles.com/accouterments.htm

Thanks,

Mark E.

[James Rogers]

I really like the bottom one. I prefer the leather straps when wanting to make an early pouch, whether it be home made syle or commercial. Bill Fox in Appomattox makes the linen straps I use for my pouches and I like them very much. They add a lot of flavor but I think the leather strap is the way to go.

The narrow straps seem to be more common on originals and in paintings and in fact they are more comfortable in the area over the trapezius when carrying for a while in the woods.

[Trkdriver99]

They say that copying something is a form of flattery, well my next bag will look like one of those. I have a strap about 1- 1 1/2" wide woven from linen and hemp I will use. I really like those bags.

Ronnie

[Brian]

I like it as well.  One of the things that has surprised me is how small most of the original bags I have seen pictures of were as compared to what I had imagined.  They obviously did not pack as much "stuff" around with them as I had thought they did. 

[Ezra]

I like them all.  I prefer the smaller bag.  Particularly, I like the top one because of the woven strap.  Nice work.


Ez

[Mark Elliott]

I looks like I have two votes for the botton one and one for the top.   Thanks for the feedback.

Mark E.

[Tim Crosby]

 Wow Mark that is a tough call...I do like the smaller bags with leather straps.

Tim C.

[Larry Luck]

I like the bottom one also.

Larry Luck

[Rich]

I like the last one. I would probably use a narrower strap unless the wider one was documented. (Mainly because I like a narrow strap). I use small bags and you'll find they are big enough and actually make shooting from the pouch easier because you can find what you need be feel.

[Brian]

I like them both - but prefer the smaller one.  And as stated, will have to re-think my ideas on what their size might have been.

So are these for you - or perhaps for sale at some point in time?

[Randy Hedden]

Mark,

I like the one with the leather strap the best.  When I make a small bag I always use a 1" wide leather strap unless a customer asks for something different.

I guess I don't understand the two button attachment for the strap to the pouch? How much adjustment is there with the two buttons? I always try and leave at least 3" of adjustment either way.

Randy Hedden

www.harddogrifles.com

[Mark Elliott]

Brian,

The pouch with the woven strap is mine.  I made one just like it for my brother for Christmas.  The other two are for sale as is another pouch with a woven strap.  They are on my For Sale page.   I like that woven straps, but they are a lot of work and I am pretty sure they were not common in the 18th century.   When I think I have a pouch that is a real accurate copy of the original, I will keep that one for myself.   I keep learning with each pouch that I make.  I still don't think I have the strap quite right nor the actual construction.   The construction of the original is confusing and I need to study it more closely than I have been able to date.

Mark E.    

[Mark Elliott]

Randy,

The straps are all 54-56" long which should be more than long enough for the tallest and widest folks.  I am about 5'-10" tall and almost as wide and all the pouches sit on my hip or just above.    That means that most other foliks would want to shorten the strap.    The way you do that is just punch/cut two new button holes at the correct location and cut off the excess strap (if you want).    You can shorten the woven strap about 8".  The leather straps can be shortened pretty much as much as you want. 

I used two buttons for the adjustment for several reasons. First,  the period documentation mentioned two buttons.  However, it was not clear as to the arrangement of the buttons.   For the woven strap and the two-piece leather strap, you had to put the buttons where you would normally put a buckle.   I guess I could have used one button here, but one button would allow the strap to swivel around too much and, in my mind, be too weak an attachment.   

With the buttons on the pouch with the one-piece leather strap, you have two choices to be in aggeement with the period documentation; two buttons on one side or one button on each side.    In light of ambiguous evidence on the original pouch, I went with two buttons on one side for reasons of strength.    I may change my mind with further study and was hoping for some feedback from others on this.

Thanks,

Mark E.
       

[Randy Hedden]

Mark,

Thanks, now I see where you can get enough adjustment of the strap.

Randy Hedden

[Eric Laird]

Mark,
The bag with the woven strap is really beautiful, especially seeing it in person, but my number one vote has to go to the bottom bag!
Eric

[Trkdriver99]

I like the one with the woven strap. I just finished a bag with a woven strap. I am going to make another and use this as a semi pattern. I have a nice elk side and another strap out of linen and hemp.

Ronnie