Newb Questions

[Diplogeek]

Savanna, thanks for the encouragement and advice. I'm definitely making brogans one of my first purchases- I did the "loaner boot" thing once in ROTC, and it was miserable trying to march any distance in shoes that hadn't been broken to my feet. Modern boots are way better than what they were using during the Civil War, so I really don't feel like taking my chances. Hopefully I can get them broken in before the bigger events this summer.

 

[kealbo54]

There is a thread title Vendor Feedback which would be advisable to paruse.

Brogans... Robert Lands of Missouri Boot & Shoe.
Trousers... Stony Brook
Jacket... Waumbaugh & White or Beuragards Tailor
Hat... Tim Bender or Clearwater
cap... NJ Sekela
Canteen... TIN there are a variety of good options

Accoutraments... Missouri Boot & Shoe or Sekela
Tin Ware... Village Tinsmith (but I keep hearing they're out of business)

Firearms... Lodgewood defarbed ArmiSport M1842, Pedersoli P53, or Lodgewood Custom M1861.

That should get you started.

I will definately second Beauregards Tailor!His work ethic is outstanding and he is very reasonably priced!

 

[Dave Hull]

Welcome aboard.
I third or fourth the comments from above, as they have been at least seconded once or twice. I would give consideration to having your brogans double soled (most come with two layers of leather in the foot pad area, but I call that single soling. In effect you end up with three layers of leather in the foot pad area on a double soled brogan.) You gain a bit more barrier to the impact from rocks and uneven ground and they wear twice as long. The down side is the brogans weigh a good deal more. I have a fine pair of brogans from Blockade runner from 5 years ago, which I decided to have double soled. Each brogan weighs in at almost five pounds (you really catch hell when you have size 14's) but the benefit to your feet is well worth it in my opinion.

At Chancellorsville a few weeks ago, the unevenness of the ground and numerous rocks, caused a great deal of pain to the feet of everyone I spoke with. My feet were sorer than at any event I had been to thus far, but no where near as bad as most of the guys I spoke with.

I wear my brogans oot and aboot (a nod to our friends from the GWN) on a regular basis. Trips to the store, yard work, hikes with my grandson etc. I guess I got lucky as I had virtually no break in time. The added use and care have ensured no dry rot as many leather goods begin to develop after a few years if not regularly treated with quality leather care products.

For an Infantryman, your feet are your most important commodity. Find a brogan you like and spend whatever you need to to ensure your feet are in good shape. The rest of the gear comes second. Feet first, I recommend.

 

[Diplogeek]

So, just to give an update, I drove through Gettysburg today. My timing wasn't great, because a lot of the places there are only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the off season, but I stopped by Regimental Quartermaster and had a pretty successful outing. The brogans they had weren't especially fabulous, so I'm going to try another place before I buy any, but I did find a used pair of Wambaugh, White & Co. J.T. Martin trousers, with braces, for $110. They're a little big in the waist, but I'll pin them in or something, and that'll be covered by my sack coat, anyway. For that price, I wasn't going to leave them on the rack.

Thanks for the advice, all- it was definitely helpful, and it was good to know enough to know to snag those WW&Co. trousers when I saw them. I'm getting the distinct feeling that this hobby is going to play right into any latent OCD tendencies I might have had.

 

[Bonny Blue Flag]

A big andd warm Texas welcome, diplogeek!

--BBF

 

[kfranklin]

I for one second Wambaugh, White, and Company. I've purchased Schuylkill Trouser/Jackets, Federal Issue Shirt, and Federal Issue Drawers from them. All have been of very high quality and the instructions are great, but at times you need a little bit of sewing experience to just figure things out because taking a 2D bit of fabric and turning it in to a 3D garment is quite a bit of a conceptual leap.

The only product I didn't like were the Federal Issue Drawers, they are 100% accurate, but that also means they have the period correct button-less front fly. I would buy Civilian Drawers instead. Although the high quality flannel is great in winter.

Regarding boots, I got mine from C and D Jarnagin. They were wonderful and the accommodated my rush order at no extra charge save shipping (they were out of my size). I found what helped greatly was the advice of my 1st Sergeant; walk out in to a stream with the socks you would normally wear on, let them soak for 10-15 min, walk out, pour out the water, change socks, and let them form to your feet. Also make sure to keep them away from fire as this will damage them.

 

[Diplogeek]

Thanks for the advice! The WW&Co. trousers I picked up at Regimental Quartermaster's were great- you really can tell the difference in quality between those and the less expensive ones. They're definitely big on me, but I just pinned in the waistband for the parade I did last weekend. My mom sews really well, so I may get her to show me how to take them in properly. She actually offered to sew me a shirt or two once school's out for the summer (she teaches), which would be great. Of course, had I listened to her when I was a kid and actually taken the time to learn how to sew, that would have served me even better.

I've ordered a pair of brogans from Robert Land, but I'm not sure when they're actually going to turn up- I just sent him an e-mail today to see if he could give me any information. If it looks like it's going to take a while, I may end up having to cancel the order and see if Jarnagin will expedite shipping for a pair, since I'm really hoping to get the brogan situation resolved in the next week or so. It's funny- you get into this hobby and suddenly start finding more and more stuff that you just can't live without. I can completely see why everyone says not to start buying stuff until you find a unit and start talking to people who've done this a while, because I could easily bankrupt myself buying gear, otherwise!

BTW, with regard to brogans, is it helpful to use something like neats foot oil to soften up the leather? I've done the "get them wet and walk around in them" thing to break in boots when I was in ROTC, which helps a lot, but I knew people who swore by neats foot oil and similar products. I don't want to damage a hundred dollar pair of brogans, though.

 

[johan_steele]

Walking in a creek is a good way to break them in but DON'T do what one kid did and walk around in a kiddie pool... the chlorine did a nimber on them.

I would avoid Jarnagin and go w/ MB&S as they are custom fitted & guaranteed. They also arrive when advertised... you may pay a bit more but they last forever. I know of many a decade old pair of MB&S brogans.

As for neats foot oil, it's good stuff.

 

[yankee belle]

A big Buckeye welcome. GO BUCKS. And have fun.

 

[kfranklin]

Walking in a creek is a good way to break them in but DON'T do what one kid did and walk around in a kiddie pool... the chlorine did a nimber on them.

I would avoid Jarnagin and go w/ MB&S as they are custom fitted & guaranteed. They also arrive when advertised... you may pay a bit more but they last forever. I know of many a decade old pair of MB&S brogans.

As for neats foot oil, it's good stuff.

If I didn't have the time constraint I would have gone with MB&S, but given that I needed them quick, I went with Jarnagin.

 

[Diplogeek]

Yeah, the timing issue is what's holding me back from MB&S, as well. I haven't heard back from Robert Land yet, but I did only e-mail him today, so I'm just being impatient. I'd really like to buy from him, as I've heard good things, but that's balanced by wanting to get at least my basic gear sorted out ASAP, so I'm reasonably ready for Gettysburg.

BTW, what's the typical wait time for stuff ordered from Nick Sekela? I'm thinking about getting a cap and sack coat from him. Am I right in assuming that what's on his website is typically in stock and ready to go, or will it need to be made first?

 

[johan_steele]

My experiance w/ Sekela is superb, if he has it in stock you'll have it w/in a week. Not in stock... not so much.

Wait time depends upon the vendor. W&W, MB&S, Charlies Boatworks & Tim Bender told me exactly when they would have something in my hands & in the case of Tim Bender it was a week early & MB & S was right on time. IIRC Stony Brook was w/in a day of the projected delivery date and that was the fault the others mentioned were w/in a few days of promised and they were good about letting me know when shipped.

Others not so much. As much as I love Lodgewood... for a while there there was a wait time bordering on unacceptable but I've heard that has been put behind them. I would suggest anytime you order ask for a realistic delivery date and stress if the product can not be met by that date you will have to order from somewhere else. I've only had one issue w/ that and in my case three other people were planning to order from the same vendor and when my 1st Sgt talked to him he wanted to know if his service would be as bad as mine... oddly I received the order three days later, only a month after I had been promised it.