Sutlers- Cheers & Jeers Starting reenacting

I was interested in getting into the hobby and found a sutlery that to me looks good but I wanted to see what other people thought of CC Sutlery.

It would be a great help

It's great that you're interested in reenacting! C&C Sutlery is what we call a "mainstream" vendor. That is, they sell basic reproduction items at an affordable price that may not have the same level of authenticity as more expensive handmade goods by specialty vendors. Many reenactors, including myself, have bought items from mainstream vendors.

However, instead of buying gear on your own, it's best to join a unit and see what vendors they recommend. Most units have lists of approved vendors and you can save yourself a lot of time, money and frustration by going to them first. Many units have their vendor lists posted on their websites, so you could check out a few to see who's buying what and where.

Also, many units have loaner gear these days they can loan you to get started. Some can outfit you completely, and then you buy your own items at your own pace based on your budget and research.

Bottom line is, if you're just getting started, it's best to get with an established unit and ask their advice. Most are more than happy to help.
 
Welcome! I've reenacted my entire adult life, and have bought a good bit of gear from CnC over the years. I second the advice about finding and networking with a unit and following their guidance. Specifically, CnC falls on the lower middle of mainstream; their stuff is good, but not great. It'll get you on the vast majority of reenacting battlefields, and will give you about 5 years of use. Their prices are good, and their starter kit is a good way to get out there with a modest initial investment. They have excellent customer service, which is really their greatest strength. They'll send you what you ordered in a timely fashion, and will talk with you if you need help.
 
What type of event do you want to go to?
100 person event in a private forest where you sleep under the open sky and get tired and wet?
1000+ person events with lots of shooting and a lot of spectators?

What do you want to spend the evening on?

Hanging out, chatting and drinking beer?
Or do you want to do guard duty or go to bed at the historical time?

How do you want to sleep?
in a tent on a modern bed and a cooler for the beer?
In a tent with no cooler?
Or under the open sky as they did back then when on campaign?

Then find a group that fits.
Both how they socialize and how they do the actual hobby... because there are huge differences.
(as the questions above are examples of)

Then Lend some gear to try out the hobby. (and group)
Then ask them what to buy, so you get gear that fit the group.

Also how important is it to you that you group spend a lot of time doing drill?
(there are mainstream groups that are better at this than some progressive groups)



But consider getting high end gear, even if you join a mainstream group.
It will cost more, but it is also better quality and if you later want to join a progressive group, you don't need to buy a new set of everything.
(also, most high end gear is made in the US, where most mainstream gear is made in Pakistan... some don't care... and some do)
 
Now that I think about it, I once joined a unit because their recommended gear matched stuff I already have, and their suggested sutlers included people I'd bought from previously. So, unit information like that can be valuable. Not to swamp you with detail here, but as you get experienced in the hobby, you learn to pick and choose: some vendors are best for headgear, others for clothing, others for accoutrements, etc. At the beginner level I wouldn't concern myself with that, but it's one of the things you learn. (Leather goods last a long time - I wore a set of accourements to an event this year that I know were part of a C&C leather special purchased back in 05 or 06.)
 
I see a lot of criticism of Pakistani made reenacting products, and tend to agree that much of it is marginal, to say the least, however...

Over the last few years I've been seeing some improvement in workmanship and details. Therefore, while I don't recommend buying foreign-made 'sutlers' row' items, I have seen where some of the better examples CAN be used for a period of time until better equipment can be obtained. Certainly, it will cost you more in the end, but it gets you out into the field quicker.

But check with your local unit(s) first! You'd be surprised at how much stuff reenactors can accumulate over the course of their involvement in the hobby. You might be able to put together a kit fairly reasonably from what your pards are looking to sell. You may even find that, while one mainstream sutler has better than passable accoutrements, another might just have the perfect knapsack at a reasonable price. Only your unit(s) can direct you to the right sources.

Then there's always eBay, where a great many high-end reenactment items can be picked up at a considerable savings. Good luck, and may Santa fill your Brogans with a great many supplies for the upcoming reenactment season!
 
I have done some business with a Pakistani company. Got them to produce some medieval jackets.
I also got some acw from them.

The acw gear was well made when we are talking wool quality and the sewing. But it is obvious that they are basing their stuff on what they can find pictures of online... and not on access to original items. (not really a surprise)
So there are issues with the construction and the details in regard to how they where historically. (and obvious sewn on a machine)

The Jackets was as well made and exactly as I wanted them to be. But they had patterns and a "original", that is a jacket I made they could look at.
And cost the same as If I had purchased the wool here in Denmark and made them myself.

So I do consider that specific company to be pretty good at what they do. But when it come to the historical details they are limited by lack of knowledge and access to originals to look at.
 
I know this is an old thread, but I have ordered everything I own that I couldn't make myself from C&C. Because I am low income, their pricing on budget items work for me--they're all I can afford. But, please also consider this for budget-end shoppers: when the Civil War broke out, a lot of uniform manufacturers didn't exactly have a super impressive quality control system. Some period accounts talk about their uniforms wearing out quickly, falling apart in the rain, and needing constant patching; so if you have the money for quality uniforms, sure, buy them. If you can only afford budget line, well, that's not exactly inaccurate. :smile:
p.s. my budget line stuff is still holding up after a year.
 
you are misunderstanding the issue and making a comparison that do not hold water.

The issue with some of the cheap stuff is not the quality of the sewing.
But the fact that the thickness of the cloth, the color of the cloth and the shape can all be off.

I received a jacket that was suppose to be a sack coat... it was completely wrong with the body made up of way more pieces than it should be and the buttons where way to big. (I was curious about their acw gear and just added it to my order of medieval jackets I mentioned above...)

If you want to wear a "poor quality jacket" then you would need to study actual poor jackets and copy their exact errors.

---

Note Iam not saying this is the issue with stuff from this specific company. And Iam not faulting you for buying mainstream gear that you can afford. Obviously economy is a big factor.

The Gear I use is most likely also made in pakistan but its a lot closer the historical items than the "sack coat" I mentioned.

I didn't know better when I first got it and replacing it is too costly.
With shipping price to Denmark, VAT and import fees is just too expensive.. and I rather spend my money on stuff for my Danish 1864 impression. So for now Iam sticking to my mainstream stuff.
 
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I know this is an old thread, but I have ordered everything I own that I couldn't make myself from C&C. Because I am low income, their pricing on budget items work for me--they're all I can afford. But, please also consider this for budget-end shoppers: when the Civil War broke out, a lot of uniform manufacturers didn't exactly have a super impressive quality control system. Some period accounts talk about their uniforms wearing out quickly, falling apart in the rain, and needing constant patching; so if you have the money for quality uniforms, sure, buy them. If you can only afford budget line, well, that's not exactly inaccurate. :smile:
p.s. my budget line stuff is still holding up after a year.
I have quite a lot of stuff from C&C. They are the affordable end of mainstream, and that gear will last you 3-5 years depending on how you use it. Then you can replace with other clothing if you want. Believe it or not, some of my C&C gear has found itself going to high-end campaigner events and wasn´t even questioned. Use your stuff; live out of it; cook with it; enjoy it and you´ll have a good time. It´s not always the material but the man.
 
first i would see what your unit that your going to be will require for the uniform. now granted some basic stuff is fine to get from there but some may not fit into the unit going to be in.
 
I have quite a lot of stuff from C&C. They are the affordable end of mainstream, and that gear will last you 3-5 years depending on how you use it. Then you can replace with other clothing if you want. Believe it or not, some of my C&C gear has found itself going to high-end campaigner events and wasn´t even questioned. Use your stuff; live out of it; cook with it; enjoy it and you´ll have a good time. It´s not always the material but the man.

That's great to know! And I totally agree, awesome, awesome supportive advice!!!! :smile:
 
I know that i have been making a lot of my leather gear myself since i find that i can make it better than what is out there. But for a basic starter kit they are not too bad
 
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