backpacking – Living History in the Star Wars Galaxy

Project: Sweater retool 2025

What’s this? Another sewing retool project?? Yes!
What can I say? Maybe it’s just my local shop, but while the offerings at Goodwill seem to be getting worse lately (thanks largely to the influx in garbage-quality fast fashion from places like SHEIN), I still manage to find good (i.e. with Swarzy potential!) pieces now and then. Case in point: this odd women’s sweater-thing made by Kenar – I guess when worn open, it might be considered a cardigan?

At this point in my scavenging career, the initial attribute I scan for is texture (and by extension, fabric content) more than anything like color or design, so considering its fuzzy nap, I instantly had this sweater pegged as wool. As I’m always working towards the goal of GFFA-ifying my modern hiking kit, I thought this could be a good replacement for my current midlayer (an Earth-y, crewneck cashmere sweater) – but not without a little retooling!

The material itself is great – it’s actually a knit, but since it’s 100% wool there’s enough felting going on that it both looks woven and doesn’t unravel when cut! Color-wise, it’s a bit brighter than simply Navy blue and a bit lighter than Royal blue, which is fine for GFFA uses. Obviously I’d prefer something a little lighter or less saturated, but it otherwise checked most of my boxes… except one.

how to swarzify this ugly sweater?

Project: Thermos canister facelift

If it seems like a long time since we’ve had a standalone project to show off, you’re not wrong! We haven’t been idle lately, it’s just that everything we’ve been working on has been towards one specific, very detailed goal. Every now and then, however, something comes along and begs our attention for a week or two.

A funny observation I’ve made lately: whenever I go out shopping (ever on the lookout for gear or materials I can use for reenacting), every time I grumble to myself, “This place never has anything good!”, then something tends to comes up! Last November I popped into my local Goodwill having just complained that such a civilized thrift shop would be a terrible place to find pieces for my Middle-earth kits……only to score a gorgeous maroon 100% wool blanket for just $2 (!!!). Then a few months ago, while accompanying my wife on an outing to TJMaxx, I found myself was grumbling how the clothes there are all made of polyester and any ‘hard kit’ type items are always so ‘consumer-grade’ and never made for rigorous galactic use. Well, wouldn’t you know it, in among the reusable water bottles I found this double-thermos canister…thing:

“[It] may not look like much, but [it’s] got it where it counts”

This Hydraflow POD measures up at about 9.5 inches tall; the top section holds about a pint, and the lower section holds nearly a liter! There’s a spot under the lid for a folding spoon, which turned out to be pretty terrible. However, it’s triple insulated, is pretty much a blank canvas for retooling with in-universe style, and best of all, is made of steel (90% recycled!). Unlike the last Thermos I reworked, this one is watertight, tough, and ready for real use in the field!

In keeping with the authentic aesthetic seen on screen, I knew it wouldn’t take much to SWarz this up – a more neutral color and some weathering would be about it. The first step would be to tackle the screw-on lid.

Galactic Style Guide – Backpacks I

Welcome back to another installment of the Galactic Style Guide, the bimonthly series where we break down the ‘Star Wars aesthetic’ in order to help you create a more authentic ‘outer persona’! This topic has been requested by several folks, so it’s been a long time coming. In this entry, we’re taking a look at an oft-overlooked category of gear, which can really elevate an impression and make it feel like a living, breathing kit. We’re talking about backpacks! Due to the sample size, I’ve decided to break this into two parts – one for ‘hard’ backpacks, and one (next month!) for softer packs.

Let’s go chronologically and kick things off with this paired bedroll-backpack from the old, Old Republic (Tales of the Jedi: Redemption #3). As usual, the cover art is far more evocative than the actual panels, but I include it here as the pack itself seems to be fairly structured:

The inclusion of a big ol’ wooly blanket/bedroll is not only appropriate given the hostile climate of Rhen Var, but also a very attainable piece of functional kit!

I’m sure there have to be other pre-Prequel-era examples, but I haven’t found them! If you know of any, please let me know below! Next, let’s move on to some liveaction hard packs.

An Introduction to Galactic Glamping: laid-back camping in a galaxy far far away

Hello there! Instead of a fresh entry in the Diamonds in the Rough series, this week I’m happy to present a guest post, courtesy of Anders of DT Blasterworks. Be sure to read to the end to learn about an exciting upcoming Star Wars reenacting event!

The intent of “Galactic Glamping” is to have a fun, relaxed, car-camping experience while enjoying the Star Wars aesthetic: it’s another way to enjoy cosplay outside of the confines of a hotel or convention center and really get in touch with the way the characters interact with their environment. In this primer, we’ll go over the look of the gear and equipment you should be using, some good in-universe food and snack ideas, and general recommendations. The most important thing about this is comfort and convenience—by not having to carry everything in on your back, and instead letting your “speeder” carry your gear, you aren’t limited to lightweight, small items. You can bring that heavy tent, use hard-sided containers like footlockers and coolers to transport your stuff, and cook a good meal out there!

Luke may have been “roughing it”, but his campsite is a great example of what this activity can look like!

Learn more about galactic glamping within!

Galactic Style Guide – Tents and Shelters

Welcome back to another installment of the Galactic Style Guide, where we break down the ‘Star Wars aesthetic’ in order to help you create a more authentic ‘outer persona’! While the Style Guide has traditionally been concerned with topics of clothing and personal adornment, one’s outer persona can also include GEAR. Well, summer has arrived and after spending half of last year in a tent with my wife on the Appalachian Trail, I had two questions on my mind:
1) what kinds of shelters might adventurers in the Galaxy Far, Far Away use to protect themselves from the elements? And 2) are there any tents readily available in 2022 that might approximate these galactic styles?
The answer may surprise you!
While this topic might not be much use to readers planning a visit to the Galactic Starcruiser or their local fan convention, it’s important to remember that ‘doing (in the reenacting/living history sense) Star Wars‘ can (and probably should) take more authentic forms, and that if you want to venture into the outlands or create an in-universe encampment—like say, for an upcoming GFFA airsoft event?—having a good shelter can really come in handy.

While tents seen in earlier Star Wars materials (or only described in text) tend towards the unrealistic (at least by current capabilities)*, many shelters from visual media are actually fairly mundane, which is great for those wishing to create a reenacting encampment, or undertake an in-universe backpacking trip! _{*for a perfect example of this, see Mace Windu’s “wallet tent” in the novel Shatterpoint, which packed down to the size of a pocket yet could automatically unfold into a two-person shelter}

**Military command tents:** *Jedi Vs. Sith*; *To the Vanishing Point*.

Readily-available Star Wars tents after the jump

Programming Update: we’re back!

Hello there! After six months in the woods, I’m happy to announce that our 2021 Appalachian Trail southbound thruhike is successfully completed! Believe me when I say that it was one helluva adventure (and a pretty sweet honeymoon, to boot)! Now that we’re back in civilization I’m very much looking forward to getting back to active blogging here at Star Wars Living History…2022 is shaping up to be a big year with big things in the works!

the trail’s southern terminus at Springer Mountain, Georgia is wayyyyy more anticlimactic than Katahdin in Maine

A thruhike by the numbers:
Total length: 2193.1 miles
Total days: 182 (7 June to 5 December)
Zeroes (non-hiking days): 22 (+4 for a wedding off-trail)
Hostels visited: 24
Days hiked in the rain: 29
Night hikes: 27
Longest day: 23.7 miles
Average distance hiked per day: 12.9 miles
Weight lost: ~10 lbs
My pack (HMG 3400 Windrider) base weight: 20 lbs +-2
My pack loaded for a five-day section: 32 lbs+-1
Packets of ramen and/or tuna eaten: too damn many
Pints of ice cream eaten: not nearly enough!

If you’d like to see more pictures from our adventure, I did my best to keep up my Instagram from the trail (though I now realize it’s mostly landscapes, sunsets, and amphibians)…my photogenic wife’s IG gives a much better impression of the journey! If you’re thinking about planning your own thruhike or long-distance trip, I’m always happy to talk shop and answer any questions you might have. When there’s nothing to do but hike and think, I spent a good chunk of the last six months in a Star Wars-y headspace, and hopefully, at least a couple of the insights I had during my time on the AT will work their way into some future posts here! If there’s a topic you’d like to see discussed, please drop a comment down below!

Programming Announcement

Hello readers! I wanted to give a heads-up that the next few months will see a slight change in the posts being published here at the Star Wars Living History blog. At the time this post goes live, my wife and I are on our way to Mt. Katahdin, Maine, and as of 7 June 2021 will be southbound on the Appalachian Trail, hiking 2,200 miles to Springer Mountain, Georgia…which will make it very difficult to keep up with writing and maintaining a blog! (I’ll be checking in along the trail on my facebook page and my Instagram feed, so be sure to ‘Follow’ for those who want to keep tabs on our progress vicariously!)

However, this shouldn’t mean a lack of content for our readers and subscribers: In addition to some guest pieces contributed by members of the SWLH facebook community, I’ve scheduled new installments of the Galactic Style Guide to continue to drop on the last Saturday of the month, with other articles rolling out on a bi-monthly instead of weekly basis. In other words, excepting August (AUREBESH MONTH!!!), expect two posts per month instead of four.

While I wish our hike could be done with more GFFA style, old-school canvas backpacks are heavy and don’t hold nearly enough stuff for a thru-hiker, while most modern ultralight gear is way too colorful to match the galactic aesthetic. But we will see. I’ve been kicking ideas around with a couple of high-caliber galactic ‘reenactors’ about the possibility of organizing a Star Wars ‘ruck’ hike. I would love to do a true long-distance trek using Star Wars gear, or for more of a challenge, with my Middle-earth kit (all organic, handmade, and essentially Iron Age), but I figure I should get thru-hike #1 under my belt first 🙂
Nonetheless, as you can see above, I’ve still tried to inject at least a little GFFA style into my daily hiking outfit: Alderaanian fleet trooper with Donovian Rainman footwear, and I’ll be rocking a moisture farmer bucket hat for at least the first leg of our journey!
I even made a point of choosing a shirt without proper buttons 😉

Wish us luck, MTFBWY, and I’ll see you (Force willing) in December!

Project: Spacer’s Duffel (part 2)

It’s been awhile since I’ve checked in on this project, which was stuck on the back burner for much of last year but has been moving forwards slowly but surely. Inspired by a description of typical spacers traveling the spacelanes with a sturdy duffel bag (FFG Edge of the Empire: Enter the Unknown p.53), my goal is to create an in-universe ‘steamer trunk’ covered with souvenirs of galactic travel for use with my New Republic Archeological Corps impression.

Before getting too carried away with the weathering and distressing, I wanted to first add a few in-universe patches! A brief browse through Etsy or facebook’s SW Patch Collectors group will reveal a mind-boggling number and variety of Star Wars-themed embroidery, but somewhat unsurprisingly the vast majority are not suitable for living history purposes: face characters, divergent stylistic interpretations, pop culture mashups, event commemoratives, and general ‘novelty’ designs (i.e. things that make me ask, “WHYYYY?”) abound. If that group is any indication, lots of folks want patches that let others know they are a Star Wars Fan, but not so many are interested in authentically inhabiting the Star Wars setting…disappointing. However, a few daring individuals have been producing patches that actually reflect an in-universe style!

More patches (and where you can get your own) below!

Project: vintage thermos facelift

Greetings from quarantine!
thermal b4 While the world may presently find itself in the grip of a pandemic, one silver lining does exist. While it can be stressful in other ways, a month-long quarantine lockdown has the unexpected benefit of suddenly giving crafty-minded folks a lot of time with which to finish ‘backburner’ projects, and so—as several of my other WIP projects are currently stalled due to quarantine-created supply-bottlenecks—I thought I would share one item I have been able to finish up during the current situation.
Back in December or January(?) I snagged the above gaudy orange thermos from the thrift shop for (I think) $2. It didn’t look especially Star Wars-y at first, but my ‘propmaking eye’ saw that it had definite potential, and I’m very pleased with how it turned out! Continue reading “Project: vintage thermos facelift”

Galaxy’s Edge merch: Yoda Illuminator

yodas-l400 Disney decided to market this item as Yoda’s illuminator, but it would be more accurately called ‘Luke’s flashlight’, and we can assume that Luke brought his to Dagobah as part of standard-issue Rebel survival gear. While maybe not recognizable to the casual fan, once you know the scene, the item springs to mind pretty easily.
yodalamp5627
It’s not surprising that Disney went to the trouble of producing this lamp, but for $30, is it worth buying? Continue reading “Galaxy’s Edge merch: Yoda Illuminator”