Easy Water Proof Ranger Cloak! 

Its strange that people worry about these types of clothes being flammable, when the clothes most people wear everyday/while camping is made of plastic and will also catch fire and probably melt into your skin haha. If it's not a problem with normal clothes, I think its fine with these as well

'In retrospect I should have done this outside.' *proceeds to do it inside again* I do love watching these videos.

A note on the flame stuff, the cotton acts as a wick that draws in the beeswax and paraffin like a candle, so it'll burn more slowly as it melts and draws in the wax to drive the fire. Upside is you're wearing a slow burning candle, the downside is you're wearing a slow burning candle.

Only thing missing is a penannular broach to lock the cloak into position

Pro tip for those in the future- cut your fabric before dying it so the dying process is easier and faster. also saves you water and dye. It's much easier to dye 4 yards of fabric than it is to dye 12 yards.

I think people get waxed cloth and oil cloth confused. Oil cloth is quite a bit more flammable than an un-oiled equivalent, but waxing a cloth would actually make the wax burn before the cloth, acting like a wick. Not necessarily a good thing, but doesn't make the cloth any more flammable.

I use natural Turpentine, boiled Linseed Oil and Beeswax in an equal amount to waterproof my stuff with. It doesn't make the fabric so stiff. My grandmother used this to make wax table cloth for the kitchen table or garden-table, and my grandfather used the same to protect the wooden handles of his tools with - or the wooden boards of his raised garden beds and out-door furniture.

Literally just sat here and did this with my son. We coincidentally had to two of those same drop clothes from HF,and I said hey,let's make Ruanas. Lol. They came out so good. We still have to sew them,but I'm gonna let mine fray a bit for that worn out look. Thank you so much. He's 7,and is now so obsessed with his new Ruana cloak and the rennaissance faires. 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾❤️😃

My wife and I made a couple ruana cloaks a few months back, they are freaking awesome. I used mine most of the winter. I think I might need to make myself another one for warmer weather. Great vid.

It'd be really cool to see a cloak designed from the Ranger's Apprentice.

I don't really go to larp events, but I do hang out in the woods with my buddies, and I've been wanting a poncho for a good long while, so this is quite useful, thank you for the video and thank you for making the process easy to follow.

I made a post-apocalypse coat out of the exact same fabric. I was looking at canvas like materials & was like "This drop cloth is cheaper than even thinner fabric at the fabric store & I don't care about the extra seam that is down the middle." I did find that the fabric will separate away from seams or stress points as the weave is not as tight or strong as it first looks. I solved this by using glue & sealant along seams to lock the weave in place. For the weatherproofing I used a light coat of spray rubber on the shoulder areas & along the bottom. This helped with keeping the fabric from separating along the shoulder seams & stress points, made the wettest parts extra waterproof, protected the bottom edge from wear, and helped the esthetics I was going for. Then I just used a couple cans of outdoor fabric spray over the whole thing.

If you ever wanted to do a "winter version" of this, USGI wool blankets are pretty cheap AND already green :)

That's pretty badass. I don't need Ranger Cloak for anything but now I want one.

For a heavier multi function cloak, the harbor freight tarps you used for a tent. Make a half circle hooded cloak that goes right to the ground. Now the multi function bit. Crouch down and it covers your feet and the natural folds make you blend into the woods, camouflage. Cut some 6' poles, stick them in the ground forming a circle that comes together at the top, drape the cloak over it, emergency tent. Very ranger-ey.

all the clapping gave a me chuckle each time and it just made things easier to stay focused on paying attention lol

I don't LARP or craft and I already know this channel is my new favorite thing for reasons unknown

3:16 "one of the more versatile cloaks" _laughs in great kilt._

When you mentioned rolling around on fire an image popped into my mind of a red dragon perking up as soon as it saw the ranger in the cloak "oh, look a walking candle, how cute..." Ranger: "a what?!"

Pro tip for those making ruana-style cloaks. For the slit you’re going to cut, pick up some linen edge tape to go around the entire hem of that slit to give it some stability and strength. Especially if the end of the slit is curved where it will sit against your neck

My son and I have had this plan for a couple of years now, the only difference being, we want to make them out of wool army blankets. They're near-water proof, and better against the skin. Also, if we were to make a more lightweight summer cloak, we were thinking of using NightHawkInLight's silicone sealant. It's basically just diluting standard silicone caulk like you'd use around a sink / shower surround, and soaking the fabric in it after dying. Not exactly period-authentic, but still....definitely waterproof.

So, I was just at a LARP last weekend (NERO Armonia, in Nova Scotia), and one thing that my character used a fair bit of was candles. (Candles of various colours can influence spirits in various ways). I was just using birthday candles, because I couldn't find coloured, unscented candles, so I think that Candlemaking could be a really neat skill!

Thanks for the easy tutorial! I can’t wait to give it to my husband for his birthday tomorrow, he’s been wanting one for forever.

It's essentially a giant candle, which definitely buys you several seconds compared to a burning untreated cloth.

I made one of these cloaks with a wool blanket. I have a great improvement to the cloak. The plan is to use 4 x 1.5" x 1" pieces of leather and cordage as a closure system for the collar. My plan is to sew 2 pieces of the leather straps about 1/2" or 3/4" in the corner of collar and center line on both sides. Punch 2-4 holes, I'm going to use three in the center, to lace the cordage how you like to keep the cloak closed at the collar. This will keep the cloak from getting in the way. Now when tied, I'm right handed, so I take the left side and secure it with a belt keeping the edge just right of center pulling it flat across my left side. Now I can drape the right side over my left shoulder and also use it as the hood. I found doing it this way the cape won't interfere with cross drawing my sword and if I use a shield the cloak will now disguise where my drawn sword is when in battle. Also I can draw a dagger with my left hand covertly for dual wielding. When not secured it'll add a pop of color and you can fold the ends open kind of like a suit coat does. With the one side secured in the belt and unlaced, you can take the right side off your shoulder and drape it over your right arm like toga, lol. For the archers out there is another mod that could help y'all out. Take another two pieces of leather and sew it on the back of the cloak slightly above the waist and left hip area. Cut a slit wide enough to get your quiver sling through. This will allow you to keep your cloak still drapee and keep your quiver secured to your back. This will allow you to draw and fire your bow with no to little interference from the cloak. You can also do this if you like to carry your sword on your back. For the duel sword wielders out there just take this mod and add one on the right side as well to secure your scabbards. I apologize if this post is a little long. I'm just trying to make sure you can picture what I'm picturing by being as discriptive as I can. Thanks and sorry again... Party on

Wool is more naturally waterproof, especially in a more raw form with the natural sheep tannin's and is also quite a bit more fire-resistant. You can get some pretty light wools aswell, it's not a winter only material. Though the issue then is price, wool is usually quite a bit more expensive than other (specifically) natural ones with few exceptions, probably more-so in the US where you have far less Sheep than the UK for example

You are among the many RU-vidrs no how viral their videos are, still reply to the fans ty.

down here in Australia, a bought waxed cloak costs around $150-$200AUD! Reckon I'll be following your method, so thanks for this Ol' Mate! Good Adventuring.

I do primitive camping and survival as a hobby I spray my wools with Forcefield Fireguard to keep campfire embers from burning holes in them. little smelly but effective

4:05 A fabric pizza-cutter? What a time to be alive :D

If you are really concerned about flammability and fire you can buy fire retardant spray for fabrics. We use it when making our own Guillie suits. Keeps the chance of combustion down.

For our friends outside of the US two yards is 183 cm.

did the same thing last year for my ren faire cloak. harbor freight canvas drop cloth slit down from and hemmed for a raanan cloak. works great.

Old reenactors trick for waterproofing natural fabric tents if you don't want to use the beeswax route: try looking for tins of wall/brick water proofer and paint it on. It's the same stuff as those cans of fabric water proofer and a lot cheaper by volume. You'll need to let it air to get rid of the vapours but it works really well. Short apocryphal tale; We did this to our tent, but tried using a spray bottle to get an even coverage. At the end of the session, hubby found he couldn't taste coffee as the waterproofing aerosol had got into his mouth and the coffee just didn't touch his tongue at all. This is why I recommend using brushes, 'cos you wouldn't want that in your lungs... Alternatively look for Teflon coated cotton twill, the same stuff that they make school trousers out of.

I've only been to one larp. You can in fact be a badass ranger without a cloak.

One advantage of leaving it as a poncho is, especially if you add a way to cover/close the hole like a hood, you've got a tarp you can use as an emergency shelter too.

On the subject of burning the waxed canvas. You basically gave a candle wick. Candles really burn the wax, it’s not the wick that gives it fuel. The wick just provided the flame a spot to chill as it slowly eats the candle

To help with applying the wax, if you heat the canvas with an iron or a heat gun/hair drier FIRST in small areas, the wax takes longer to cool and allows for better saturation. Personally, I like to use a heat gun, the kind that gets hot enough to strip paint. Warm the area of canvas so it is hot to the touch, apply the wax and continue to heat the area already waxed for the most absorbtion of the wax into the cotton fabric. Repeat as necessary until wax is no longer absorbed. Good luck! There are more modern ways to achieve "waterproofing" using silicone caulking and acetone instead of bees' wax mixture as this is very expensive where I live. Cheers.

My favourite part of Maker life is randomly finding out the names of things I've coveted in sketchy facebook ad thumbnails and random pinterest boards for strange aeons but never known what to google. Ruana cloak! Thank you _ever_ so much! So, how did your cool and breezy lightweight cloak go in that summer sunshine... over the three other layers you're wearing? :p

I cant speak for the USA but here in UK we have a product called Dylon. You just put the open dyepowder container in the washing machine with your fabric and put it on a standard wash. Et voila! Take it out and dry it just like laundry. Oh, and run the machine on a rinse cycle afterwards to get any residue out before using it again for regular laundry!

If you have enough fabric leftover from the off cut, you could add a hood. I do love a ruana for its versatility.

I highly recommend that people make wrap pants for larps. They're great for NPC's because they fit lots of body types, but they're also great looking and easy to customize. One tip though, make sure to add a buckle to something to the ties because you do not want to rely on a simple not to hold the flips. Last thing you need is to be going through the brush and have a branch catch one of the ties and suddenly your butt is exposed.

Very cool video! A little heads up from a guy that has been running a waxed jacket for motorcycle adventuring for many years - if you hot iron the wax too much, it will soak into the fibers, but leave the surface exposed / relatively unprotected. Wax needs to sit on the SURFACE of the cotton cloth to prevent wicking.

Cotton is the best cloth material to be wearing when it catches fire. I'm a welder and that's what we wear so we don't catch fire. It just kind of smolders.

@Skill Tree I have a few questions about the cloak. 1. The canvas tarp i bought is already dyed green and weather resistant. Will it require wax treatment too? 2. Have you had any trouble with washing your finished cloak? Is it still machine washable? 3. Can you give us a video showing us how to make a separate hood to go with it? I know you said you could make one with how you wrap it, but having a attachable one or even just one that sets over your head and shoulders would be a useful option.

I was recommended your channel by Larp Shire as to look into what LARP is after I saw their video on the Reckoning. Tbh it sounds pretty neat so tips and tricks like this are both interesting and informative. Though from what I've seen from their official website the Rivlans aren't half as cool as the Hadrians. Maybe something that could be seen for a future idea for DYI larp stuff, perhaps a sack or container that you could carry on your person as a first aid kit. Outside of a self sufficient ranger needing to always carry an extra bandage in case of danger, you never know irl if you need to get some immediate help in case of an accident in the woods. One should always be prepared.

dude, no idea who you are, where this video came from, or why I wanted to watch it... But I'll be damned, this is the most informative video I've ever seen on a cosplay kind of thing. You're awesome and now I have to watch everything you have. You've got a new subscriber!

Dang, Cl3ver! I am loving the aesthetic! May your blade remain ever sharp, and your wit even sharper!

I've seen a few videos where folks have used caulking material that's been dissolved and then the material soaked into it and allowed to dry. Functions much like cloth but waterproof and not stiff.

I use the Harbor Freight canvas drop cloths myself, but if you are going to use expensive beeswax at 12 dollars a pound, maybe consider using wool cloth. Wool doesn't burn well and resists water. If you know where to shop you can get wool cloth in a variety of colors for 15 dollars a yard.

Made one of these from wool after seeing this and living anachronism videos about ruana cloaks. Now I'm working on a duck cloth one for the warmer season. So much hemming!

About to make these for my partner and I, so excited!!

"Damn you three dimensions!" Not gonna lie, I almost spit out my drink! lol

I think this will be my first "I'm gonna make this" thing

I also ran through the woods as a Ranger in LARP, used the inspiration of RobRoy movie (it was new then) to make a great-kilt which is a style of kilt, the full length version not the little skirt everyone calls a kilt. When you want a cloak or hood you unbind the length over your shoulder. Slept in it outdoors once in an overnight event. Miss it now that I’m talking about it.

As what is called a burner or heavy torch operator as some call it, I'm around +2,000 °F every single day cutting huge steel coils and thick plates with a 4ft hand gas axe torch. And while I wear thick leather in most areas I wear pure cotton canvas in others because while yes it is still flammable...it smolders instead of burst into huge hot flame that literally literally bonds to your skin if you use other fabrics. When I was a welder we would wear 100% Cotton shirts due to it not bonding to the skin if it did catch flame and it's also harder than you think to catch it a flame from just sparks, and molten chunks. Even if it does it usually only smolders that area it hit but never fully catches up a blaze.

Maybe you should try batik next! Basically it's using the wax as a resist so you can draw patterns on the pre-dyed fabric. If you're making another waxed cloak you don't even have to remove the wax when it's done, just add more to make it even.

This project is so simple and effective that I truly think I will use it! It’s so easy to remember and I will have no trouble doing it at home. Thank you for this! If I do end up making my own cloak, I shall return to thee and tell of my mighty adventures and spoils.

Funny enough, I had the same project in mind, even had the same tarp scoped out. the design was the hang up, but now that is solved! thanks.

I just made one of these for Halloween/D&D and it was super easy, budget friendly, and looks great. Thank you!

Please let us know how the cloak holds up in rain! With the openings for arms, and the front, I've always had some concerns about a ruana cloak not having enough coverage to be comfortable in the rain. Regardless, this looks awesome!! you've convinced me to make one. More cloaks are always a good thing. Also, consider a separate hood/cowl, loads better than attached ones.

Awesome idea and vid! Thanks. Now if only my harbor freight will finally stock their canvas tarps… Side note: I’d suggest linseed oil and turpentine to waterproof canvas (for long term waterproofing) but it does require some curing time outside in the elements. Townsends did a wonderful vid on waterproofing canvas. The problem with beeswax and paraffin is that one (flammable test) it’s a sustainable burn. Think candles. And two as you wear it or use it that wax will wear off (it’ll take time so for one event probably okay) and if you’re wearing it that wax will seep into all your other textile clothing. Also please don’t put waxed canvas or Heavily waxed clothing anything into your washer and dryer. You will clog your drain and any waxed lint is SUPER flammable. And yes I do know that Clever washed and dried it before waxing. It’s a future reference kinda thing.

I've already got a canvas cloak for my character, now I'm slowly assembling a whole leather armor set in order to return back to LARPing in the coming future!

I love that all your videos are related to a character! It's really motivational!

I just made this out of fleece without any waterproofing or sewing. ("Just made" meaning "finished a few minutes ago.") It is basically a warm, comfy blanket that will stay with me on cold mornings around the house, plus no sleeves means no armpits, so it won't need to be washed nearly as often.

I've only done a small amount of homemade waxed canvas, but instead of the iron I found it rather easy to lay down paper towels on my work surface and then hit the cloth with a heat gun. It helps melt and evenly distribute the wax through the fabric, and the paper towels on the bottom catch the excess and then become great fire starting tinder later when you are outside.

This is awesome! What a great project. Thanks for the bonus burn tests

An alternative to using wax is to use silicone (just cheap silicone caulk will do) diluted in naptha (ie mineral spirits). Nighthawkinlight has a great video on this. The result is a bit heavier, but it also strengthens the fabric a lot. Waterproofing is unparalleled - and super stain resistant also. Silicone is pretty amazing stuff. But I have to say I love the authentic looking fold-lines you get from wax for this type of use. It really puts it over the edge for a cosplay.

That cape design is one of my favorite patterns!

Dude, I have been binge watching all of your videos lately. Love the Stuff you come up with! Keep up the great work!

Borax is a flame retardant that can be mixed with final rinse water of dying process. While wax will still light and wick actual burning of cloth should be slowed greatly.

I have friends that larp, and wanna make something for them for Xmas, so I watched your video … not only easy to follow, but very amusing! Thanks for the design and for the laughs!

The waxed cotton will burn for longer. but the upside is if you put out the flame the structural integrity will still be there because the wax burns off first.

That cloak is amazing its so cool, i don't even larp and i want to make one. But I'm already thinking of an idea that would make great use of this. Thanks kit

Silicone caulk dissolved in acetone is a modern way to wax cloth. Night hawk in light did an amazing video on it. It won't have the marble look that wax does so it's an option for people who don't want that

I've made several of these cloaks and wear them all the time and I'm just now learning about the hood part!!

Yo! I'm setting up a workshop in the woods, and am now bribing my friends with custom cloaks to help me. Thanks so much for this!!!!

wow, thank you! This looks really good and easy to make. I will definetly try it!

That’s a really beautiful cloak! Thanks for the upload.

"Should have done this outside" *Strikes second match anyway*

I cann see using this for some practical things, not just for larping! Super nice, well finished 💪💪

Turpentine silicone sealant dissolved mix soak cloth, dry bingo waterproof and flame resistant, job done 👍

Just to note. all you really need is a standard twin or twin xl blanket. Fold it into quarters, market the middle, unfold it to half, mark up to that middle point then cut it up to that point. When you finish that last cut, throw a whip stitch across the cut. I like doing an X where the cut goes up to the center of the X between the legs. That's it. Best blanket material I've used is a simple polyester blend that ultra soft. Best part is you can take a lighter to the cut edge. It's also washable, warm and technically can be uses as a blanket still. Which is the best part of using a Ruana Cloak. it becomes the ground cloth you need when making a tarp tent and using your walking stick as a center pole.

My fiancée and I are going to RenFest this weekend and we're wrapping up our costumes this week. She's doing a fairy (more Sidhe than Tinkerbell) while I am doing a bard with some influences from her costume. My sash is going to be made from the same material (read leftovers) from her skirt, and we made matching flower crowns the other day. I made a frog for my sword earlier today from leather and paracord, and we're going to do my ruana cloak in the morning since there's a chance it'll rain while we're there.

Definitely a project I would like to do...Thanks!

It’s so funny that someone else found a similar use for this dropcloth. It’s what I made my complete Obi-Wan Kenobi robes out of. Also this build looks great!

This was pretty awsome man, I am glad I stumbled upon your channel. 🤣🤣🤣 killed me with "don't be stupid"

You are truly amazing,thanks for sharing!

I am SO into these medieval themed videos bro. Lol so awesome 😁🤟

I did something similar in Arizona heat on a hot day and let it cool over night. I was just making a large camproll though. This is way cooler

Great thing for camping or fishing, gunna make one of these and store it in my vehicle.

Awesome video, and i love this simple cloak idea. I just bought some a robe/cloak type garment for renfest, and its way to hot for summer use. But i did sew pockets into it. Lots of them!

You can also use silicone caulk to waterproof it as well. There is video on how to make waterproof tarps that shows how to do it.

For waterproofing one might also try the old timers universal natural waterproofing paste: equal parts bees wax, linseed oil (boiled), and mineral spirits. It can be rubbed on or melted and soaked in and wrung out. Works on virtually anything. One can also use a hair dryer to melt in the wax if one does not want to risk ruining an iron.

This is so cool! I once saw a water proofed viking hood, super cool. Now I can make one myself and can have a cloak too 😍👍 thanks kid!

Wow. Im loving the new videos, keep it going

i love this. exactly what i was wanting. great vid too, very entertaining. 🤙🏼

Thank you.

That was a cool video. Informative and useful. Cheap waterproof gear is always something that is needed.

That looks excellent.