Lessons in Reenacting | Ep. 15 | Hiding Farb 

I want everyone to go back and take another look at that man enjoying a Miller High Life. Just pause the video and appreciate him. Not as a reenactor, but as a human.

I do reenactments of the Westward expansion and the fur trade era. Getting period stuff is tough! Like you guys we didn't hound people to get straight. We helped them as they gain more experience to obtain better kit.

The thing to note about P3 frames as those were issued to soldiers that needed glasses they were not infact just handed out but during intake during the eye exam measurements were taken of the circumference of the head from the bridge of the nose to the back of the head and back around to the front to get correct dimensions in order to get the soldier the right size frame. This practice still goes on with today's US Military.

You showed my group actually karma when you were talking about companies selling c & k rations you showed the 45th infantry division, that's my unit

This is a great ww2 channel. I just wish you upload more. Your content is great

Love the vids man they've actually been really helpful for some of us Axis guys as well.

It's always a good day when you upload! Now I can put my McDonalds in a mess kit and do so with accuracy!

great video and a great way to approach a sensitive subject!

Interesting video: it’s unfortunate that there have to be disclaimers telling viewers not to hunt down and harass “farbs.” Still, a great primer on how to hide modern amenities from the public. The neat thing about this is that it makes you have to think outside the box, and frequently tailor your defarbing methods to your impression. I myself do PTO exclusively (USMC, to be precise) and carry an M2 Jungle First Aid Kit. That kit is one of the best purchases I ever made in this hobby: I keep asprin, chapstick, and even my earplugs in it (though I carry those in my breast pocket when in action, for ease of access) without the public being any the wiser. My gas mask bag is great too: I keep personal items in it (something that was actually done historically by both Marines and Soldiers in all theaters) as well as some of my NCO-related items (notebook, spare pencils, drawing compass, etc. For those curious, I portray a Sergeant acting as a rifle squad leader.) Not only does all this act as storage for modern amenities at events, but also can serve as storage containers for some of your kit. I myself keep certain personal items (such as my whistle and dog tags) in my gas mask bag when I get home from events. You mentioned the phone, and how it prints in your pockets: unfortunately, I personally have to live with that. As an NCO, my unit’s particular guidelines require that I have my phone in a ready-to-use state at all times during any battle reenactments, so that I and other NCOs can call EMS in case of any serious injuries during the event. I keep it in my left waist pocket, so my right hand is free to control my weapon or do other things as the situation requires. Still, defarbing can be fun once you start doing the research, and can really add to your impression; not just hiding modern stuff, but also adding little details to show the public (like the rubberized cleaning kits and cigarette packs you mentioned.) It’s not limited to one impression or even one era, either: I do American Civil War as well, and in a past life I did both ETO GI and German. I noticed a few German reenactors in the comments: I’m sure we all appreciate how easy it is to hide water bottles inside a gas mask canister!

Atthefront makes a great phone holder that looks like original web gear. It blends in perfectly.

An excellent video, please keep them coming.

Good to see more of these videos

I love how more then half of the beginning is just Can

Thanks for making this an educational piece. I’ve been doing this a long time and have seen so many people lose interest after one event because people are dicks about calling people out on being a farb instead of giving them guidance on how to look more accurate. A few other things to add to the list: - Beards. While I know scruff would be acceptable for a battle-sustained unit, so many times I see full 1/2”-3” long, groomed beards and it always drives me nuts. If you have a beard you don’t want to shave for one event, consider doing an impression where beards were commonly found in the unit (Navy ship crew, Coast Guard, pilots in some cases, PTO in some cases) - Obesity. While I know there are medical conditions and this isn’t as simple as changing a piece of gear, this is one I see quite often. I understand having a bit of a belly or being a thicker person, but if you’re 50-100 pounds overweight and your uniform is ready to pop at the buttons, you may want to consider how this affects your impression. Obesity was less than 10% of the general population in the 40s, and a fraction of that percentage for able-bodied young men in the military. If you’re going through all the other steps and effort to be historically accurate, why disregard this factor? Not to mention benefiting your life outside of reenacting! And if you’re unsure if a piece of gear or any aspect of your impression is historically accurate, as a rule of thumb, if it takes your more than 30 minutes to find historical evidence in your research, be it photo or documented, it’s safe to say it probably isn’t historically accurate, or at least common enough to wear. And don’t turn to Hollywood for answers. There are plenty of forums and reenactment groups online that are willing to help. Thanks again for the wonderful video and tips!

2:36 modern tactical hold 😂

Brilliantly informative work as always! Can't wait to see what comes next!

Hyped

Absolutely great video and great content!!! Thank you for this masterpiece!!!

'Ask not for whom the farb alarm tolls, it tolls for thee'

I've always wrapped my phone in a piece of cloth. I do Vietnam so i usually hide my phone in a washcloth hehe.

0:30 I live in the same town that A&W is in. I used to work there too.

Je kan ook bijvoorbeeld je mest en gebruiken om broodtrommel dat je dan daar brood en doet

Neat

Fun fact lucky strike filters are about half the price of non filters im a smoker and my brand is luckies, was Camel then oneday we started getting lucky filters for 5.00 a pack vs 9.99 for non filters or camel filters 7.89 a pack vs 10.99 camel non filters

les go

When will you begin making these videos for the PTO? There’s not a lot of info out there for US army PTO impressions. Do you know if the WPG early war US army poncho would be accurate for a mid-late war US army PTO impression? It’s the only repro army poncho I can find.

Does anyone know of a German reenactment group in Colorado?!?

what's the outro song?

I am super farb right now man but I'm just getting into the hobby... And there are no units for U.S. WWII within 8hours driving time. Got me some original o.d7 leggings, and cartridge belt, type 2 service boots, original m1910 haversack dated 1918 nearly mint, original m1910 canteen, cup, and cover aluminum cap also 1918 wool trousers wrong ones i ordered what i thought were original M1937 butt turns out theyre brown m1952 one button fly one zippered fly, a shitty M1941 field jacket by mil-tech nothing is symmetrical on it and a Korean war steel pot, and a mostly correct Garand... Reciever is a 1953 production the rest of the rifle is 1941-44 Springfield and Winchester parts

F-ing Aint Right Boy = FARB

do you know where I can get a reproduction enlisted man visor cap no originals can fit my head and I do need one any info would help

AMOGUS

General Douglas MacArthur liked to have a corncob pipe in his mouth, maybe reenactors could use pipes in their mouths instead of cigarettes or chewing on something.

Ik zou bijvoorbeeld dan in een M6 gasmasker lighweight bag en daar dan je moderne speel

Filtered cigarettes were invented in 1910 and many us soldiers used them

I think getting “authentic” glasses are unnecessary in a reenacting setting as the average spectator would not care about it. Sure it’s inaccurate to wear modern glasses but I’d would not throw flak at them for having modern lenses as prescription glasses are expensive $250-300 to be exact and going the extra steps to have it custom fitted to lenses is too much hassle for whats essentially a cosmetic like prop grenades or the like. What’s worse is that most reenactors would just use regular glasses anyway in their everyday life even when they had glasses that’s already proven to be more durable in an outside environment. If you want to buy vintage style glasses for the sake of reenactment that’s on you, but for me I’ll stick with the glasses I have until it breaks or I go to the eye doctor again.

Where are you guys????? You've been gone forever!!!!!