The Most Simple, Multifunctional, "Survival" Waistcoat Anyone Can Make! 

This is a really cool project. I have a very nice white reindeer hide (very expensive) I don't really want to cut it up, but this video definitely gave me a project to add to the list when I get my hands on an oak or brain tanned hide. Cheers!

A short pelt ruana cloak. Looks so cozy. Hail from Living Anachronism

Nice project. You might cut short slits at waist level to threat a belt or sash through to keep the sash from slipping down. You could also tie up the back a bit with lacing. I wouldn't advise wearing it in the woods during hunting season, though, especially with the fur exposed.

Nice! You could sew a wool or skin hoodie into that large slit in the back. That would close up the gap as well as add weather protection.

PATTERN TIP: You don't need a tape measure for this. Any hand made wilderness string will do or a tough vine. Measure from the back of your neck to your waist and from the front of your neck to your waist then measure from the waist in front to the waist in back as close to the side of your neck as possible to give you an idea of where the top of your shoulder will be. You will notice the front is shorter than the back. That is because the neck opening in the back is very shallow whereas the front opening for the neck is deeper down the front. This should help you find the best spot for the neck opening. To record the measurements you can mark them in the dirt, side by side or notch a stick.

Hey fandabidozi! Quite a while ago I made my first staff, using your how to make a staff video and it turned out great! Now I am working on my first bow and so far it’s going great! Without your videos I would not have had ANY of these ideas, so thank you

You make everything look simple and very doable! thanks for all the interesting info and ideas. Love all your videos

Let me introduce you all to the mock up or toile! This simple thing is the first try of the idea, made of cheap or scrap mateials. Old bed sheets are nice to get a last use out of, and you can even use it in the final product as a lining. And a tip to the poncho and straight vest variant, stop cuting about 10cm/4icn befor you get to the middle and thry it on. This way you get a lite bit of a collar and then you can cut away what you need to make it comfortable around the neck and front. This also makes it slightly longer in the back and this is right, your back is longer. Good luck with everything and best wishes from the sewing and historical clothing side 😊

Great content as always brother! The American Trappers/Frontiersmen/Woodsmen made and wore similar hide clothing hundreds of years ago and the traditionalist still do today. I am positive that our Scottish ancestors also made and wore them back then as well.

😯😎 Don't know how RU-vid came up with recommending your channel to me; but your content is very cool and inspirational - I'm writing a steampunk novel in which survival in a winter landscape also matters for my characters, and coincidentally I established a current fashion with fur vests / waistcoats worn over normal jackets or leather coats, often showing off a person's wealth with the kind of fur or details like embossed patterns or embroidery. 😁 Story takes place in a Scottish / British Victorian fantasy society, so I freakin love your accent here too! New subscriber! ☺

That intro was just the best ;) [EDIT] I'm a nerd and I can't help it: Convection and evaprorative cooling are technically very different things, evaprorative cooling is the 4th method of heat transfer. Convection is when hot air rises because it is less dense, so convection heat loss is when your skin heats up the air it is in-contact with (by conduction) and because that air is now warmer it will rise away from your skin and be replaced by cold air, instead of staying in contact with it and keeping you warm. That's why materials like wool that trap air are very good insulators. Evaprorative cooling is when you are wet your body heat will evaporate the water, changing the water from the solid state to the gas state requires energy and that energy comes directly from the heat source that is doing the evaporating (your body), this is the reason you can get much colder much quicker when you are wet, the reason you feel colder when you get out of water than you did when you were swimming even tho the air is much warmer than the water you were in, and the reason being wet is so dangerous out in the wild particularly when it is windy and the rate of evaporation is accelerated

Talented guy with a sense of humorous drama! The Scottish scenery in your video is like wearing a cozy wool sweater.

And you can also find sheepskin coats! They were still made not a long time ago and our grandparents wore that stuff :)

You can make some small holes in the back and lace it up with cordage. It will tighten up the back and help give the waistcoat more form, as well as saving heat from coming out from your back. You can loosen it up if you’re overheating too.

Love your stuff. It reminds us how ingenious our ancestors were and how much we've forgotten.

Good idea, and it looks great . I have a sheepskin bomber jacket. I was with friends for three days officiating an outdoor event during the winter . I stayed warm and dry from rain and a morning snowfall. I had offers from others to sell my jacket to them. I just smiled.

This is one of the most valuable channels on youtube. And what youtube really was supposed to be.

my dad is a hunter, we often get 1 deer and the meat lasts almost all year :D now this is a nice way to use the skins ♥️

Add a big patch in the Back where you cut the Head hole. You can patch leather! I like the finished wrap! After you patch the hole! 🤗

Awesome survival jacket !

I have a deer hide my friend gave me. He accidentally cut a slit in the middle when he was tanning it. Now I can make a few more cuts and I’ll have the same coat. Thanks for the video.

Looks functional and stylish from the front. Shame about the back. I guess you got it figured out for the next one. I usually get a deer or two a year and I don't tan the hide because it's too expensive to have someone do that, but it always seems a horrible shame to throw them away. This year I might save the hides and tan them myself. A wastcoat might be a nice thing to make with one.

What a coincidence. I literally just bought a cow hide for absolutely no reason today at hobby lobby.

I was going to draw one of these last night with a cave fort in a canyon. But I procrastinated. And now I have a better idea of how they’re made! It’s for a comic about a bronze age sailor turned grandmother, and the inside of the fur vest needs to be able to hide some of her wealth for trading. The fur stops it jangling so much. Her cloth poncho doubles as a bandolier for supplies. Thanks for making videos.

Gonna have to give this a go. Really simple and practical.

Awesome video Tom!! So simple yet effective...and not bad looking at all!!! Can't wait for the next video brother!! Stay safe.

Always gonna be one of my favorite channels

Living Anachronism sent me over. Interesting project!

Great idea Tom! If I'd ever want to make some animal skin clothing I'm definitely making this one first.

this looks really cool. now i want one, but i'de be willing to do a bit of cutting and stitching to make a closer fitting waistcoat. paired with the greatkilt, i imagine it would be very cozy sleep system. especially if you happened to have a large mattress sack.

You can sew a piece in the back to close it up a bit. Maybe a scrap piece from your trimmings would do ? Just use some leather lacing.

Great work!

You are an inspiration God bless you and your family

I will never make this! But I just love the knowledge here. I did indeed love the great kilt video. I love your videos, even though I will never have need for your knowledge!

Brilliant. Im subscribing!

I already have a copy of your staff/walking stick. And got myself a great kilt. It's now my festival/ camping/ outdoor clothing of choice. Will add this to the project list

Funny that I just saw this video, I have a deer hide im working on tanning with the hair intact with the intent of making a sleeping mat because its a rather large hide. I think I will go this route with it. Although instead of a sash, im thinking ill tie some ties to the edges on the back to wrap around front and tie off. This will keep the back pulled tight to my body, and some slots 8n the front like belt loops to run the ties through will keep the front held down but allow the front to float as I move

Yes!! I’ve been wanting to make a waistcoat!! Didn’t really plan for this material though?!?😂

What works works. Pretty and all aesthetics must always be seconday. Makes me think of the Ruana I made a few years back from a bit of scrap canvas, measured out so it would cover my front and my back. Cut out the head for a 'poncho', then the vital slit down the front to make it that much more versatile in how it is worn. Then dyed and treated with wax. Smashing stuff, hope to see more!

Been doing this with an old army blanket a few years now. All I added was a leather half circle at the center where the slit ends to prevent any tearing. I love your comments about adding buttons (or toggles) on the sides. Mine is a bit wider more like a poncho. You can also toss one side over a shoulder like a giant scarf instead of a belt. Oh! ... and a microfiber xl bathtowel poncho-shirt for working in the yard in the warmer weather.

Another great informative video, always enjoy them been watching for years 👍

As usual, top quality content!! Good job!

That looks amazing on you! I love it, and the simplicity is great, but I would love to see it taken to the next level of fit and functionality, with slight improvements. Wonderful video! It looks so cozy!

Love your ideas!

Love this channel!

Looks GREAT!!!

Luv what you re doing mate! Keep IT up!

Great waistcoat, which reminds me of the warmest waistcoat I ever wore, an xxxl sherpa liner for a Drover's coat jacket that my dad had.... which I belted around my torso in the same fashion as you illustrated here. Generalizing this concept. you have an overlarge jacket or coat, you can make it much warmer by unzipping it, wrapping the open sides around your body, and tying it snugly to your torso.I typically use a long scarf... you can use s length of rope too. An xxxl canvas overjacket plus two or more layers underneath is my typical winter jacket system... because I can adapt the xxxl jacket to two to four layers. I only weigh about 190 lbs so an xxxl is massively larger than the L or XL someone if my status might normality wear. Another tip is to belt a spare coat around the waist so the zipper is in back... and the front of your hips is completely covered and protected from wind xhill... essential forming a thermal skirt asks the front of your hips and thighs. As I am typically on a bicycle in the winter this can be vital , in some situations at 10F and below. It works for walking into a wind too .

tha picture of tha Highlander wearing a hide vest / waistcoat was in tha house growing up .... and supposedly depicting a Man of Clan Lachlan ..... wore tha Mclachlan kilt with a similar waste coat a few times ..... brilliant work Lad as always

Love the content as usual, very engaging and beautifully presented, thank you.

Hmmm....I see many possibilities here. Great video, Fandabi! Well done!

Super cool. I really like this concept.

I just discovered you and I'm glad I did, this is great!

Just discovered your channel today, amazing stuff 😃 And already a new video my lucky day

Hello from the Living Anarchism community! Love the project, it looks really nice!

Great project, looks well considering how simple it is

Good job mi hombre. Love your videos, love your channel. Keep up the good work.

What a quirky, welcoming, fun and informative channel!

A very multi- functional and beautiful weskit . Thanks for the tutorial of how to tan the hide. YHS, campdog

Really cool mate

Splendid stuff again, nicely seasoned with humour. 👍

Saw the 1st 30 seconds and I'm sold. (Now to watch the rest of it.)

I enjoyed the video like always man. Thanks for the info on making a vest bedroll. 😁👍

Great channel, keep up the good work .

Very interesting. I like the way it looks. Especially with the fur turned out around the neck to form a collar. The side buttons sound like a good idea, though I would use toggles rather than buttons.

You have a knack for adding projects to my list lol For us taller folks, maybe something like reindeer would give better ground coverage🤔

Thanks mate

Can’t believe I just found this amazing channel

Thanks for sharing your video, most interesting and inspiring actually. take care, Juan

Love it!

this is a very good mental exercise. so much of modern society just thinks linearly "this is x, it is used for c and only c"

Interesting coat. What I did when I made one, was to cut the hide with a slit up the middle and leave enough of the hide to cover my backside, just below my belt line. This left two bits coming down on the left/ right of my chest. I took some leather strips and reinforced the cut near the neck to stop the hide from tearing out. It can be a bit bulky at times however when sitting in a blind waiting for a animal to come by, my backside stays warm. I must admit your hide covers more of the body as does mine, yet I've found that in wet cold weather it's my backside that's get cold and my chest gets sweaty 1st. Overall good to see others wearing traditional gear. God Bless

Awesome. Looks like you rediscovered "lederwams"

Looks like you could trim a couple of narrow triangular sections out of the lower back, then stitch the edges together. That should tidy up those big folds back there. Then use the leftover bits for belt loops, or maybe to help plug that upper-back hole.

Cool vid

cool gret work thank you sir

*Would be awesome for a barbarian costume, but I'm afraid deerskins are difficult to obtain nowadays.*

Great work Tom. You look badass indeed. The form is just like the Irish ruana cloak but in skins instead of wool or linen. Nate

Do you have an episode on rationing calories for a week? Rations based both on packed historical food and foraged/hunted foods? Great work!

That starts getting really close in design to an irish ruana cloak. Very versatile!

Have you seen the Ruana cloak? Its the same pattern, just larger. Highly versatile. Gandalf approved.

Have my own version of this. Got a wool military blanket, cut a head whole turning it into a poncho, then added some ties to it to keep the back closed

Cool vest looks good to

Superb.

Like it a lot!

As soon as I saw the thumbnail I knew it was that picture of the fencing MacLachlan that inspired your vest. Man, I first found that in a library book when I was researching my heritage as part of a high school project back in '07. As a teen I thought it was awesome that my clan had the coolest representation in that book. And being the obnoxious history buff that I am, I used to use that as my profile pic on all over the internet. I think I even had it as my YT profile pic when I first found your channel. I hope you manage to make a fur-out version of the vest at somepoint. You could definitely pull of the Scottish pimp look.

New to the channel, such interesting content!

To hold the bottoms, instead of stitching together, what about a toggle type button or frog? I did a hide earlier this year, that is definately a lot of work to get all the fat off the skin.

I would sew to hide together but leave 6inches in the center open for your head then slit the front for a vest. You could also make a hood for it with a smaller hide and stitch it to the opening

So cool

Almost 200k Subscribers ! Whoohoo 😆

Hi, I'm the French girl from the cancelled survival course. As always, I enjoyed the video. Will there be a skin tanning session in your next course? Keep going, it was an interesting and enjoyable video.😊

Great video, this bit of historical evidence of deerskin clothing in Scotland might interest you from Banffshire in 1953 known as the wild McAfees. “The McAfees were out for venison on a snowy night. They never wore anything but deerskins. They were sleeping under a deerskin in the snow, and one of the younger sons rolled up a snowball for a pillow. The oldest brother kicked it away, exclaiming, "Luxuries you're wanting! You'll lie like other folk!"

Hi Fandabi Dozi! Greetings from Living Anachronism, he recommended this video. I think that this piece of clothing looks really nice and cozy. I sadly dont have access to the material you are using, but want to make a similar thing out of fabric - a ruana cloak.

I remember reading about a similar item from medieval Japan, used by scouts to sleep in the woods.

Awesome idea, greetings from the living anachronisms.

Funny, all the pros for this vest are perfectly fitting my very old leather/sheepskin vest (1970s style), which I like to use outdoors 😅

i don't hesitate to give you a pass...because your video convinced me.and of course i will be on your next video via alarm. I really like this kind of content. it's awesome..and i have a friend in uk too. His name is Andy and he joined me in a video. I love my British friends. They are great.

Hard working excellence

Great idea! I have a dear hide from my last hunt that I haven't decided what to do with yet this might be it's fate.👍