Loaner Gear?

FrauHirsch · Post by **FrauHirsch** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 6:57 pm

Do you have some?

If so, who manages it? Who stores it? Who determines who gets to use it?

Are there any minimum standards/requirements for use?

Is there a financial donation requested for use for the purpose of maintenance? If so, how much?

We are about to get some for our Canton. Our Barony has a Guild that manages the equipment for Rapier, but that seems to have created a political foo.

I was thinking we'd have the Marshal take care of it, make sure its at practice, and get volunteers to maintain it and ask the canton for $ if substantial maintenance supplies were required, but I think I could request them to approve a budget in advance for that of $20 a year for straps, tape, rivets, buckles, etc.

Juliana

Patrick · Post by **Patrick** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 7:39 pm

Winter's Gate has oodles of loaner gear. Some of it is even functional. The way it has tended to work is that people will finally ditch some old moldering bit of armor and donate it to loaner gear. I fought exactly once in loaner armor and then spent a year learning how to make armor (pre-Archive days) so I could actually go back and fight safely.

Administering the loaner seems to be a problem of the Marshal. When I served in that capacity, I actually spent time and money keeping it functional enough that I would trust it. Most of what people would want to wear was my own personal loaner. I made some for the purpose and I also put my old armor in. I maintained it the way I kept up my own gear.

All told, we could suit up two people easily in loaner, with enough extra bits to make sure we could fit most of the different body sizes/types out there. I have enough to suit two people in loaner just in my own extra gear. However, a couple of extra helmets and some extra pads really help.

The barony never paid for it. The barony would not even pay for loaner rattan.

I advise not having a loaner cup and jock strap, as men who want to fight but won't shell out $6 for their own sure don't deserve to wear mine! If folks didn't bring their own cups, they didn't fight. Until the baron got a new cup and put his old one in the loaner... But maybe you want people who have a little more pride than to wear someone else's old jock. I would.

Currently, there is no fighter practice at all. I hope that it starts up again in Spring. I know my wife and I will be trying to get it going so we can fight someone other than our spouses.

-Patrick

Hrogn · Post by **Hrogn** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 11:37 am

We pretty much do the same thing. We just use our extra stuff to suit up the newbies. The key is to make sure that the loaner gear is safe and protects the newbies well so they feel safe. At the same time, if it is kinda big and bulky and kinda uncomfortable, this is good too. It makes the newbie want to make his own. We have had some good armour in the group pile before and it seemed that our newbies were getting kinda attached to it. We also generally say that the newest guy gets to use it. If a fellow has been around for a few months but hasn't got started on his own and then another guy comes out, the first guy is out of luck until he makes his own. He will either be hooked or not by that point and either suck it up and start building or drift away.

Maelgwyn · Post by **Maelgwyn** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 11:47 am

I have always seen the local marshal, or possibly a deputy, take charge of the loaner gear. Donations of useless gear should be discouraged but useful pieces should be gladly accepted. Some group funds are usually needed for replacements/maintenance.Loaner gear should be clearly and permanently marked so that it does not "wander".

Zadok · Post by **Zadok** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 1:21 pm

Hrogn: This has nothing to do with this thread but I was wondering where you are located? I used to be a member of a household in Ealdormere called Hrogn (full name Hrogn fra Osis)

Regards,
Zadok

[This message has been edited by Zadok (edited 01-14-2004).]

horsefriend · Post by **horsefriend** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 1:47 pm

At BART (Berkely) practice, a single saintlike individual tended the loaner gear for 20+ years, storing and transporting it. I've done a lot of mainenance on that collection. If you really scrapped the barrel, you could probably arm 6-8 individuals. The collection grew strictly by donation and is maintained the same way.

alail/scott

FrauHirsch · Post by **FrauHirsch** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 2:03 pm

Currently we have two suits being added through donation, though it is the "been sitting in my garage now for 15 yrs and needs some work" kind of armor.

Arion and I have one extra helm we bought which we are keeping as our personal loaner helm and I have a rebated steel helm that can be loaned out as well. (My other two helms are reserved for me.) One of the new guys strapped and padded our personal loaner helm and added a maille aventail. Doesn't look too bad and IMO he'll always get first pop at it until he has is own.

We have some gear that the Canton is buying. Usually we are short helms more than body armor, except for body armor for really large guys. Hopefully we'll have parts and pieces to suit 3 people at a minumum soon.

The local Baronial rapier folks created a guild to manage and maintian their equipment. I'm seeing this as somewhat of a bad thing, as the guild has started getting overly micromanaging and I've been starting to hear things from them like "if you don't follow our training syllabus and be taught by our "officially guild authorized trainers" you can't use the loaner gear. Since these are not even all that experienced of fighters and all in one household, and the equipment was purchased by the whole Barony, I find this a bad idea.

I figured we'd have the Canton loaner gear we have for heavies managed by me (the Canton Marshal), or someone can be temporarily deputized to borrow it for any other official SCA practice in our region. The Canton loaner gear for Rapier will be managed by the Canton Rapier Marshal. Basically they will be expected to loan it out on mostly a first come first serve basis, but try to ensure everyone at a practice gets a chance to use it.

I think we'll have some loaner gear maintenance parties too, or perhaps if we get rainouts, we can use those days for maintenance. I don't think I'll have a hard time getting money for replacing straps and stuff if I ask. Our Canton is doing well financially and we have very little outlay.

I'd never heard of a guild maintaining Baronial-owned gear and I was just wondering if anyone else had seen that.

-J

Snaebjorn Hakonarson · Wed Jan 14, 2004 2:05 pm

In Coppertree we have a decent selection of loaner. Mostly donations from fighters with bits they don't need. Most of it is fully functional. I know because I fixed it. *LOL*

We consider it the Marshall's duty to maintain and store the loaner gear. (No I have never been Marshall. I fix it cause I have nothing better to do on weekends.) We keep our loaner mostly at the site for our fight practice. We have an indoor site with storage rooms so this is able to happen. We also have decent sized selection of helms. Mind you most of them can buy their own beer but it prompts people to get or build their own stuff.

A guild controlling the local groups stuff seems wrong to me. Especially how you described it Frau.

Bjorn Swiftaxe

------------------
Snaebjorn Haakonsson, called Swiftaxe. Son of Haakon Thorvaldsson, called Oaktall. Son of Thorvald Jarlsson, called Greybeard.

Boy I have a long name.

[This message has been edited by Bjorn Swiftaxe (edited 01-14-2004).]

[This message has been edited by Bjorn Swiftaxe (edited 01-14-2004).]

Hrogn · Post by **Hrogn** » Wed Jan 14, 2004 4:12 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Zadok:
Hrogn: This has nothing to do with this thread but I was wondering where you are located? I used to be a member of a household in Ealdormere called Hrogn (full name Hrogn fra Osis)

Regards,
Zadok

[This message has been edited by Zadok (edited 01-14-2004).]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I am from Avacal, Antir. I have heard of your household. We sent a buddy of ours, Gann, out there to get edjumucated at one of your fancy drawin' skools and he ran into some of your guys. Apparently you guys are a pretty good party.

FrauHirsch · Post by **FrauHirsch** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 1:59 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Bjorn Swiftaxe:
A guild controlling the local groups stuff seems wrong to me. Especially how you described it Frau.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Me thinks it won't be lasting long. Attitudes may have to be changing very quickly or some swift kicksies in some booties are likely to occur at some point.

In general it just seems like a wierd set up, where this "guild" controls the loaner gear, technically owned by the Barony, but may or may not be required to report to the local Marshallate. I just wondered if any other group had that organization. Its still not clear to me why they even have this "guild". Has anyone heard of an SCA group having an "armored rattan combat guild"?

-J

Fearghus Macildubh · Post by **Fearghus Macildubh** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 2:23 am

I have loaner gear, it's my old stuff. You borrow it from me and give it back when I ask for it. As marshall I also inheirited a couple sets of crap plastic armour that I only lend out in extremis. I'm in the process of turning the plastic into gamboised and splinted armour, but it's slow going. I think a group does better if the loaner gear is individually managed by individual fighters.

------------------
Slainte,
Fearghus
How long will we fight? We will fight until Hell freezes over; then we fight on the ice.
Fearghus' Homepage
Fearghus' Picpage

Morgan · Post by **Morgan** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 9:30 pm

I'm the knights marshal for the barony of Steppes, Ansteorra (Dallas, TX).

We have 3 full loaner kits, with other misc parts, including a total of 6 helms. I'm in charge of the stuff,and have to fill out an inventory every year and so on.

It's all kingdom legal. I have a budget from the barony of $200 a year if I need it. I didn't spend it last year.