My tool belt is constantly upgraded and things changed around. Wanted to share to things I've recently made for it.

A sheath for my Robens saw made from scratch and a thrift store find upgraded to belt satchel.

These how-to's was orignally posted on my blog Rosentjorn.

Robens Saw Sheath

Recently I had to cut a lot of wood in the forest, and several times I missed my small folding saw. That was a bit annoying, so I decided to make a quick sheath for my Robens folding saw.

I am really happy with the saw, and it has held up for a long time. In fact, I have never owned anything from Robens that has disappointed me. The saw costs around 810 Euro. The design looks like the cheap 5 euro saws from hardware store.

If it dies one day, I will buy one from Bahco or Silky. But for now it has lived for several years. The cheap ones tend to bend at the blade or break in the locking mechanism, but the Robens just works.

The sheath took a single evening on the sofa to make, so that is not too bad. Even if I switch to another saw one day that does not fit it.

Template

I traced around the saw and cut the shape out. Then I placed it on a new piece of paper that was folded. I cut out template number two and checked that it could actually wrap around the saw – which it could.

Cutting, Holes, and Edges

I transferred the sketch to the leather and cut it out. Then I punched holes on one side, folded the sheath, and marked the holes through with a pencil. After that I punched holes on the other side so they lined up.

I rarely use an awl, and I do not have a sewing machine for leather. So the hole punch works fine, and it is also easier to sew through the slightly oversized holes. Before stitching, I ran an edge beveler along the entire sheath.

Stitching

The sheath is stitched with a saddle stitch and has been sewn twice, so it is nice and strong. Before stitching it together, I slightly dampened the leather to help it take shape around the saw.

I have never tried drawing in leather before, but I drew an eagle on baking paper, dampened the leather, and traced over the sketch. That left a faint mark in the leather. I pressed the eagle shape with a knitting needle and then scratched/dotted it using an awl.

Dangler

I really like dangler sheaths. Especially on a work belt, it is nice that things can move freely. When I move around, sit down, and so on, there is no tool suddenly digging into my side or anything like that.

So I simply riveted a small strap with a D-ring onto the sheath. In the D-ring hangs a small strap. On my dagger the dangler can be unbuttoned, but I do not mind having to remove other parts of the belt to rearrange things properly.

The good thing about riveting the strap is that I will not accidentally pull the buttons open.

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Belt satchel

I always keep an eye out in thrift stores — especially for leather belts and small leather bags. Often the belts are too short or the bags too worn, but it’s a very cheap way to get leather cords (from braided belts), buckles, D-rings, and clasps — far cheaper than buying new.

This bag cost 2 EUR. It’s made from thick, dark leather of excellent quality. Inside, there are five compartments, three of them with zippers — absolutely perfect.

Upgrading the bag was simple. I cut a few small straps from an old belt, riveted them together with carabiners. The carabiners are always useful — even if the bag isn’t on the belt, something else can hang from them instead.

The straps got a quick coat of brown leather dye, which really improved the look.

EDC and More

Just for fun, I tried overloading the new pouch — it holds far more than I expected.

In one zippered pocket: tins with plasters, pills, and my car key (always nice to have that zipped in).
In another zippered pocket: fire-starting gear — tinder tin, lighter, matches, and still room to spare.
In the last zippered pocket: a Fällkniven sharpening stone and an Opinel No. 7.

In the open compartments: tins with coffee, tea, sugar, and milk; a spoon; and my Hultafors axe sharpening stone.

That’s more than enough gear. The axe stone rarely comes along (the axe is maintained at home), and the coffee setup usually lives with the small cook kit in the shoulder bag. The point is — there’s a lot of space.

My tool belt is constantly upgraded and things changed around. Wanted to share to things I've recently made for it.

A sheath for my Robens saw made from scratch and a thrift store find upgraded to belt satchel.

These how-to's was orignally posted on my blog Rosentjorn.

Robens Saw Sheath

Recently I had to cut a lot of wood in the forest, and several times I missed my small folding saw. That was a bit annoying, so I decided to make a quick sheath for my Robens folding saw.

I am really happy with the saw, and it has held up for a long time. In fact, I have never owned anything from Robens that has disappointed me. The saw costs around 810 Euro. The design looks like the cheap 5 euro saws from hardware store.

If it dies one day, I will buy one from Bahco or Silky. But for now it has lived for several years. The cheap ones tend to bend at the blade or break in the locking mechanism, but the Robens just works.

The sheath took a single evening on the sofa to make, so that is not too bad. Even if I switch to another saw one day that does not fit it.

Template

I traced around the saw and cut the shape out. Then I placed it on a new piece of paper that was folded. I cut out template number two and checked that it could actually wrap around the saw – which it could.

Cutting, Holes, and Edges

I transferred the sketch to the leather and cut it out. Then I punched holes on one side, folded the sheath, and marked the holes through with a pencil. After that I punched holes on the other side so they lined up.

I rarely use an awl, and I do not have a sewing machine for leather. So the hole punch works fine, and it is also easier to sew through the slightly oversized holes. Before stitching, I ran an edge beveler along the entire sheath.

Stitching

The sheath is stitched with a saddle stitch and has been sewn twice, so it is nice and strong. Before stitching it together, I slightly dampened the leather to help it take shape around the saw.

I have never tried drawing in leather before, but I drew an eagle on baking paper, dampened the leather, and traced over the sketch. That left a faint mark in the leather. I pressed the eagle shape with a knitting needle and then scratched/dotted it using an awl.

Dangler

I really like dangler sheaths. Especially on a work belt, it is nice that things can move freely. When I move around, sit down, and so on, there is no tool suddenly digging into my side or anything like that.

So I simply riveted a small strap with a D-ring onto the sheath. In the D-ring hangs a small strap. On my dagger the dangler can be unbuttoned, but I do not mind having to remove other parts of the belt to rearrange things properly.

The good thing about riveting the strap is that I will not accidentally pull the buttons open.

-------

Belt satchel

I always keep an eye out in thrift stores — especially for leather belts and small leather bags. Often the belts are too short or the bags too worn, but it’s a very cheap way to get leather cords (from braided belts), buckles, D-rings, and clasps — far cheaper than buying new.

This bag cost 2 EUR. It’s made from thick, dark leather of excellent quality. Inside, there are five compartments, three of them with zippers — absolutely perfect.

Upgrading the bag was simple. I cut a few small straps from an old belt, riveted them together with carabiners. The carabiners are always useful — even if the bag isn’t on the belt, something else can hang from them instead.

The straps got a quick coat of brown leather dye, which really improved the look.

EDC and More

Just for fun, I tried overloading the new pouch — it holds far more than I expected.

In one zippered pocket: tins with plasters, pills, and my car key (always nice to have that zipped in).
In another zippered pocket: fire-starting gear — tinder tin, lighter, matches, and still room to spare.
In the last zippered pocket: a Fällkniven sharpening stone and an Opinel No. 7.

In the open compartments: tins with coffee, tea, sugar, and milk; a spoon; and my Hultafors axe sharpening stone.

That’s more than enough gear. The axe stone rarely comes along (the axe is maintained at home), and the coffee setup usually lives with the small cook kit in the shoulder bag. The point is — there’s a lot of space.

Hi there!
This is potentially just the subreddit for me. I make lots of my own gear and it currently in a 'oldschool cool' phase. Making my own gear from canvas, webbing, leather, fur, oilskin and such.

I was encouraged to share my anorak in here. So here goes.

I've wanted a wool anorak for many years—ever since I saw some random ad from a Chinese online store featuring an anorak made of “wool.” I later found out it was a knock-off of the Boreal Mountain Anorak.
Around the same time, I stumbled across eight wool blankets from the Civil Defense at a thrift store—just 50 crowns (8USD) each. I bought them all.

I don't now the wool % in the blankets, as they're all different mixes of scrap. So they swing between 30 - 70 % in wool. (I figures that out after freezing outside, thinking they all had a lot of wool). One could weight the blankets, and pick the heaviest one.

I'd been thinking about how to design the anorak for some years —without any prior experience making sewing patterns or anything like that.
This is how the experiment went: sacrifice one blanket and try to sew an anorak.
I used a cheap sewing machine from Aldi, some fairly heavy-duty needles, and strong thread. I also used a bit of paracord, some scrap leather, and edge binding.

I've been using this for 1.5 years now, it holds really well. And I've just recently made some small improvements and extra stiching.

Next up is giving it some homemade weather proofing with a wax, parafin, lanolin, linseed oil mix.

Step 1 – The Anorak

Fold the blanket in half. I made the back of the anorak a bit longer than the front. Lay down on top of the fabric and check that the sleeves will be long enough.
The body of the anorak is made from one single piece—sleeves, torso, and shoulders are all cut as one.

The pieces are sewn together down to about waist level, where your legs bend, for maximum freedom of movement.
The large leftover cutoffs are saved for detailing later.

Step 2 – The Hood

I found a large hoodie at a thrift store and cut off the hood. I took it apart at the seams and used it as a pattern.
It was easy to sew a hood from the blanket and attach it to the anorak. I also cut a slit down the front of the chest. A triangular scrap piece is sewn underneath to keep it closed properly.
With eyelets and a drawstring, you can tighten the hood opening when it’s really cold.

Step 3 – The Chest Pocket

The chest pocket is made from one of the large leftover pieces from step 1. I made sure to give it a proper bottom so that items don’t fall out—it has a bit of a “wall” on the side.

I added the pocket after sewing the anorak together in step 1—next time I’ll do it beforehand to make things easier.

While working, I got the idea to sew rabbit fur on the inside of the pocket and quickly stitched it to create two smaller compartments.
The rabbit fur is super nice on cold fingers. These two small pockets now hold my phone and a knife or multitool. I also stitched in a leather loop with a D-ring, which holds my keys in place with a carabiner.

Step 4 – Waist Drawstring

Another idea that came during the build: I sewed a strip of edge binding all the way around the waist and ran a length of paracord through it.
Most of the time, I don’t cinch it tight, but when it’s really cold, it’s nice to be able to seal out the wind.

I also added eyelets to the sides so that the anorak can be laced shut along the sides with a bit of cord—helpful in winter to close it an extra 15 cm on each side.

Step 5 – Cuffs

The sleeves felt a little too open. So I used some small leftover pieces, cut them into trapezoid shapes, and sewed them in as adjustable cuffs.
They tighten with a drawstring, which adds a bit of length and helps seal around the wrists—while keeping the sleeves comfortably wide.

Step 6 – Small Pockets

The anorak was basically done, but I still had some fabric scraps left. So I made a couple of small front pockets.
They sit just below the belt line. My work belt fits above the small pockets but below the chest pocket.

These little pockets turned out perfect for holding gloves and wrist warmers.
There’s also a ring sewn into the side of the anorak—great for clipping on my heavy leather gloves. Thin liner gloves fit perfectly in the small pockets.

Later improvements done
After a year or so I stitch all the edges, some had begone to fray a bit. Next anorak - do it right from the start.

I also added a large butt pouch, it's great with the extra layer sitting on moist ground, and it holds my shemagh.

If this (when this) dies some day. I'll spend the cash and buy a thick merino blanket or german army blanket (the one I sleep with outside) and make a new from that.

- Original post from Rosentjorn Blog, modified for Reddit.

I've wanted a wool anorak for many years—ever since I saw some random ad from a Chinese online store featuring an anorak made of “wool.” I later found out it was a knock-off of the Boreal Mountain Anorak.
Around the same time, I stumbled across eight wool blankets from the Civil Defense at a thrift store—just 50 crowns (8USD) each. I bought them all.

I don't now the wool % in the blankets, as they're all different mixes of scrap. So they swing between 30 - 70 % in wool. (I figures that out after freezing outside, thinking they all had a lot of wool). One could weight the blankets, and pick the heaviest one.

I'd been thinking about how to design the anorak for some years —without any prior experience making sewing patterns or anything like that.
This is how the experiment went: sacrifice one blanket and try to sew an anorak.
I used a cheap sewing machine from Aldi, some fairly heavy-duty needles, and strong thread. I also used a bit of paracord, some scrap leather, and edge binding.

I've been using this for 1.5 years now, it holds really well. And I've just recently made some small improvements and extra stiching.

Next up is giving it some homemade weather proofing with a wax, parafin, lanolin, linseed oil mix.

Step 1 – The Anorak

Fold the blanket in half. I made the back of the anorak a bit longer than the front. Lay down on top of the fabric and check that the sleeves will be long enough.
The body of the anorak is made from one single piece—sleeves, torso, and shoulders are all cut as one.

The pieces are sewn together down to about waist level, where your legs bend, for maximum freedom of movement.
The large leftover cutoffs are saved for detailing later.

Step 2 – The Hood

I found a large hoodie at a thrift store and cut off the hood. I took it apart at the seams and used it as a pattern.
It was easy to sew a hood from the blanket and attach it to the anorak. I also cut a slit down the front of the chest. A triangular scrap piece is sewn underneath to keep it closed properly.
With eyelets and a drawstring, you can tighten the hood opening when it’s really cold.

Step 3 – The Chest Pocket

The chest pocket is made from one of the large leftover pieces from step 1. I made sure to give it a proper bottom so that items don’t fall out—it has a bit of a “wall” on the side.

I added the pocket after sewing the anorak together in step 1—next time I’ll do it beforehand to make things easier.

While working, I got the idea to sew rabbit fur on the inside of the pocket and quickly stitched it to create two smaller compartments.
The rabbit fur is super nice on cold fingers. These two small pockets now hold my phone and a knife or multitool. I also stitched in a leather loop with a D-ring, which holds my keys in place with a carabiner.

Step 4 – Waist Drawstring

Another idea that came during the build: I sewed a strip of edge binding all the way around the waist and ran a length of paracord through it.
Most of the time, I don’t cinch it tight, but when it’s really cold, it’s nice to be able to seal out the wind.

I also added eyelets to the sides so that the anorak can be laced shut along the sides with a bit of cord—helpful in winter to close it an extra 15 cm on each side.

Step 5 – Cuffs

The sleeves felt a little too open. So I used some small leftover pieces, cut them into trapezoid shapes, and sewed them in as adjustable cuffs.
They tighten with a drawstring, which adds a bit of length and helps seal around the wrists—while keeping the sleeves comfortably wide.

Step 6 – Small Pockets

The anorak was basically done, but I still had some fabric scraps left. So I made a couple of small front pockets.
They sit just below the belt line. My work belt fits above the small pockets but below the chest pocket.

These little pockets turned out perfect for holding gloves and wrist warmers.
There’s also a ring sewn into the side of the anorak—great for clipping on my heavy leather gloves. Thin liner gloves fit perfectly in the small pockets.

Later improvements done
After a year or so I stitch all the edges, some had begone to fray a bit. Next anorak - do it right from the start.

I also added a large butt pouch, it's great with the extra layer sitting on moist ground, and it holds my shemagh.

If this (when this) dies some day. I'll spend the cash and buy a thick merino blanket or german army blanket (the one I sleep with outside) and make a new from that.

- Original post from Rosentjorn Blog, modified for Reddit.

Just the old core box orc to make a team. I dislike monopose with a passion, so I've decided to convert the orcs, like I did the humans.

It's mostly just swaps of arms, hands or spikes. Reusing the black orc arms, required some trimming because they're big.

The blitzer had his hair moved in another angle.

Pretty easy converions all around.

Unlike the humans, it was not easy to switch and repose heads - so I left those in place.

Lastly with the hobby saw I made extra scrathes in their armor. With some clever painting (various skin tones for example) on the same base bodies, they'll look nice and different.

The troll is cool, but weirdly posed. So changed his arm, to not block his own face.

So some of the guys from back in the day picked up Blood Bowl again. So I got inspired to get back into it as well. I haven't played since The Living Rulebook days and I've sold all old teams.

I got a hold of a bunch of humans for free. I've converted miniatures, so there's no monoposers here. Easy with specialists, but I've also made all 9 linemen different.

Base coated white, wash, speed paint, varnish, full drybrush of vallejo dark sand. Otherwise all is Army Painter.

More words on my miniature blog: https://bloodbeard.blogspot.com/2026/04/blood-bowl-amazing-averland-adventurers.html

After the first hammock trip, I got myself a used underquilt, also from DD Hammocks. I’ve also gotten wiser about how the hammock should be angled. So off I go to try again!

I had a ton of good feedback here in this Reddit. Thanks for that.

It was fairly easy to adjust the underquilt, but the previous owner hadn’t really set the elastics up properly, so it required a bit of a fight with wild knots and a pair of scissors. I also did a quick test lie in the hammock to check that everything felt right. The trick of raising the foot end and lying diagonally made a huge difference.

I packed everything into a DD Hammock XL sleeve. It works perfectly – it fits around the hammock, underquilt, and Carinthia Defence 4, so it’s really easy to pack down and set up.

Ridgeline and Setup

I’ve been tinkering with a way to set up the ridgeline quickly and easily. In my head, I’ve been playing with different wooden locks to secure a ridgeline without using knots. But then I came across exactly what I had in mind – just small and in aluminum. From there I also came across another design that I think might work even better – at least it locks the line really well.

I set up the tarp in semi-darkness, as I got out late. The system worked great and will work even better with a polyester tarp – because the oilskin tarp is quite heavy, and bankline actually gives quite a bit.

I deliberately set the tarp low because it was really windy. I wanted as much “wall” as possible under the hammock so I wouldn’t get cold again.

The Night

I managed to fall asleep quickly. I woke up once during the night and then slept well for a long time. It was a really good experience to have success with the hammock and that setup. Underquilt all the way!

If I had gotten cold, I could have put on both a wool sweater and used the CF anorak on my upper body.

Gear

I packed light and minimal – my small satchel and my gear belt. No axe, since I only planned to use a hobo stove. The hammock setup was packed inside the tarp. Light and compact gear.

Cooking and Hobo Stove

What speaks in favor of a hobo stove is the compact setup. Everything fits together – bottle, cup, stove, and lid. It’s light.

I dug a small hole and made a small dirt wall to control the fire. Unfortunately, I think the hobo stove works quite poorly. It’s very hard to keep it going when used as intended. I’ve also tested it earlier with a gas burner – and the top simply absorbs too much heat.

It works best when turned upside down and used as a fire bowl. But that takes away part of the idea, because then the cup and bottle have nothing to stand on. In this case, it wasn’t a problem since I had the small pot with me. But then I might as well have brought my Savotta folding stove.

I used sticks as a grate. It creates better airflow – you just have to be aware that the pot doesn’t suddenly fall.

But I really like the challenge. It’s always good to practice small fires – fires that are just big enough to do the job. It’s safer, and you can have them inside a shelter.

Dinner was a noodle dish. Breakfast was oatmeal with cocoa and pumpkin spice (it tastes really bad in cocoa, but good in oatmeal) and coffee.

I only brought the Pathfinder bottle. It holds 0.95 liters of water. It worked. There was enough for both meals and a cup of coffee. There were also a few mouthfuls of water during the night. But next time, I’ll bring more.

Coals Overnight

After dinner, I cleaned the pot with a wet wipe. I placed it over all the embers in the hobo stove and covered it with soil. It’s fire-safe, but I also thought it might give me good coals to start with the next day.

It worked perfectly! The wipe (it’s some kind of bamboo viscose) didn’t burn. The soil smothered the embers, leaving nice coals behind. It was easy to remove the soil by simply lifting the wipe.

The wipe and coals were then easily used for lighting the fire for breakfast. Really great

Lessons for Next Time

• It’s really great to go on quick trips. Set a small goal, try it out, minimal planning. The goal this time was to test the hobo stove and minimal packing – and to sleep well in the hammock. Both worked, even in fairly strong wind.
• Tarp setup: Next time I’ll set the tarp in a diamond/diagonal configuration. A 3-meter tarp is too short for a hammock setup. But diagonally, the ridgeline will be about 4.25 m. It won’t give the same wind protection, but it needs testing.
• The oilskin tarp is great – I love it. But it’s not optimal for a hammock because it’s heavy. It works really well when you can prop it up with a couple of sticks. But that’s a bit of a hassle with a hammock. Unless you run a long ridgeline from a tree – but that’s more complicated compared to cord. So maybe I’ll want a 3x3 m polyester tarp (I just sold my 4x4) for the hammock setup. Needs more testing.
• I have the Pathfinder (now made by Helikon-Tex) bottle, stove, and cup. It’s a good set. But since I got it, a copy of the American canteen cooking set has come out. Same idea. But: The canteen holds 1.15 L vs. 0.95 L – so 200 ml more (just over 20%). That’s significant for a trip like this. The stove for the canteen is 13 cm x 9 cm x 9 cm. Mine is a circle at 9 cm x 7 cm. That gives significantly more fire space for small fires.

So the new set goes on the wishlist, and the old one can be sold or traded. It’s a fairly significant upgrade/improvement in function.

Final Thoughts

I love these small trips. It was a completely magical experience to lie in the shelter in the dark with an oil lamp and a small fire, eating a late dinner and listening to two owls.

It really doesn’t have to be complicated to go on a trip – you don’t need a full weekend or to go far away.

Youtube

I have a youtube channel. Short videos, mostly for the vibes. No long stuff, no words. Check it out.