"Viking Hiking" and my Daily Carry (EDC)

Viking Hiking. Now, in my opinion, a waning interest but an interest all the same. The term is packed with all kinds of discussion and maybe we'll do that later but this post is more about my own kit.

As usual I like to lead with some parameters:

When it comes to woods philosophy I follow Dave Canterbury's rules of survivability or Rule of Cs**. Today I am showing my interpretation of the first 5 Cs in an early medieval Scandinavian context.

** Edit For Elaboration: 5 Cs of survivability (the first 5) are the very basic kit one takes into the woods and are Cutting (knife), Combustion (fire making), Cordage (cord for multiple purposes), Container (water), and Cover (shelter). These items are very hard to replicate in the woods even with skill so it is best to pack them with you. These tools and some skill will get you through most situations.

My current, modern, 5 Cs are a Jakarrii Puukko knife, lighter/ferro rod/some tinder, 30' of orange paracord and some bank line, stainless steel Nalgene and a cup, 6x6 oil skin tarp.

In the modern world I am an EDC-fella. Every Day Carry. It's a huge niche hobby that can go from 0 to 140 MPH in minutes. I'm mostly in the "budget-practical" category with a spattering of bling. I also don't change things out daily and stick with what I carry in my pockets pretty solidly until some thing game changing and under $50 hits. Usual EDC for me now:
Coach wallet (gift) with usual wallet stuff.
Kershaw Leek (I have a small collection)
hanky
Olight Mini Warrior 2 flashlight
small Bic lighter ... I used to smoke but still carry a lighter
Key chain - This has finally changed in the last month after carrying the same spring-clip since boot camp in 1990. 
I tend to carry a commuter bag that has my "second line" stuff in it.

The preamble out of the way, here is what I carry on me when I Viking hike.

Cutting: Small belt knife and belt based off Hedeby finds as well as others. Pretty common stuff really. Knife is new, I just got it last fall from Jon Von Hall a local bladesmith and Timberhaven-VNA member. For a basic utility knife I like a larger handle and smaller and thinner blade. I have not run this knife through the paces but the time is coming (I mean I've tested it and did some "bench work" with it).

Not pictured is the small hand axe I tend to carry.

Cover: This tends to mean a tarp or shelter of some kind in the modern bushcraft context but there is some contention with that concept in a historical perspective. My modern interpretation of "cover" is a cloak. This is my first dedicated cloak, it is a layer of red and white wool in a basic weaved pattern and an old USGI surplus wool blanket sewn together. This is not historically accurate per the sources. That said it is warm and works well and I will keep using it until I replace it with a more accurate representation. I secure it with the pictured iron straight pin and leather thong.

The pin with ring style in iron is a pretty common style found in Iceland to Russia.

Cordage: Just a small wool pouch full of some hemp cord as well as some leather thonging. Finds in Roskilde and Hedeby show all kinds of material was used for all kinds of string to rope. Some tarred with pine tar even. 

Uses are endless from shelter support to repair. I used to carry 15 feet of 1/2 inch hemp rope but that is bulky and a bit much.

Container: The basic of this C is something that carries water. Pictured is my old leather bottle and a small wooden cup.

Not a lot of leather bottle finds but they are depicted in art as well as some saga literature. The saga literature includes a fantastical account of a protagnist being saved from an ambush axe attack from behind! The leather water bottle was under the cloak and it defelcted the axe-shot.

If I have a bottle than why a cup? In modern back packing as well as at long-term emmersion events I find having your own cup makes the sharing of drinks much easier. Also, it's nice to just dip your cup in a clean stream and drink (I do not advocate others doing this though I do depending on where the stream is) and save what you have in the bottle for when you are not near a stream.

Combustion: aka "lighting a fire". The picture above is a mess but it is my fire kit. Flint, my favorite steel, lindon tow in a cloth pouch, fatwood and other bits of things that tend to catch flame (birch bark, some cut offs of fuzzy natural cordage, that kind of stuff). The tinder, what catches the spark and produces a coal, I use is amadou or a specific dried fungus. Also usable is another fungus called chaga;  both chaga and amadou can be found growing on birch trees. Chaga has a double use as it can be boiled and brewed into a tea. You then can dry it out in the open air and still use it as tinder for fire.

I've moved away from using char cloth or charred material. Char cloth, specifically, has little evidence though the specualtion is good on it. 

I have a small "wax lamp" but that is prety dubious in provenance so I have removed it from my kit. 

This small kit will see a traveller through a day of walking from point A to point B. I can see a hunter out for a day or a few with this kit on them on top of the bow and/or spears a hunter would carry. Maybe some river shore fisherman out for the day pulling in nets and checking traps. A small-time merchant just moving some smaller items from one place to another. A lumberman out for the day plying their trade. This "5 Cs" will be a great platform and start for more advanced concepts both historical and real.

Obviously one would carry other things like being dressed properly and armed with congruent weapons. This kit is not just display but all usable. I have used most of this kit and will use more as I advance and grow in Viking hiking.