Tunic for Viking Hiking
With the weather shifting between sun, rain, wind and snow - a good woolen tunic is a must have item for hiking in the mountains.
Welcome to part 1 of the Viking Hiking kit-guide
The fabric is thick, hand woven, raw 100 % wool.
The wool is not water proof, but water resistant. The level of resistance depends on how you wear the tunic. There's "street smart" and there's "mountain smart" and the rule of no touching applies to more than the tent cloth. Also, if it gets damp it will dry quite quick in the sun and wind.
This tunic has a basic square shape with gussets in the side.
The neckline is inspired by the Guddal finding.
Neckline
During the excavations close to Guddal church i Norway (1970) two shirts (tunics), a blanket, a cross and a pointy hazel stick were found.
The tunic in the pictures bellow (dating: 1035-1165 CE. NTNU 2005/6) has a rectangular shape, no shoulder seams, is thigh-length and has no gussets. Instead, to make the garment more flexible to move in, there are two 30 cm long splits in both sides.
The tunic is slightly figure shaped - the fabric is cut and adjusted to tighten the area around the waste. Due to tear and wear its patched up with pieces of lighter brown fabric.
The bust area has a asymmetrical look, with two different shades of brown on each side.
The collar and parts of both sleeves are also made from this light brown fabric. The upper part of the bust is cut in the shape of a W. The collar is 8,5 cm high with a "closing flap".
Want to know more about the Guddal tunic? Read this (in Norwegian).
Why this neckline?
If you ever tried wearing a tunic with a round neck or a V-neck when hiking, you know the answer. This neckline protects your throat and neck from rain, wind and sun.
Also, wearing nothing but wool - having the wool directly on your skin - is always the best alternative in terms of staying warm and dry.
Don't mess things up with linnen! It will get wet, cold and stick to your skin...
