With more and more people deciding to get involved in living out history it can be difficult to find the right reenactment clothing to wear. Without a doubt the history buff will want to do everything he or she can to be authentic in their reenactment attire.

Many times when we prepare our gear we get carried away with too much bling. Usually the more plain or common your reenactment attire is the more authentic it is. For example, during the Civil War the fancy brass emblems worn by the Union soldiers were not standard issue they were purchased by the individual soldier. Most did not wear them.

I remember in the late 1960’s early 1970’s that the hip hugger pants were the fad of the day. So unless you are acting out that time period wear your pants a little higher than you do even today. A Civil War soldier would wear his belt with all his ammo and other sundries a lot higher for fear of it swinging and hurting his hip or other areas of his body.

Just like the bling do not overload yourself with the gear. Having a few missing pieces will be more original since no one had all the gear they could carry. Especially during the Civil War but also in other time periods. Lets face it we do not have all the stuff we want today either. My son is in the Marines and even he does not carry all the gear that is available even if he thinks he is overloaded.

The living history buff will also make sure that the stitching is right on all his or her sewn pieces. Some was machine stitched while others were hand sewn. And do not forget it many times decided on whose side you are on. Pirates wore cruder outfits than the British Navy and the Union soldier was better dressed than the Confederate soldier.

As far as weapons go there are some good authentic looking copies being made today. I have a friend who is a knife maker and makes some great time hand crafted period knives. Others are making flintlocks and other rifles that work good and look good. It is imperative that you get a good weapon that matches your time period.

When you get as bunch of soldiers living in tents and sleeping on the ground all the time in close quarters like they did during the Civil War lice and other problems with long hair were prevalent. Therefore most of the standard ranked men wore their hair very short to combat the problems. And of course the Confederate soldiers would be more rag tagged than the Union soldiers. Personal appearance and care was certainly different.

You should try to match up your reenactment clothing or costume as clsoe as you can to the time period you are a re-enactor in. Make a trip to your local library and search throgh some old documents looking for picture from the day. An old painting or photograph of a Rebel camp could give some great insight on how they dressed.