What do you wear for CAS?

[Vance Beckett]

I was durn pleased today when I found a package on my doorstep from the folks at River Junction Trade Company.  I ordered two pairs of denim pants and two pullover shirts from them online last Friday.  The quality was excellent, the colors nice and crisp, and the timely service outstanding.  For those of you who, like me, lack the resources of someone who's a decent tailor/seamstress and need good duds to look the part of a cowhand, River Junction is tough to beat. 

On a related note, who among you has a standard "outfit" that you prefer to wear at matches, something that identifies your chosen persona at first glance?  For example, someone play-actin' at being a gun-totin' preacher, who wears a black frock coat and starched, white collar, or the Army scout clad in buckskins.  Or do you grab the first thing you find in the closet?  What do you wear for CAS?

[Camille Eonich]

I kind of like the gambler look.  I wear a lot of dark colors with more colorful vests.  When the weather allows I wear my frock coat.  I always wear a vest.  Reason one because I like them, reason two because I think that they look good and reason three they keep everything kind of streamlined.  Nothing to get in the way when I'm drawing or going for shotgun shells.  I got quite a few of them from Wild West Merc while on sale.  Less than half price!!

I like the drop front pants and I quite wearing suspenders because of the vest.  Women will understand the problem there.    On side match days sometimes you can catch me in a skirt.  I don't wear them on main match days or at local shoots because I tend to be somewhat clumsy and having a skirt on leaves a lot of extra material to get snagged on stuff or tripped on if you have to step up on something.  I would hate to step up on a porch step and step on the skirt only to trip over it, fall down and drop a gun. 

[Forty Rod]

Look at my avatar.

I'm a trader.  I wear whatever's on the wagon when I need something.  Got a size 8 derby 'cause nobody wanted a hard hat in that size...added a beaded band and a feather.

Guns are another matter altogether.  I get real fussy about my guns.

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[The Arapaho Kid]

I keep with my White raised by the Indians persona.  I wear either brown, or khaki jeans that have had logger buttons attached to for my spenders.  I wear Cavalry boots with pants legs tucked in and brass officer spurs.  I have four different Native American made ribbon shirts in various colors.  I have a fringed leather vest with badges attached.  My hat is a Stetson Gun Club Safari hat (see picture) that I have removed the Puggaree band and replaced it with an inch wide, braided horsehair band.  My bandana is a print calico in a basic geometric, red, yellow, white pattern and I use a slide with it.  When I go to a shoot I take along one of two canteens.  I have a stainless steel Civil War replica that I put Gatorade in.  The other canteen is a wooden one (that doesn't leak!) and that has just water in it.  I flatly refuse to pay a buck fifty for bottled water!

Now...I know that we shouldn't wear a belt with our duds, but I do.  The reason for that is I have to use keepers with my gun leather.  If I don't use them....three steps and my gun leather is down around my knees!  I use one of those canvas military pants belts.  When I have my gun leather on you can't see it.

[Matthew Duncan]

Spurs with black straps
Brown boots with knife.
Black pants tucked into the boots.
Dark red shirt or during the summer a white skinner shirt
Black leather suspenders with a derringer.
Gray hat from my CSA days.

[The Arapaho Kid]

I kind of like the gambler look.  I wear a lot of dark colors with more colorful vests.  When the weather allows I wear my frock coat.  I always wear a vest.  Reason one because I like them, reason two because I think that they look good and reason three they keep everything kind of streamlined.  Nothing to get in the way when I'm drawing or going for shotgun shells.  I got quite a few of them from Wild West Merc while on sale.  Less than half price!!

I like the drop front pants and I quite wearing suspenders because of the vest.  Women will understand the problem there.    On side match days sometimes you can catch me in a skirt.  I don't wear them on main match days or at local shoots because I tend to be somewhat clumsy and having a skirt on leaves a lot of extra material to get snagged on stuff or tripped on if you have to step up on something.  I would hate to step up on a porch step and step on the skirt only to trip over it, fall down and drop a gun. 

Those period style skirts and dresses can be a hazard to us guys too.  I attended the 100th anniversary of the United Daughters of the Confederacy Ball earlier this year.  It was a period style event and I was in my Confederate Cavalry Colonels uniform...with spurs on my boots.  Everything went fine until we started dancing.  We did the Virginia Reel and all those dances.  My spurs kept getting caught in long dresses, so we'd have to step off the floor and untangle my spurs from the dress...then catch back up with the rest of the folks.  I finally took them off!

[Marshal Will Wingam]

I usually wear striped trousers tucked into tall black (usually) stovepipe boots. Black or grey suspenders (usually). A black leather vest (usually) over my shirt on cooler days. Grey hat (usually). Black leather (usually). Sometimes I wear brown instead of the (usually) black boots, suspenders, vest and rig. I have a brown hat for that, too. I say usually to the black because my black boots are way more comfortable than my brown ones. I suppose I'd wear brown more if the boots fit better.

[Irish Red O'Toole]

I start with khaki (or natural if you prefer) pants tucked into knee-high moccasins with fringe around the tops.  I top it off with a Geronimo-style calico shirt or sometimes a bright red trapper shirt and my gus creased Tom Mix hat.  Never a slave to one look, I have other hats, shirts and boots to wear if I'm in the mood.  For "formal" occassions I have black pants, white shirt, black vest and tie and a black Boss of the Plains hat.  I just put together a "Banker's" look too.  I substituted a gret striped vest for the black and a frontier derby for the BOTP hat.  A red puff tie completes that look.  And, just to make it interesting, I have a complete Indian War era cavalry uniform (sack coat and shell coat) complete with sword belt and a cavalry sabre.

I guess it depends what mood I'm in.....

[Singing Bear]

Whatever fits the morning of the match.     Quit smoking in March and all my clothes shrank. 

Hey, my Doc admitted that quitting smoking does indeed lead to some weight gain.  I'm under the norm, but it's still enough to make for snug fitting clothes.

Most often, my natural colored drop front pants and a red calico shirt is all that fits.  The first clothes I ever bought for CAS.  I wear knee high mocs and a wild rag around my head or more like how a pirate would wear a bandana.  Gotta watch that sunburn on the top of the head.  

[SGT John Chapman]

I wear the uniform and carry the weapons of a Civil War Union Cavalry First Sergeant................AND IT"S ALL WOOL like it's supposed to be,..........

[dangerranger]

My persona is a sometimes cowboy, sometimes freight driver, part time scrounger[ picks up what others have left out on the prarie to lighten there loads.] sort of a Jack of all trades. so that leves me alot of choices in the what to wear dept. except in the hottest weather I wear a vest.It helps keep everything well tucked. I have chaps but its been too hot to wear them so far.I also have not worn spurs, caus Im still afraid of them trippin me up [ what with the loaded gun and all.] Oh well things are cooling off, and the cowboy duds are lookin warm.Now I just need that over coat.

[Vance Beckett]

Gads!  Those are great pictures, Sgt. Chapman!  Where were those taken?  I was looking forward to seein' pictures like that when I started the thread.  They give a fella great ideas.  Thanks.   

[Nine Toe Jim]

I have put together a Captain's uniform of the Royal Canadian Regiment serving as part of the Yukon Field Force put together in 1898 to help the Northwest Mounted Police guard the gold fields and shipments out. They were only in existence for two years but it was an interesting outfit to research. The second pic attached is an enlisted man of the force.

[SGT John Chapman]

Vance,......
The pic with General Custer was taken at Hays Center, NE durring  the Grand Duke Alexis Rendezvous.........
AS to the Uniform I made most of it myself from the ground up,...........I didn't do the Boots, Cap Box, and one cylinder box,.........

http://thelastgreatbuffalohunt.com/index.html

http://www.granddukealexis.com/

http://www.dwdtv.com/00after/05hayes/start/

[SGT John Chapman]

Here's some others,............



I'm second from the right.....

[Dakota Dan from OZ]

Here is a photo taken in The Lonesome Dove Saloon at our Blackpowder Championships down under a couple weeks ago.

In the photo back row L-R Dakota Dan,Miss Clancy and Lacy Rat.Front Row L-R Mrs Dakota and Black Rat.

Dakota Dan from OZ

[Camille Eonich]

Sharp looking group!

[wwwbunch]

Too many outfits to pinpoint a look... but for B western shoots and some special occasions, I sorta like dressin' up like my namesake (uncle Hoppy).


Cassidy 

[Pappy Hayes]

For shoots, I wear black stripped railroad pants tucked in my tall black boots, trade off on shirts, either my blue bib front or a maroon frontier shirt. Black suspenders, black canvas vest and black Bailey Tombstone hat. On rainy days I wear my straw hat which has a Sam Houston style. I am going to have a friend that is a good hat shaper reshape for me. When I dress up for special occasions or when I am a vender, I wear solid black pants tucked in my black boots, fancy white collarless shirt, black suspenders, silk black vest with brown praisely print and the same hat. My alias is Marshal Pappy Hayes, but could not get it all in when I signed up on the CAS web.