Another benefit of ceramics is that if you turn it upside down, the bottom of it, the unglazed portion, can be used to hone a blade if it's smooth enough.

When my uncle Frank died, he wanted his remains to be buried in his favorite beer mug. His last wish was to be Frank in Stein

Another way to season a wooden mug or kuksa is what i have been told is the finnish method: fill the mug with coffee, drink the coffee. Fill the mug with whiskey, drink the whiskey. Repeat until you black out and wake up in a ditch.

On the Asian side of the world there is also bamboo and hulu (some sort of woody squash) to consider. The hulu is most commonly used to hold wine or the like, since it's more of a bottle than a cup. While bamboo is really just a fantastic vessel in general, you don't even have to hollow it out 😂

Wooden mugs are not uncommon among people that sell supplies for weddings - You can even get them with your name carved into them.

Another concern about pewter (especially older pewter) is that it may have a higher lead content than is considered safe in present day.

One of the BEST tips here: You equipment IS going to break (or at least breakdown). I have seen SO many people paralyzed by fear of damaging the gear that they refuse to even use it (as if they couldn't ever buy it again). Don't be afraid! Use your gear and get out there! Gear that isn't used is nothing more than really cool-shaped paperweights.

Also, the thing about using horns, is that they have the tendency to develop smells, if not kept clean meticulously. And that they definitely need to be prepped before use, a "raw" drinking horn has a powerful "barnyard" smell.

He’s back boys

I use tung oil for my wooden utensils. It’s the most waterproof oil once it’s fully cured and hardened. I personally wouldn’t use cutting board oil because it doesn’t harden and will leach into the liquid you’re drinking.

drinking simple hot water with a little of honey... always good when you are in the wild. I know you didnt talk about those but i seen a lot of people with galvanised mug in Larp event. Little advice for everyone that get a galvanised mug : DO NOT USE ACIDIC LIQUID!!!! it will damage the galvanisation and it can get you sick! That include coffee by the way. Coffee + galvanise mug = Bad for your health. I use a metal (stainless) mug in my Larp event, im also playing a Dwarf so it fit in character :) if any fantasy race could forge a mug out of corrosion resistant material its the dwarf! If i was any other race, i would go for a wood mug.

I want to see you make that beaker on the trail!

I was delighted and surprised that you mentioned the kuksa. I used to work at a market stall that sold them. I have a handmade one, and it has a great rustic feel to it.

You could probably find a plastic cup to fit inside the leather cup and then be able to hold hot or cold drink's without having any leather flavour either

Drinking from a 1 litre horn is quite an experience. My friendgroup usually bought it filled with mead in my favourite medieval tavern. The tradicion was to not put it down until it was empty. It was a great way to get buzzed quickly because it was a bitch to hold ( most of us had to use both hands in order not to spill it) so it traveled around very fast. And if you got it you had to drink, no skipping. And the best way to gage if someone had enough was their ability to put a small horn back to its holder. The tavern used these intricate spiral iron holders that firsttimers had a problem to navigate even sober :D

About fixing pottery: From the historical and archaeological records (archeological - I've seen with my own 2 eyes), pottery is so common and so cheap, that once it's broken you generally just get a new one. The exeption to this rule are specialty kitchenware like platters or bread tables, which were more expensive or for special ocations, and we do see repair signs on them since their invention, really. The thing that made them repairable was the fact that they were used for storing or presenting solid foods. Also a side note about pottery shops: my village has 3 potters, 2 of which have shops where they sell stuff (the third is an educational workshop). I personally know 1 of the potters and she's a very lovely lady with golden hands and immence talent.

Sealed leather with a pewter insert would do well, I think.

Don't forget skulls, bladders, and dried fruits! I have a collection of cups and water bottles that I made simply by hollowing out a thick skinned fruit and letting it dry. If you wanted you could apply some sort of sealant to the inside but it's not necessary if you are just a bit careful with how long you leave liquid in it. Of course, all your drinks will taste like squash. An orange or grapefruit would probably taste less, but are less bottle-like A basket cup is also an option, if you want something slightly more civilized. It's like a wood cup but even lighter weight and has the extra strength of flexibility, both of which are particularly useful if youre going to be hanging it off of your kit. If you use the right waxy reed and have a tight enough weave it can easily hold water on its own, but it could also be sealed similar to a wood cup by coating it in wax or something else The druidic approach may not be appropriate for every adventurer My choice would be a well made basket cup, it seems like the best option in terms of weight to toughness and durability ratio if you can get your hands on someone skilled enough to craft one. Wood and basket cups can also make a sort of improvised buckler, wicker shields are highly effective and lightweight, and wicker hats are durable, light and potentially waterproof as well. Frankly wicker is an amazing material for all sorts of adventuring needs

He's a seller in the cellar 😉 Glad to see you again, Kramer.

Gotta head out to meet someone, but I'm looking forward to seeing this later.

Personally as a camper myself, I actually lean towards the opposite of that belief of only bringing cheaply replaceable things. Simply because I would like my stuff to actually last for one, and 2 it actually gives a more reassuring feeling knowing that it will stick with you for a while and maybe actually generate additional usage/memories. Not so much in the materialistic approach but moreso being able to boast how you smacked and laid out an opponent via kitchenware is priceless.

I'd definitely love to see you make a leather mug/jack. I like the ceramic liner for one, as I am indeed a coffee drinker. I'd like to know how well leather would insulate against the heat if you used a pewter liner.

Ceramics are definetly best to me too. I do happen to be skilled in pottery, though I do not own my own kiln. And I find it easy to make a new one should they break. Plus, the cleaning is soooo much easier without worrying about maxing again. Metals like pewter you have to be careful of because they can historically be made with lead or other dangerous metals.

Another one of those things that you don't really think about till you need it. I completely forgot about the wanting tea while on the road. But I must say, WW2 US Military kitchen kit from 1944... on of the best thought out kits of all time.

Townsends has great items as you said. I still use my Horn spoon I bought from them in the early 90's

Thanks, Kramer. Loved how you framed this video in the context of a traveller entering a tavern 👌 excellent presenting, as always. You made cups interesting for 20 mins easily. I'm biassed and pleasily eased though 😄 Told you I'd have a mug (or 7). Eating cake now to soothe the curry burnt tongue 😝 🎂 To all adventurers - Be careful using any actually antique foodware as it may contain or be glazed with less than desirable chemicals. Better be safe than poisoned. 👍 Use them as display pieces. I really want a nice wooden mug, that 'wood' be awesome 😊 he he.

I have heard of medieval people drinking out of clay jars, but I don't know how often those would have been used as portable "adventuring" cups. Cool overview though! I tend to prefer drinking horns or a well-sealed horn cup mainly just for the rustic look. Gold chalices are sadly hard to come by on my peasantish budget.

So glad you mentioned the moscow mule mugs, i love those things. And if you don't mind some anacronism then i would _definitely_ suggest having your wood/leather/horn mug finished with a food safe high temp epoxy liner, it allows hot or cold drinks and makes clean up easier. Plus it comes in multiple colors so you can match or constrast the mug material! If you want a more natural finish i would suggest 100% tung oil (which is food safe) over cutting board oil of vit E oils, tung oil dries and hardens as it cures, the other oils listed don't. An alternative (again, anacronistic) to pewter would be aluminum, which looks really great once it has a chance to patina. I have a cast aluminum tankard with a naval scene of ships riding the waves of the open sea and it looks just like it was made of pewter. Or the aluminum/steel camping mugs, a trick to give those a bit of a less machine finished look would to lightly hammer the outside of it with a small ballpeen hammer to give it a more hand finished look.

As for horn, from what I read it only starts to deform at about 300F. When coffee is brewed, usually the hottest temperature at which it would be served is around 200F, with 150F being more common.

On my way to my first medieval faire perfect time for a living anachronism video drop

I was wondering about cups two weeks ago, when many friends of me raised their horns at a party. Thank you 😊

An entire video about cups. I was not expecting this topic to be as interesting as you made it.

You are such a good storyteller!

Brass and copper are also options. A leather sheath of sort can be put around them to help with both dings and heat retention.

Your channel is a blessing as always. I want to get into larp myself with a few friends so everything you’ve created and done is really helping me on the path. I hope I can get some stuff ready for the ren faire this year

So nice to call out the unknown local potters! Enjoyed the video!

Found your Chanel about a week ago and have binged all your content , keep it up!

Awesome!

The Return of the King

Ayyy I've been waiting anxiously for the next upload!

Ah, a well done video with good thoughts. I enjoyed it!

I have a friend who does medieval pottery. He has a hand powered turning wheel.

I have a replica of a tankard that was used to be made in a German monastery. It is glazed ceramic with a pewter lid, that attaches at the handle of the mug. The top is not flapping at all and it is solved by the design of the hinge. There's two prong sliding between three, secured with a through pin. The shape of the joint from the side is slightly oval, so the through pin is not only acting as a pivot point, but flexes the parts of the joint against each other on their radius, creating enough friction for the lid to stay in the set position. Also, as there's two prongs inserted between three in the joint, it also reduces side-wobble, making it even more practical.

OMG get it IN my friend! I've been doing ceramics for years, thank you SO MUCH for also caring about little educational bits like this!!

Great breakdown, thanks!

Thank you for sharing your fine collection of cups and mugs, i enjoyed this one.

This was such an amazing video Kramer, and your setup gets better every time I see it! Thank you for this detailed breakdown. Super useful and interesting!

I am 30 seconds into the video and it is already awesome. What a great introduction!

Me being interested in wooden wear, this helped plenty. Thanks a million!

Very fun and informative video! I just subscribed. I picked up a Ceramic mug similar to the one you got in Bath! I got it at the Maryland Ren Fair last year, me and my DnD group (I am the DM) went there for a weekend. It was great fun and we'll be returning in a couple of months. I'll probably pick up another one! I have also gotten a pewter mug as a gift. The information on wooden and leather cups was really useful and now I'll know what I'm signing on for in getting a wooden or leather one and it's upkeep. Subscribed! Also gonna look at your website, the wooden coasters might go in my cart :)

For my garb I have a drinking horn sealed with beeswax for mead and ale, a pewter mug for other drinking (such as water whilst I sleep or tea (use gloves to not burn myself)) and a small pewter goblet I use for wine. It is a bit heavier but I usually carry stuff in my wool blankets as a makeshift backpack so I dont mind the extra few grams.

There are also several hybrid cups. My favorite to carry with me is a leather/metal mix. There is a base and rim have metal while the rest is leather. I've also got a few metal/ceramic mixes that I have at home, and a LOT of tankards have a glass bottom to them...

I, have a mug that is a recreation of a mug that was found in the archeological site at the old viking village Birka. It's really beautiful and a favorite drinking vessel.

"You look like you could use a drink..." Me with a good wheat beer - YEEEAH....

Nice collection!

Thank you for sharing your perspective! I admit that when it comes to transporting drinks I usually choose a modern option incorporated into an anachronistic framework. I think it’s great that you go all the way with exploring anachronistic options!

Thank you for awesome video! With love from Novgorod 10-12 centuries reenactors 😙

I've put a little bit of thought into historical/pseudo-historical medieval drinkware, and though I've no experience actually walking around with drinkware in a pack or on a belt, I imagine a ceramic or earthenware bowl might be ideal. Easy to store in a pack depending on the bowl's depth, perhaps more durable than the same clay as a mug, doesn't tip over as easily, and, though these points also apply to mugs to an extent, a bowl can be used for soup, stew, porridge, noodles, and as a kneading bowl, proofing bowl, or a generic mixing bowl for whatever ingredients. And with a little carving, a wooden pestle could be produced for use with the bowl as an impromptu mortar and pestle for pounding nuts and soft dry seeds into coarse flours. Cleaning a bowl is a breeze compared to the nooks and crannies of a mug, there's no handle to accidentally break, and you can see into a bowl more easily (though moot, seeing what you're drinking can be important depending on where your beverage came from). And as a bonus, holding a warm bowl of soup or tea is very comforting, perhaps moreso than a warm mug. Bowls are also cheaper most of the time, which can be important for a ranger or general adventurer, as people wouldn't bat an eye at a muddied character drinking from a ceramic bowl, but a pewter goblet or tankard _does_ draw some attention, even if its by virtue of its silvery lustre. Another use for an earthenware bowl, specifically, is as an improvised (albeit small) oven - get a bed of coals and pull some aside, make a floor of rocks in the center of the bed of coals, place your food on the floor of rocks (ideally elevated above the coals so it doesn't burn), place the bowl over the top of the bed and floor, and take the coals that were set apart and put them on the foot of the bowl. The ancient Romans did something similar while traveling using bowls like a clibanus or testum. These were much bigger than today's bowls, as the bread baked wouldn't just be for the individual soldier or traveler but also for a few of his companions. Could also use the bowl as a small pan or shallow pot for cooking in, either the aforementioned soup or porridge, or heating up water for tea or coffee. Granted I am missing the point of the video - a bowl is not a mug, nor a cup, nor a tankard, but is its own thing, and hence my arguing for bowls is perhaps invalidated by that reason, but perhaps bowls are worth looking into as a replacement for cups, mugs, and tankards when out and about adventuring.

I'll certainly buy your merch when it's available.

I had never heard of leather cups. Thats an interesting fact that I loved learning. Thanks for the great video.

Nice video, well-rounded introduction to good cup choices. I especially appreciate the leather; I’ve never owned one, and only recall seeing them with pewter liners and sometimes glass bottoms. Boiled leather might actually make a good drink container. I must have coffee, though, and coffee is appreciated by most people when it is hot. I prefer mine slightly above room temperature, but at gatherings, it’s typically only available hot. For that reason alone, I prefer ceramic cups or mugs, which are also excellent choices for soups and other wet meal options. The MAIN

I am such a huge sucker for a good mule mug. I do want to get more, since I only have one at present, because it would be great for my eventual home tavern/cafe set up.

All hail the mighty mug! :)

Awesome video.

It would have to wait until they get back from Conquest, but I would love to see you make the leather cup in a collab build video with Skill Tree. It would fit both your channels really well.

Those mugs are all awesome! I just love the pewter one with the ships on, it looks just like something you'd find on the master of lake town's banquet table! just be careful thrifting pewter cups, some of the old ones have lead in, (new ones are just copper, tin and silver) although the lead is in small amounts and should be safe if you only put cold liquids in, still something to be aware of. You mentioned Moscow mule mugs, (if you get a traditional copper one do t put hot liquids in it) but if you look on catering suppliers you can get stainless steel ones of those that are copper plated on the outside only, it's been on my list of stuff to try for a while to see if they hold up to being used to cook/heat liquids over a fire

Suck an amazing video. I love the history brought into it so much.

The vessel with the pestle has the pellet with the poison The chalice from the palace has the brew that is true. But they broke the chalice form the palace, so the vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true The flagon with the dragon has the pellet with the poison. Just remember that.

Nice one, I like how you weave stories even into videos that would be mundane.

Great video! Wanted to give you my opinion as a spanish roleplayer about these things: - For carrying water and drinking on the road we use a "bota skin", a small goat bladder container with a horn cap that can be used to drink without touching it's mouth, pressing the skin to propel the liquid to the mouth, so it can be shared in a sanitary way. Container and drinking vessel all in one and when it's empty it can't be broken (only pierced) and weights almost nothing. Everyone carries one of these, and they normally transport wine because you hidrate and eat at the same time, the alcoholic content is negligible. If we need more liquid we use an "odre" (uter in latin), a whole goat/sheep skin sewn to carry bigger amounts of liquid, also usefull to inflate with air and use it to cross rivers safely as a flotation device. - For cooking we use a single pot, you can use it to carry and boil water, cook and so on. A small wood bucket can be used for shared cold water, but unnecesary because first you drink, then you have your lunch/dinner and then you drink again from the water source when you are cleaning the pot. The bot can be used to drink in a pinch. - If we want to drink we don't use cups of any kind: too big and to easily broken. We use small bowls of ceramic. They are cheap, durable, can be used for hot liquids or soups, easily cleaned and stored safely inside a sack with a blanket inside and around it. It's geometry makes it very unlikely to be broken aside from directly hammering it, the cushioning is pretty protective. By the way, check the "botijo". It's a ceramic container used in Spain even today for keeping water cold and fresh when you are camping or in a place without electricity. It's a small wonder of low tech and I'm pretty sure most people don't know they even exist, it would be a curious thing to show how even in the bronze age you could have a cold water drink. It was used by horse cart traders in Spain to drink cold water until 100 years ago, and it can be also found south of the american border as a boteja or bucaro, I think. In a hot summer this is something that was a "must have" if you want to have a small luxury.

Great video. Personally when adventuring I use a horn with a cork for each end for travel it works wonderfully as a drinking vessel and as a signaling horn to gather the party before venturing forth. I have not tested it but have heard that you can improve the sealing properties of food safe oils in your drinking vessel using heat the same way you would create a non stick surface on a cast iron pan. You coat the vessel in the oil and then heat it past the oils smoke point and do many layers. The oils fill in all the imperfections in the surface and the heat causes some chemical change that hardens the surface. Supposedly this allows you to drink hot beverages but you have to be careful of sudden changes in temperature because it will crack the surface.

I have a lovely set of different travelling cups, wooden goblets, pewter mugs, ceramic tumblers and cups, but my favorites are something you didn't mention: copper mugs. I have a pair with hollow handles that hold hot or cold well, they're light, very durable, and look fantastic in candlelight. They do get hot if you try to lift them by the bowl of the cup instead of the handle if something's hot, but if it's too hot to touch the cup, it's too hot for me to try and drink anyway. I see copper cups and mugs in secondhand stores all the time. Copper is fine when sealed with modern resins, but if it's bare copper, highly acidic drinks like Coca-Cola can etch it, which isn't good. They hold mead well though. 😊

I've had two good wooden mugs...my current one (oak with a walnut handle) and the one before that (all walnut). Before my mom did me a "favor" and put it in the dishwasher the walnut mug was great...so great that when a couple guys at a faire proceeded with the F-around phase (swordfighting drunk...they got their gate passes pulled) my mug stopped one of their swords from "becoming part of my way of thinking" (head shots suck) and I proceeded with the "find out" portion of the exercise. The oak mug I replaced it with wasn't quite as pretty ...but stayed clear of the dishwasher.

I have found walnut oil to be a good way to take care of wood cups and plates. Also, we have evidence that a lot of people used simple wooden bowls as drinking vessels. These bowls would be on the shallow side and only hold about 8 oz, but they were easy to make and did the job.

Perfect alternative to the ubiquitous and silly drinking horns every Ren Fair goer or Larper seems to just sprout from their belt after some time. I have a horn cup myself, with a nicely made metal trim decoration and no handle. Those could also be viable but tend to cost a good bit more if you want them to be able to hold more than a shot.

Wonderful cups!

how about a leather cup that has metal inside instead of ceramic? it seems a good compromise of both, leather would somewhat protect the metal from dents and the handle wouldn't heat as easily, and also you could have hot liquids in it without an issue. it sounds like a perfect solution. when i was hiking i tended to carry a metal mug with me just bcos how durable and easy to use it was (and i mean regular cup, not a tankard), but also i kept it in my backpack, not on the belt. i also wonder about the leather cup with ceramic inside - it looked like it's very easy to slip the ceramic part out, so i assume there would be a danger of it falling off when you carry your cup on a belt? i'd understand if you really didn't want to risk it breaking on one of your adventures, since it was a gift.

Nice video, well-rounded introduction to good cup choices. I especially appreciate the leather; I’ve never owned one, and only recall seeing them with pewter liners and sometimes glass bottoms. Boiled leather might actually make a good drink container. I must have coffee, though, and coffee is appreciated by most people when it is hot. I prefer mine slightly above room temperature, but at gatherings, it’s typically only available hot. For that reason alone, I prefer ceramic cups or mugs, which are also excellent choices for soups and other wet meal options. The MAIN reason I prefer ceramic has to do with taste: Especially with hot fluids, the cups you mentioned here leech flavorful (bleah!) tastes into the drink. Not being fond of chronic poisoning, I avoid pewter and treated wood or epoxied cups for hot stuff. Maybe most people don’t mind the taste, and I’ve noticed a lot of humans enjoy poisoning themselves (cigarettes and alcohol being very common examples), but for that alone, I carry ceramic mugs when I can. Hot coffee can quickly break down mysterious epoxies, glues, resins, and oils, and that definitely spoils my adventure lol Thanks again for another wonderful video!

My primary use mug is metal, a contemporary piece from one of those companies that sells mugs with their soda at festivals. It's insulated, so it holds hot and cold fluids well, but I made it look more medieval by wrapping the handle and base with leather, and getting a leather lid that is tied to the handle; it can be turned upside down to use as a coaster without detaching it. If it was a more antique piece, these additions would help insulate it and make it easier to use.

Oh wonderful a video, hallo Kramer

The presentation of this one is v v fun

If you are willing to live with the anachronism, Kupilka makes a pine & resin cup and bowl set that look like wood and work well for camping.

There’s a Finnish company called Kupilka that makes Kuksas that are some mix of recycled wood fibers and plastics but they’re gorgeous, I have one of the bowl sized ones that I like to eat soups from

About the kind of hardened leather cup you have, you can hit it with a hammer whithout breaking it. The machete i use to cleave wood (axe-like wide and sharp sharp) can't do the job, barely a cratch. What makes it hard is what makes leather scale armors hards. so... How to do it is quite easy : You'll need vegetal tanned leather, water, jelly, skin glue and bee's waxxx (any other wax won't work properly) In a bath of boiling water, add jelly, skin glue and bee wax. In one bath, the cup will be hard as the one you hold, and imprevious. Problem is it will move, the shape may be not hyepr cool. Then you'll dry it under the hotter sun you can find, simply to avoid the sun hottnes problem you've mentioned. Normally, it should took you two hours max.

Congratulations on opening your own shop! Grand idea, wish you success, young sir. +][+

You can't sleep on horn as a crafting material, it was common basically up until the invention of plastic for almost anything you can think of, from spoons to weapon handles to spectacles.

Might want to add a bronze Patera. The romans used in as a cup (hot, or cold) and a cooking pot. Much like a modern canteen cup. Very versatile, strong to resist damage easy to carry.

I have several leather mugs purchased here in the UK with stainless steel inserts …perfect solution

Making a leather Cup/Mug would be awesome to watch ! ^^

something that didnt come up since it wasnt a criteria that supports glass (at least for stuff like Potions) would be its chemical inert nature. Potion in a leather glass or metal or etc could react with the material and be changed or lose effectivness. Glass tends to not react to anything and is thus really good for storing chemical compounds

That was very informative and clear even for someone like me who's wondering why youtube recced this video to me. Outside of ren faires, what type of adventures are ya'll going on that need a mug for?

Those of us of a certain age are flashing back on the cup scene from the movie THE COURT JESTER.

I’ve been on the lookout for mugs, so this video was timely! 😄 One thought I had was how much would people have historically just drunken out of bowls instead of mugs or cups of some type? 🤔 Just a thought I had.

drinking horns, a large 3 pint one great for mead quaffing, i even had a small one for vodka. main problem is drins like coke or cider will eat the inside and liquids will taste bad, often on hot days. also you can turn a drinking horn in to a blowing horn sometimes. horns are easy to hag on hip because of the curve, and the tip can be stuck in the ground or an object to stand upright,

Very interesting and performance (vrong word?) is outstanding, personaly I have a thin light stainless steel cup within a engraved leather cup that I can hang in my belt 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Hey Kramer, could you do a video on medieval underwear? You always say modern shoes will make you look weird and out of place, but iirc you didn't mention anything about socks! And that also made me think about underwear in general. Thanks if you do!

I'd like to see you make a leather beaker.

Commenting for the algorithm!!

As much as I have looked into the drinking horns, I'm pretty sure that the sitting horns are a new thing. I have seen where horns used a holder to be set on a table but no horns that could be set on a table and they are able to stand on their own. I do like the concept but I prefer either a metal or ceramic vessel over horns. The cons are there for the ceramic as you stated, but if you keep some of the stuff in your pack in and around it (and not on your belt) you will be able to keep it more procured. I have no experience with a wooden cup so I don't know much about them. I'm a blacksmith so I do lean more towards metal as my chosen material.

I would love to see you do a leather cup. Maybe even as a competition / collaboration between yourself and Skill tree?