Prototype Mess Kit Carry Strap

Last night I put together a prototype leather carry strap for the German mess kit I'll be carrying on the Bundesgrenzschutz bike. The leather is the right style, but a bit too narrow and the buckle is close, but not quite right either. When I find the right buckle, I'll remake the carry strap with the only design correction being the location of the snap tab on the attachment loop. I'll move it down further to make a larger loop when it's snapped closed. Right now it's a bit tight to wear on a belt, but just fine to attach to the rear bike rack or through a D-ring equipment loop.

As usual, I even stamped the leather with a "replica" makers mark and date....... in this case "SWS" for "Sharky's Work Shop" and the year of "1944". This mimics the original style of leather stampings used by Germany on the WW2 period leather gear.


Here are a few other shots.