Okay, now that I actually have some time, let me write a longer post om authenticity, research and group standards.
Re-enactors re-enact a period. As we tell visitors, we try to re-create the period as close as possible. The big question is why we try to do so. To me, it is for personal experience. I want to know what life felt like back then, and thus everything needs to be as close as possible. And yes, having your cloths out of correct fabric makes a difference.
This, to me, is also what make the hobby fun. We are constantly challenging ourselves. Not just by not using tents and eating historical food, but also be always being on the look-out for things to improve the impression. When it stops being challenging, it stops being fun. Oh, sure, the social and outdoors aspect of the hobby keeps a lot of people in. But it's no surprise lots of people move from Napoleonic to WW2. To give an example, when Nico and me decided we wanted to get gloves, we spend three days looking at historical paintings, descriptions and orders before we decides not to go with the widely-used half-fingers black gloves everybody uses, but instead opted for civilian mittens. There is very little evidence and no images that the half-finger gloves were actually used. If they were, they were also much longer, covering the whole lower arm, and probably made out of grey wool.
So why, if you ask 85e people, will they probably tell you the black gloves are correct? They might do so because they simply think it is. Yet if you tell them, they are very unlikely to accept this. They will be very critical, demanding all your sources and concluding that you actually don't know for sure. Yet I can assure you they never were this critical when buying the black gloves. They don't want to buy new stuff, so they will simply refuse to believe your research. What's worse, they will also tell new people to get the same, probably incorrect gloves.
Of course, it's a silly example, but it is true and it shows group dynamic. They can lift standards, or they lock them down. And of course, sometimes people just really don't care and actively oppose improving the impression because it will also force them to admit they're wrong and buy new stuff. Sean is like that. He buys himself a fantasy model bonnet de police, yet tells a new member it's not authentic to wear an 1810 uniform (although it is). What is authentic or not is dependent on what he wants. If you tell him you want the old uniform, and he will tell it's not authentic or that it 'ruins the image', while continueing to wear his silly fantasy bonnet de police. It's impossible to work with hom, because at the end of the day, he doesn't care. Same goes for drill. We adressed it, we translated the instructions, hell, Nico made a whole guidebook with drawinggs and everything. Sean's reaction is to be pissed off, complain about us and then forget everything we teach him.
There's nothing more annoying then this arbitrary criticism. I was talking to two 85e members who used like 8 sheepskins as blanket. Now, they are obviously mainstreamers, and I respect that. When I asked in good humour where they would keep it on the march, they joked about just butchering a whole herd of sheep every night. We laughed, and then I told them about the large sheepskin covers WW1 soldiers used for guard duty. Then suddenly Hans came up and asked me if that was a regulation item. Somewhat confused, I replied I actually didn't know. Hans then told me it proves that soldiers didn't always get what was regulated. It's the favorite mainstreamer excuse whenever they are faced with a piece of research they don't like. But it completely misses the point. We use drawings and descriptions as much as we use regulations.
Soldiers can only keep what they can carry. They got rid of things. And when you re-enact on that principle, re-enactment actually becomes much easier. Suddenly, you can transport 5 people in a car. Suddenly, you don't need to spend money on tents, plastic covers and chairs. You become more dependent on eachother, yes, but that too makes it more fun. Your squad becomes not just people you hang out with, but people you live with.