Markland Scarlet Cross training

[Sir Ulrich]

So I dropped by one of the training sessions for Marklands combat yesterday. The armor I wore was pretty bad fitting on me but generally I need to work on my stamina. I initially tried fighting in my gambeson and it was too hot to wear so I switched to just plain plate and whatnot. Ill fitting plate armor is the worst I am too skinny for their legs and arms and got armor bites from it (ouch). Starting to wonder where I can get some well fitted plate legs and arms to solve this problem. The helm I wore was an old freon can helm which was the only helm that fit my oddly shaped head due to my forehead and brow ridge being so huge. Starting to wonder if I should continue with this ill fitting equipment or buy my own stuff so I wont have to worry about armor bites and things being too heavy and large for me.

[Sir William]

You are now at the crossroads, Ulrich.  Do you continue with the bargain armor and deal with the pain associated w/wearing it, or do you opt for the more expensive (and much more comfortable) option of custom-made/fitted armor.  Go with the second choice, you'll be much happier.  What sort of arming clothes do you wear underneath your armor?  Your gambeson and chausses - are they padded adequately?  Unless you're wearing padded garments underneath the plate, you'll find that there will always be some level of discomfort.

I find it odd that your gambeson should prove to be more problematic than plate...where'd you get it from?  I wonder if the filler material is synthetic, or the outer shell which could mean the garment does not breathe.

[Sir Edward]

Yeah, custom fitted will make you a lot happier in the long run. The downside is that you have to assume you'll always be the same size. You're young enough that some weight gain is probably still in your future. I used to be 5'11" and 135 lbs... Now 190-200 is more common for me. Just saying.

[Sir William]

LOL @ Sir Edward

What is up with that?  I hit 6ft at or around my 18th birthday (was 5'2" my first two years in high school lol).  I was 130-135 until I hit 22; I gained weight steadily- went all the way to 202 when I moved to MD in 99, (on my small frame, not a good look) then down to 168 (after 4 months in the gym and a stricter diet) and now I'm holding at 175-185.  Anything over 185 and my armor doesn't fit well...or at least, it doesn't feel like it fits well.  lol

Ideally, I'd be 168-170lbs...it is hard work maintaining it; I like, no, I LOVE to eat.  lol

[Sir Ulrich]

I took off my gambeson because it was too hot to fight in and all I wore was a linen undershirt, I think it's full of polyester or whatever cause the batting is white and not very soft. I am gonna try to get my hands on a decent gambeson but I don't know where to find a linen one that will work well under maille. I was told linen makes horrible arming clothes as the maille wears it out quickly so I am a bit cautious to make a purchase like that. Maybe I should go with the stuff as jolly knight? I just don't wanna wear it out under my maille. I would rather just wear a gambeson as protection rather than plate that DOESN'T fit me though.
When it comes to plate I am considering it from these guys as it's hand made and looks relatively good quality. http://armstreet.com/store/armor/medieval-combat-elbow-and-knee-cops-set

[Sir William]

No offense to Armstreet as they do make good looking wares, but the price of shipping is nigh prohibitive- not to mention the wait time involved.  As for gambesons, I'm hearing good things about the ones from IceFalcon...and he's running a sale on all gambesons and arming cottes.

[Sir James A]

I followed the same path as Sirs Edward and William - low-mid 100s all the way through high school, and at my last weighing a month or two ago I pegged 230 lbs. My wife says "remember muscle weighs more than fat" and I am hiding a lot of muscle under my fat (or so I say/hope ). Oddly enough, it's all been mid-section gain, resulting from being an active teenager and then sitting behind a desk or steering wheel 10+ hours a day for the last decade. I can still fit into my plate arms and legs from the late 90s, but a plate cuirass would be questionable - on the bright side, a well-made cuirass in most styles will have some range of at least 3-4" in girth by reducing or increasing the amount that the sides overlap.

Buying properly fitted armor is more important when you're moving in it for combat. I made the mistake of wearing a harness to VARF which didn't fit quite right. The greaves were too small, so I left them off and wore the cuisse and demi-greaves below the knees. Well, after maybe an hour (or less) of *just* walking around the faire, I armored down because my leg was burning. I put on my soft kit, which didn't involve removing the pants or boots. Got home that evening - I had a small chunk of flesh missing from my lower leg, right where the demi-greave ate through my skin from rubbing up and down every step. That was 5 months ago, and I still have the scar from that.

I can't overstate the importance of proper fitment and proper padding.

Go with a closer fitted gambeson than looser; if the base garments don't fit right, the whole thing will be "off". Plates will move easier and more naturally the closer it is fitted to your body, since it moves more naturally and won't stress the articulation as much.

[Sir Edward]

Yeah, this is why I always recommend to people to have a change of clothes and/or garb on hand if they're wearing new armor to faire. There's so many ways it can malfunction or make you miserable. I'm constantly trying new things with mine, like adding a piece of foam here or there, putting more holes in a belt or strap to tighten it further, etc.

Even this past season I was tweaking things. I made some foam pads for my shoulders to wear with the plate armor. I tried them out with the 14th C. stuff this season and they helped a lot there too. I also tried reducing pouches and belts over my mail armor, after having some trouble with my chausses-belt digging in. That helped as well.

It's an on-going process.

[Sir Ulrich]

I for one cant stand ill fitting plate armor and would rather go WITHOUT it than with something thats gonna dig into my skin in the middle of fighting. Quite frankly I do NOT like SCA style fighting due to it requiring so much armor as well as too much safety equipment as well as the weapons feeling NOTHING like a real sword. It feels more like a sport than it does medieval historical reenacting which is why it isn't exactly my thing. Too bad it's all thats around my area I have yet to find ANY places that do WMA in the NJ area.