Helm Padding: Avoiding drain bramage.

[Thorsteinn]

After a few hard hits last year (and one concussion) using 1/2" EVA foam I'm thinking of going to 1/8" sorbothane + 1/4 EVA + Cotton batting stuffed coif. Thoughts?

I have 1/2" around the brow and lots of room above.

[Sir James A]

Dodge more?

Seriously though, maybe try just adding the sorbothane to the EVA you already have, instead of redoing it all? Just a thought, I haven't done SCA in over 10 years and only did for one season.

[Thorsteinn]

My vid on the question:

[Sir William]

Go back to using a shield.

[Thorsteinn]

Can't till my shoulders heal, but even with a shield some of those hits are a little stiff.

[Sir James A]

Can't till my shoulders heal, but even with a shield some of those hits are a little stiff.

Bolding mine. I'd have to say that if that's the case, whoever is hitting you needs to learn to ramp down their power. If you have 1/2" of foam and still getting rattled, something is wrong - and probably on the other end of the stick.

[Thorsteinn]

I'm not the only one talking about EVA having issues, so it could be a batch issue or an age issue (don't know how it ages) but it is time to replace the padding anyway so I want to go to a more comfortable set up.

It's not that normal shots are putting me out, it's that the current set-up seems to fail a bit at the upper end of "unusual-but-expected" blows like 270' greatsword hits, pike shots to the brow, or 90' daneaxe shots to the top of my head.

Regular high end shots aren't painful but they are uncomfortable and it's high time I figure to have a helm that isn't really unpleasent to wear in high heat or after 2 hrs at a war.

[Sir William]

I read over in the AA thread about sorbothane...how's that better than EVA?  Also, how come you don't apply period padding techniques to your helm?  Is it a matter of cost/time involved or something else?

[Ian]

Regardless of how you pad that helm, it looks totally badass in your kit

[Thorsteinn]

I read over in the AA thread about sorbothane...how's that better than EVA?  Also, how come you don't apply period padding techniques to your helm?  Is it a matter of cost/time involved or something else?

Sorbothane is a little more fluid like under impact and only works if placed against the steel of the helm, IIRC EVA doesn't & EVA is stiff on impact, not soft, thus my want for a layered comfy system; I would use period techniques but I have only 1/2" clearance & a riveted on grill and a brass nasal that comes across the top. For a padded suspension liner to work I need access to the whole outside of the helm around the face to sew it in.

In period it would have been a padded coif, maille, then a steel nasal  helmet with a leather suspension rig. Super pretty but not so legal for SCA combat.

@Ian: Thanks!