Miscellaneous > The Sallyport

How you view your kit

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Sir Rodney:
Another dimension to consider might be “how you view your kit over time” against what your goal is at any one point in time.  In large part, this was covered by Sir Wolf with his comment “I see mine as never good enough or never finished”.

My first goal, many years ago, was to hit people with sticks.  My armour at the time met that goal and I was happy.  Looking back now all I can say is “what the hell was I thinking?”  There was nothing historically accurate about my kit and it was dead ugly, but at the time all my goals were met and I was pleased.

Fast forward to today.  My primary goal remains unchanged and my kit meets the requirements to hit people with sticks and be hit by sticks.  Other goals have begun to sneak in over time.  More historically accurate armour & soft kit are becoming important to me.  The ability to play with live steel in either WMA or the SCA (cut & thrust) really appeal to me.

Meeting these new goals means finding a happy medium between historical accuracy, modern materials and budget.  It also means evaluating which goal(s) take precedent and determining if a purchase or DIY project can meet more than one of your current goals.

To answer your question directly, I view my kit as OK, sort of.  I’m not embarrassed to wear it, but I desire a kit closer to Ian or Scott’s level of quality and accuracy.  The children at my presentations can’t tell the difference, some members of the SCA might be able to offer constructive criticism, but the members of this community can identify glaring inaccuracies from a mile away.

As Sir Brian mentioned, I simply chip away at the worst offenders as time, money, and changing goals allow.

Sir Douglas:
  I guess I kind of see mine as more of an art form. It really kind of started as a form of therapy and just sort of got out of control. Granted, it's not the most historically accurate kit (Butted and aluminum mail? Le gasp!), and it's pretty much useless for anything beyond Renaissance Festivals, but for me, the satisfaction of knowing that over 90% of it was made with my own two hands more than makes up for the farbiness. It's a nice little self-esteem boost, and it makes me feel more invested in my armor; it feels more personal. It also gives me a much more intimate understanding of some of the processes that went into period equipment.

  That's not to say that I completely throw historical accuracy out the window or that I'm not constantly improving it and trying to make it more accurate, but I try to buy as little of it as I can. It's just not quite as satisfying to me. I mean, I only get to actually wear it about a week or two out of the whole year, so my enjoyment of this hobby comes more from building my kit than actually wearing it (though I do try to find any excuse to strut around in armor ;) ).

Sir James A:
Extension, connection and reflection.

Extension in that I've had an interest in knights, swords and medieval armor since I was little. It's one thing to read about it - but another entirely to grasp a small part of that experience by actually wearing armor, fighting in armor, swinging a sword... so it's an extension of one of my primary interests.

Connection in that by wearing the armor, fighting in it, maintaining it, tweaking it, I have a tiny window into a small part of the life that some of my ancestors probably lived. I know at least my surname is of English and Scottish descent, though I haven't traced my specific tree yet. I don't really care the specifics of who it was (blasphemy?), but just to know that it's something they lived and die by ... so it's a connection to a small piece of that.

Reflection in that whether I wear armor or not, I try to act proper and fitting of a knight. I hold doors open for women, I act courteous towards others unless I am given reason not to, and I try to base my character-reflective decisions around what is correct, not just what is easiest. Somewhat like looking in a mirror, I feel the most "me" when I am in harness... so it's a reflection of self that projects the outward appearance that I hold inside.

I don't do viking, I don't do Jedi, I don't do WW1/WW2, I don't do fantasy - this is much more than just a simple "costume" to me.

Stanislaw:
When I wear my kit, I think much of the same things that Sir James thinks of - that I am reconstructing how some of my ancestors perhaps lived. It gives me a sense of an active connection with history, further than doing historiography would take me.

Sir William:
The wearing of period (or in my case period-inspired) clothing and armor is simply so the rest of the world can see me as I really am- a visual representation they will understand if you will; all other times the harness and accoutrements are more or less hidden - but with the understanding and attitude that a knight is a knight regardless of what he's wearing and that is what I strive to be.

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