How's that Windlass shield working for you...could you perhaps take a picture of the backside so I can see the strapping? I have a feeling that mine's not quite right but my shieldmaker's very amenable to adjustments. Thanks in advance.
By the by, I like what you've done with the chausses...they look like they fit well and are probably relatively comfortable. I'm with you...I use modern materials under my period wear as well, for ease of use.
Yep, the chausses are pretty comfortable, for the most part. To hold them up, I have the leather straps and the belt-loop that's built into the mail go up to a belt (though the latter doesn't reach as high so I just tie it to the belt with some leather lace). To minimize how much they drift downward on me, the belt has to be TIGHT. If I used it with pants, I'd leave maybe 3 or 4 holes unused, but I tighten it down to the last one for the chausses. This puts a lot of the weight right on the corners of the hips, but the mail conforms to the leg and distributes most of the rest of it pretty well. By the end of the faire day, I'm ready to relieve the pressure on my hips, but it doesn't hurt.
I believe this is the one Sir Edward purchased.
http://kultofathena.com/images/801204_1_l.jpg
Mine is much taller and more pointy at the bottom, but that's exactly how the straps came. The shoulder strap was a fixed length like that, so what I did was cut most of it off, and take a cheap leather belt, cut it in half, and rivet the two pieces to the remaining pieces from the original strap that I left on the shield. That way I have an adjustable belt+buckle going over my shoulder.
