Armour

[T-kal Thornside]

Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question, but I need to know.

Would armour, that is made of squares of leather put together with rings, be correct battle armour for the SCA?  

[Llelwyn]

I've seen pickle barrel armor in my kingdom... I think it depends on how you put it together. I'd check the corpora and the laws for your kingdom (they should all be up-to-date online). You'll still need a helm and a gorget, maybe kidney protection, and protection on your wrists, elbows and knees. I'm pretty sure that's how the law stands.  

[T-kal Thornside]

forgive my ignorance, but what is a gorget?
and are required to have metal armoru or can it be leatehr with say....chain or scale maille?  

[[Atropa Belladonna]]

It would probably pass inspection, as long as you had more solid protection for groin, throat, kidneys, etc.

Good luck.  

[[Atropa Belladonna]]

Kaena Wraithson

forgive my ignorance, but what is a gorget?
and are required to have metal armoru or can it be leatehr with say....chain or scale maille?

A gorget is the bit of armor that goes around your neck. It protects your throat from being crushed (it only takes about 5 pounds of pressure to do it--much less than what a stick hands out). It also protects your collarbone (one of the more annoying bones to have broken) and the top 3 (4?) vertebrae.

The helmet must be metal, and must be of a certain thickness (number escapes me). Knees and Elbows must be of a material that marshalls believe is totally rigid and solid. Other armor pieces can be made of almost anything. Popular choices are steel, impact plastic or picklebarrel, and leather. Once upon a time there were a lot of people who wore carpet into battle. I don't recomend it. It's heavy, restrictive, innefficient, and doesn't deal well with rain.

Check out your kingdom's marshall handbook for detailed local laws applying to you, and try to connect with an experienced fighter in your area to help you get a good starter set. Ashcraft Baker is a popular choice for newbies, but often you can get loaner armor or secondhand pieces while you build or save for a good set, or while you decide whether heavies is really right for you. I'm a year into fighting and I'm still using a lot of loaner gear, as my handmade set won't be ready for another (...calender check...) two weeks. I've been working on it at least six months, and the truth of it is that no fighter is ever done with their armor. Between breakage and upgrades, a suit of armor is constantly evolving.

Good luck!  

[T-kal Thornside]

what is typically considered 'rigid' material?  

[Felix OFlyn]

There are minimal armor requirments.

Helm, gorget, elbows, knees, groin and such. You dont even really have to have your chest covered. So just about any chest armor would pass.... I've seen a guy where nothing but cainmail on, but he was really good.... so.... yah.  

[T-kal Thornside]

okay, becuase i just got like 20 square feet of leatehr yesterday and i want to know how to best use it.
and what is rigid material?