All right my friends, it’s time once again to get caught up on what I am wearing when I fight. At events, I spend most of my visible time on the field, so the most important thing is to maintain my period presence while out there. I also need to be able to move and fight in such a way that I am not getting my teeth kicked in, like when I first started and my leather breastplate was binding me up terribly.
Over the years, I have made some major changes to my armour kit, and I think right now I’m as close I can be without some serious financial investments.
Over the years, I have made some major changes to my armour kit, and I think right now I’m as close I can be without some serious financial investments.
Helm
I have been using the same helm for about six years now. It isn't a particularly period looking helmet, but since the only extant helms from my time period wouldn't pass the safety requirements, I am ok with this. My helm is essentially the unloved child of a spangenhelm and a barbute, with the t-slit filled in with a really cool face mask pattern. It has weathered the last six years really well with only some dents and rust. I'd like to think my maintenance routine has helped with that. I wipe it down with WD-40 after every use, and clean the rust off of it around once a month. The only change I would do to it at this time is a new chinstrap, since the current setup doesn’t work great with my beard.
I don't see myself changing or replacing my helm anytime soon. It does its job, it looks good, and it was a gift from my wife.
I don't see myself changing or replacing my helm anytime soon. It does its job, it looks good, and it was a gift from my wife.
Kidney Belt
About a year and a half ago, I ditched my zoombang. It had worked wonders for me for about 5 years, but through use and washing, several of the pads had exploded or just moved, and the maintenance was just too much to keep up on. Under the suggestion of my knight, I switched to a kidney belt. This is a piece that isn't strictly period for the Viking Age, but it was used by the Celts and we have some statue evidence for it. The term usually used for these thick belts was a warbelt. It is reasonable (although there is no proof) for a well-travelled Norseman to have worn a celtic piece of armour.
This is an example of needing some sort of chest armour, and the armour used in period doesn’t work for SCA combat. In period, an Ulfhednar would have worn no armour, and a wealthy Viking might have worn chainmail. This doesn’t meet the requirements for our combat, as we need rigid protection for the floating ribs and kidneys. Options that might have also been used by a Viking of this time period could be a leather breastplate, a kilbanion (Varangian Lamellar), or something similar. There just isn't very much evidence for rigid upper body armour at the time. For me, the warbelt is comfortable, easy to maintain, and keeps me from overheating in the Trimarian summers.
This is an example of needing some sort of chest armour, and the armour used in period doesn’t work for SCA combat. In period, an Ulfhednar would have worn no armour, and a wealthy Viking might have worn chainmail. This doesn’t meet the requirements for our combat, as we need rigid protection for the floating ribs and kidneys. Options that might have also been used by a Viking of this time period could be a leather breastplate, a kilbanion (Varangian Lamellar), or something similar. There just isn't very much evidence for rigid upper body armour at the time. For me, the warbelt is comfortable, easy to maintain, and keeps me from overheating in the Trimarian summers.
Gorget
There has been absolutely no change in my gorget since i started in the SCA. It’s nice, simple leather gorget with a snap closure. Gorgets aren't really period for 10c, but they are required for the SCA and not really visible under my helmet. This one was a gift from a friend and has served me really well.
Legs
When last I was blogging, I was using Valkyrie Forge knee cops, and some football pads for my legs. It worked all right, but made it a pain in the butt to armour down in the event that I wanted to do something else in the day. This came to a head at Gulf Wars 2018, when I decided I wanted to fight rapier and heavy: changing out of my heavy kit with the old legs would have taken too long, and wearing them while doing rapier would likely have caused me to miss blows. In swoops my lady wife to the rescue by gifting me a set of plastic articulated legs from Valkyrie Forge. The legs themselves work great; I have only had one minor issue with them, which is that sometimes when I take a blow the articulation blows through,
The real issue that I have had with the new armour is that when my wife bought them, she also bought a c-belt made of cotton (possibly canvas). The first belt we got, the buckle broke after the first day of use. The guys at the Valkyrie Forge tent were quick to replace it, but they had run out of belts in my size. They gave me a bigger one, and my wife made me some new holes in the belt so it would fit; it would’ve been a perfect solution if the belt didn't stretch so much once it got wet. I don't know if the stretching is unique to their design or if it's just an issue of fabric c-belts as a whole.
Arms
My purchase of one of my favourite pieces of armour, my Torvaldr bazubands, was entirely accidental. These things are absolutely amazing. Really nice craftsmanship and heavy-duty leather, so there is no way I am getting hurt through them.
Arm protection is another one of those grey areas for early period armour: we know that metal bazubands existed in the Middle East, and we know that the Varangians used splint legs and possibly arms. The issue is that if they had any sort of leather protection, none survived, and in our images of the time we don’t see any in the details. This leaves us to pick either things that are close in appearance or close in period. I think leather bazubands are a great middle ground. They don't blatantly look like metal armour which would be out of period, but they are sturdy enough to keep me fully safe.
Arm protection is another one of those grey areas for early period armour: we know that metal bazubands existed in the Middle East, and we know that the Varangians used splint legs and possibly arms. The issue is that if they had any sort of leather protection, none survived, and in our images of the time we don’t see any in the details. This leaves us to pick either things that are close in appearance or close in period. I think leather bazubands are a great middle ground. They don't blatantly look like metal armour which would be out of period, but they are sturdy enough to keep me fully safe.
Gauntlets
Those of you who have read my other blog posts know that I hate cup hilts: they don't fit in anyway, shape, or form with my persona. I also fight two axe in most tourneys, which means my gauntlets get a ton of use, though even my warshield is strapped to use a gauntlet when I am behind it, which makes it easier to switch between styles as needed.
When I first started out fighting, I had some leather gauntlets which had some issues with sizing and staying in place. At my first war, I switched over to some KISS gauntlets by Bokalo which have served me very well. I have considered painting them black so that they stand out less, but thus far I have seen no reason to. In pictures of my fighting, I don't think they are too bad. Let me know what you guys think down in the comments.
Now that you’ve seen my armour, let me know what you think! Show me your kits, I'd love to see what other people do to get around the minimal armour that Vikings in general and Ulfhednar in specific wore!
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