Hi y'all,
Im new im just getting into reenacting and ren faires. I wanted to get a padded leather garment for a viking suit. I want one that could be worn over or under chainmail (if i can afford it).
How historical is it?
How much/where2buy?
How hard to make (im not so good at sewing and stuff)?

Hello Zach,

I know exactly what you're talking about; these are basically quilted leather gambesons that are very popular with reenactors for that era. I can't attest to it's authenticity, but I suspect it's "historically feasible" while allowing for safety, much like the use of lamellar in SCA combat for Rus / Eastern vikings. Possible but not extant.

I've seen these for sale from eastern European websites, if I can dig one up I'll post it but I think you may have to make one. It would be exactly like making a quilted shirt, but I'd use linen for the interior lining. Cotton batting would work, don't use polyester batting you'll die of heat stroke.

i know of no such animal to be in history. its all reenactorizms

There are pictures on helmets during the vendel period of fightingmen i large warrior coats.
Probably not of leather but of thick wool.

They could have been in use by vikings, no finds thou.

There is nothing to suggest that vikings wore any garment specifically designed to go under mail. For authenticity a few woollen tunics would suffice. Leather doesn't work from a practical standpoint either. Get yourself two garments, one made of leather and one made of linen or wool, and compare the difference when worn under mail.

well, it would mostly be worn as stand alone armor.

The garments that we're talking about are like this, correct?:

http://www.walhalla.com.pl/sklep/product_info.php?products_id=92

I don't think that these ar historically feasible, at least not on a large scale simply because as far as I know leather was never cheap. I suppose you could use sheep skin rather than cow hide, but would it protect from spear thrusts? I doubt it.

All the same they appear to be very popular with reenactment groups because they look medieval-ish without being a n inappropriate luxury (like a full byrnie would be) and they take a lot of the ouch out of rebated sword blows. It seems to be one of those things that everyone turns a blind eye to for safety sake.

Paul Mortimer has made a jacket after the images on the helmets.

I hope he don´t mind I show you this.

They are shown on images from the Vendelperiod, ao at least then, some sort of warrior jackets where used.
Perhaps they where still in use by the vikings.

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ya, but that was also magical.

Paul's kit is awesome no doubt about it. but leather... I dunno. I think I'd make a wool one.

that is you think they are. :) there has never been any other reference or finds to it. the romans didn't back all of their mail, they might have backed the doublers but even that there isnt enough historical proof to say 1 way or the other. Stones glossary should be taken with a grain of salt too.

as to a leather jerkin begin spear proof. i'd like to see someone do a test. honestly. test leather vs mail. i don't think it even be worth wearing. and as too the cost of iron, the huscarls had to have what 8 shirts a piece ? so there was an awful lot of shirts around.

there has never been a complete shirt of maille from the viking era found either. Most books say that maille was fairly uncommon, it seems to me that something would need to fill the gap between no armour and maille.

but y? did not the earlier cultures fight nude? and what armour they had was minimal? I'm not bating you please don't take me like that. just questioning.

there is also only 1 "viking" helmet found but you hear of so many men in the time being armored in mail and helmets...

There are plenty of preserved leather from the viking age, but any fragment that could be identified as a part of armour is yet to be found.

As for reindeer hide, it might be the worst kind of material you can think of to make leather-armour. The leather is comparatively thin, soft and is easily cut. It's a material that is wonderful to work with and easy to sew, and it can be made into really nice purses and soft, comfortable clothes, but I wouldn't use it for armour. Bovine- and moose-hides would have been much more suitable, as well as being easier to obtain. But then, there are no real evidences for viking leather-armour as I see it

not to mention how many teed off children there would be out there when Santa Clause couldn't come cause some viking is wearing Rudolf as this years fashion ;) hehehe sorry. i thought it was funny its no attack on anyone just something I thought of on my own... its a sickness i know ;)