[Ryan J. Kadwell]

Good Afternoon all, I'm a first-time poster, long-time lurker.

Recently started getting into re-enacting, and I am a quasi-member of a small group called Company of the Wolf in Australia - which pretty much consists of members depicting a collection of multi-era mercenaries from 13th-16th century Europe. It's eclectic, but it's got a good vibe.

My first medieval festival was a ramshackle affair, and wasn't proud of my effort to say the least. The less spoken about it, the better.

THIS year however, I'm aiming to put in a bit more of a substantial effort; and my shopping list has been thus:

1 x 8mm rivetted flatmail hauberk (knee-length, short sleeve) - deposit laid down, and should be coming in soon.

A pair of chauses, a pair of braies, an undertunic and an arming cap - all from Revival Clothing - paid for, and should be arriving soon.

Already have a simple Hanwei single-hand re-enactor's blade, and a pair of leather shoes.

What I'm looking for now is a arming cotte and a surcoat.

I'm tempted to purchase this gambeson from Revival Clothing (http://www.revivalclothing.com/index.asp?Page...ProdID=221) - but being what could best be described as the more 'slender gentlemen', I worry that the only available sizes are M and XL (the Medium being 38" - 44"/ 96cm - 112cm in the chest and 36"- 42"/ 91cm -107cm in the waist) -

Question 1: Would this still be a comfortable-wearing arming cotte if it's an inch or so too big?

Question 2: Would it be appropriate to wear under mail?

Question 3: Are there any better suiting arming cottes / gambeson out on the market that would be better under a hauberk that won't charge through the nose for freight?

Being Australia, 1) there is a very small market for medieval re-enactment supplies (such as clothes, and particularly for armour and chain mail), and 2) it can be bloody hot.

Question 4: I've seen short-sleeved gambesons from some sites - but I haven't seen much evidence of them in history - should I just get over it and buy the proper stuff?

And finally,

Question 5: Does the above sound like something a man-at-arms would wear in the late 13th Century, or am I completely on the wrong track?

I would appreciate any feeback, recommendations and lecutres - I am a captive audience and an avid listener.

Kindest Regards,

Ryan

[Ed Toton]

From everything else you're already buying, it sounds like you're aiming for 12th or 13th century. The arming coat from Revival Clothing that you pointed out is really a 15th Century design, meant for use with plate harness. If you remove the arming ties, it'll be comfortable and work well enough, I think, but it depends on how accurate you're aiming for. I often consider this layer to be the one I can fudge the most, because it's mostly hidden from view. And since I wear my 13th Century kit mostly in warm weather, I usually just use a medieval linen shirt instead of an actual gambeson or aketon. (specifically, the 14th century shirt from Revival: http://www.revivalclothing.com/index.asp?Page...;ProdID=56).

So far I'd say yes, you're on the right track for a man-at-arms in that period. With that in mind, I'd still use a long-sleeved garment under the mail.

One of the advantages of the 15th C. arming coat you're looking at is that the sleeves fit very close and snug to the forearms, as they should. My experience with both the gambeson and the arming coat from Revival is that the sizing is a little confusing. The small is described as "Chest: 36" - 42"/ 92cm - 107,cm Waist: 33"- 39"/ 84cm - 99cm", and while I'm a 41-42" chest and 36" waist, I still needed the medium, no question (couldn't even fit into the small, especially around the shoulders), and it's snug (particularly at the waist where I've put on a little since then) So an "extra inch" isn't really a concern. The garment tightens down better than it loosens up, I think.

[Brian Ames]

Hi Ryan,

I wear a gambeson and surcoat with my mid-14th century harness. I also considered revival clothing’s gambeson
but rejected it because it was too pretty and expensive to mess it up by wearing it under maille…and maille is
so filthy. I settled for cheaper yet still adequate gambesons but I noticed that revival clothing is offering a new
“wrestling coat” that appears to be a lighter weight gambeson which could serve you needs nicely I think.
http://www.revivalclothing.com/index.asp?Page...ProdID=284

You might want a little extra room in the gambeson so you can consider adding some cooling vest options since
the gambeson does add to the overall heat issue.

For a surcoat I recommend House Morningstar. Their products are very durable and come in a wide variety
and they will do custom work.
http://www.housemorningstar.com/surcoats.html

[Troy G L Williams]

Greetings,

Here are a few sites you may want to check out if you have not done so already:
http://www.steel-mastery.com/
http://www.medievaldesign.com/english.asp

There should be some items there that will give you more options.

Good luck to you!

[Ryan J. Kadwell]

Thank you all for your advice and recommendations!

I am exploring the items for sale on all sites mentioned, and I will keep you all updated with whatever progress I make.

In the meantime, my braeis, chausses and undertunic arrived yesterday in the mail, and I am pretty stoked (even though I looked like a groom's worst nightmare when I tried the stiff, white, linen undertunic on ...)

Thanks to all.

Kindest Regards,

Ryan