[Scott H.]

Please tell me I didn't make a huge mistake in ordering the "arming cap & gambeson set" from By-The-Sword. It looked pretty good to me but I was wondering if anyone out there has anything to say about it.

Thanks,

Scott

[Bill Grandy]

Is this the black one made by Hanwei?

If so, it's okay. I bought one a while back. The padding is a little thin, and the stitching will start to come undone after awhile, but then again, its pretty inexpensive, so the old addage on what you pay for is applied here as usual. Isn't accurate for living history, but if you want some basic padding for light bouting that captures the flavor of the period, even if not exactly correct, it'll do for a start.

[Mark Mattimore]

I have that set too and have been happy with it. Not the highest-quality but a good value for the money. I agree that it could be a bit thicker for some extra protection. I was really looking for a gambeson that I could beat up and not worry about. You know, get it muddy, tears here and there and not care. I can beat the hell out of this one and then just buy another. So bottom line, no, it wasn't a huge mistake at all. Just realize you get what you pay for.

[Scott H.]

Thanks guys

Just wondering, what is it that makes it non-historical? Is it the materials, or the style, or something else altogether?

Also, where would you recommend getting a more accurate one for the 13-14th centuries?

[Mark Mattimore]

Not being a re-enactor I can't really comment on what makes it non-historical.

As for a good quality, historically accurate gambeson you might try Revival Clothing. I've never personally ordered from them but they seem to have nice stuff and I've heard good things about their quality.

http://revivalclothing.com/

Hope this helps.

[Kel Rekuta]

[Scott H.]

Kel-

That is an excellent question

As I'm pretty new to all of this, right now I'm just trying to build a set to go around my Albion Baron. Eventually, I'd like to get into Historical Longsword Combat. I also wouldn't mind being able to walk into a reenactment without getting laughed at. But for right now I quess I'd just be putting the stuff on, looking in the mirror, and saying (to myself), "Man, do YOU look cool!!"

PS. Mark, thanks for the link!

Scotto

[Jean Thibodeau]

Scott;

Exactly my feeling: Put it on look in the mirror and admire my reflexion!

A friend has seen the Revival Clothing gambison worn by a 300 pound friend and was impressed by the quality, the friend wearing it seemed pleased with his purchase.

I am restraining myself from buying it NOW just to put a little space and time between my major purchases.

I bought recently the 14th century arms from Mercenary's Tailor and am very pleased with them, but putting them on over a thick kangorou sweater just doesn't work well: a good Gambison seems essential for both comfort and to keep thing from shifting up and down. If the layer underneat, the sweater, move around the armour over it won't be any more stable.

The thigh high boots look very good also (REVIVAL CLOTHING) again, but my friend who has skinny legs says that I should check with them before buying as he found them a little tight around the calves. ( And I have 17" calves.)

[Jeff Johnson]

[Gene Davis]

I have to agree that the Revival gambesons are probably the best, most historically accurate "off the rack" gambesons you are likely to find. I own the linen model and it is simply exquisite. I bought it in December, so haven't gotten to experience it in summer heat, but customer reviews claim its natural batting and linen outer shell work well to keep them from over-heating. From what I've read, the cotton one is a little bulkier while the linen one is a closer fit to wear under armor. However, I think an important consideration here is cost. The Revival gambeson is an investment and I think it worth thinking about the kind of end use you want from the gambeson you buy. Do you really want to spend $300 or more for a gambeson that will get muddy, torn, etc? Or just to look at yourself in the mirror for that matter? But if your goal is serious, historically accurate sword training, and the proper equipment to support it, the Revival gambeson is the one to buy, hands down.

[Gene Davis]

Just want to add that although I fully endorse Revival's gambeson, I'm sure there are alternatives, but that probably means having something custom tailored.

[Alexi Goranov]

I decided agains "revival clothing". Just somehow did not look quite right. For $300 I am getting a custom gambeson by John Heinz. He is using several 14th c. examples for the cut. It is linen outer shell, stuffed with wool.

It will look something similar to the picture in the first post on this thread , but the cut and length will be different

Alexi

[Johan S. Moen]

[Alexi Goranov]

[Johan S. Moen]

[Jean Thibodeau]

Alexi;

Good looking Gambison design you are having custom made, but why use wool for stuffing? I would think that this would make it an excellent winter coat as well as good under-armour.

I'm not saying that you don't have good reasons for using wool, but I would be curious about the advantages of using wool as opposed to cotton filler.

Thank for the heads up about this site. ( Nice to have the option of having something custom made. )

[Alexi Goranov]

[Jean Thibodeau]

Alexi;

Here is a quote from a private E-Mail I had with Allan Senefelder about Gambison where he mentions one advantage of using hemp as stuffing. (Just a small part of a longer personnal message.)

("Hemp fiber is really tough but more importantly for your purpose hemp has a peculiar quality which is that while it does absorb sweat like any other fabric, unlike most it neutralises the smell produced." )

Not that I wish to dispute your choice of wool, but I think that this information would be of general interest and stimulate further discussions about Gambison construction.

As you said both will be equally warm! But as long as they breathe it won't cause the problems that a polyester type fill would cause. (Heat stroke ....... LOL.)

My own choice will probably be to go for maximum comfort rather than 100% historical accuracy: So Linen shell cotton fill for me, and off the rack from Revival Clothing in all probability.

Although re-reading one of your earlier post I noticed that the price for your custom version is $300 dollars which is very similar in price to the revival clothing stuff. Any idea how long the wait will be to get the finished Gambison?

With a custom version I might change my mind and consider hemp instead of cotton and the advantages of
custom tailoring .

Bottom line: Still in window shopping mode and thanks again for the head-up about the John Heinz site information

[Alexi Goranov]

[Jessica Finley]

For what it's worth, (and as far as my understanding goes) Linen and Wool don't react to wetness in the same way that Cotton does. Cotton fibers absorb and trap wetness in them. Linen doesn't absorb water at all, it just rides on the outside of the fibers, and Wool doesn't absorb water, but changes shape in reaction to the water.

After all, these are three very different fibers. Linen is the fibers from the stalk of the Flax plant. Wool is the hair of a sheep, and the fibers are kinky and under a microscope seems to be covered in scales. It's these scales that open up and "hold" water when wet, which is why wool can be wet, but not feel so. Cotton is the fluff from the seed pod of the cotton plant. Hemp, for what it's worth, is the most similar to Linen, as it is also fibers from the stalk of the plant.

The benefit to stuffing a gambeson with wool as opposed to cotton, in terms of water retention, is that the sweat will ride "outside" the wool fibers and will actually cause the wool to "fluff up", and after the wool dries, it will come back to a normal state. The bacteria that will, inevitably, invade your gambeson along with your sweat, are not able to penetrate the fiber. Cotton, however, opens up with water, and it's fibers become susceptible to the bacteria, which will begin to feed upon the fibers.

In short, a Linen gambeson stuffed with wool will smell less than one made of cotton and stuffed with cotton. And it will last longer and retain it's shape better.

I have less experience with hemp, but based on it's fiber properties, I'd expect it to react similar to linen in the "sweat" realm.

Jess