How much did you spend on your kit?

[Paul the Small]

I decline to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate me .

G-

I agree. I'm not putting that kind of info on the net for my wife to stumble across... Just sayin...

[Adamo]

Hmmm....
What I'm wearing now isn't too bad.
$300 helm
$500 gauntlets
$40 gorget
~$200 for arms and legs
So I'm wearing a 1k suit, give or take.

As of next week or so,
$1225 worth of mail
~$300 in a helm
~$200 worth of lamellar
$100 bazubands
And I haven't put together a leg harness yet

Adam

[Leo Medii]

More than my car.

[Diglach Mac Cein]

Does it count the nickles and the glue?



.

[Aaron]

I owned a car that cost $500. That doesn't mean a lot.

[Luca Sogliano]

600 bucks, give or take, but I'm a college student, and most of my big armor purchases are still ahead of me.

450 is that has been two helmets.

[Corby de la Flamme]

I think I'll be at the high end of "bang for buck" ratio.

Now here I'm talking about cash outlay, not time.

If I put my hourly contract rate on the making of my current kit, and my wife's hourly rate, I would be at the low end of the bang for buck rate.

Bottom to top:

$75 Armlann boots
$4 baseball socks
$60 motocross knees
$35 leather, dye, thread, buckles for my 15 year old gaiters
$12 linen pants (I have many pair, but let's just count one)
$20 noname brand sliding shorts & cup
$4 cotton web belt for cuisses
$80 industrial wool felting & hemp canvas for 4-5 year old cuisses
$40 cotton canvas & batting for my 8+ year old gambeson
$12 for linen for my fighting tunic
$45 leather, buckles, dye for my kidney belt
$5 for some second hand volleyball knee pads I wear on my elbows
$50 leather, buckles, dye, padding for my vambraces
$20 leather, metal bits, dye for my gorget
$150 in approximately 1990 for my aluminum Mikhail gauntlets
$200 for a second hand Knut Titanium camail
$10 or so for a Black Swan coif
$25 worth of linen for my surcoat, ink, dye..
Trade for my helmet--to purchase? Well, if I made the trade item for cash, I would probably charge $200. That's cheap for the helmet though.
$25 for the basket hilt I usually use
$5 for 37" of rattan on average

$1077. Hmm. That's higher than I expected.

The Best Shield in the World was a gift and a favor from Master Reynard of Lochmere, a very skilled woodworker who will not make them for cash, so it is literally priceless.

And of course, if I or my wife were getting an hourly cash rate for making the stuff... well, my vambraces alone would be about $500.

Now, at an amortized cost--well, the only really new stuff in the last 10 years has been new knees and the new helmet/camail. The previous helmet served for 14 years and was actually still serviceable.

For someone trying to put a decent kit together on a budget, let's imagine a few of the fancier things removed though--no camail, no gauntlets, a $50 shield, no fancy boots.

$4 baseball socks
$60 motocross knees
$35 leather, dye, thread, buckles for my 15 year old gaiters
$12 linen pants (I have many pair, but let's just count one)
$20 noname brand sliding shorts & cup
$4 cotton web belt for cuisses
$80 industrial wool felting & hemp canvas for 4-5 year old cuisses
$40 cotton canvas & batting for my 8+ year old gambeson
$12 for linen for my fighting tunic
$45 leather, buckles, dye for my kidney belt
$5 for some second hand volleyball knee pads I wear on my elbows
$50 leather, buckles, dye, padding for my vambraces
$20 leather, metal bits, dye for my gorget

$387 without helmet. Plug your own helmet cost in, as that's highly variable.

Now compare for a decent Gi. Which of course does not include mat fees.

[Roland Brokentooth]

I've probably spent less than $500 on my current rig.

However if I had to put a dollar amount on all the time, blood, sweat and tears (yes I cry a little every time I smash my thumb) went into it that number would be much higher.

[Leo Medii]

I owned a car that cost $500. That doesn't mean a lot.

OK...more than my over 10k car.

[Knut Forkbeard]

Compared with a couple of other what I'll call "mainstream" hobbies, I'd say ours is actually not that bad.

Take golf for example. You can easily spend $150 just on one round of golf...one round. Multiple that times golfing, say, 25 rounds a year and you are talking serious cash outlay just for the venue. Add in a couple of grand...or much more...for a good set of clubs, plus balls, clothes, etc. and all the sudden even a top-of-the-line late-period suit in spring steel doesn't look bad given you could fight in it every day for the rest of your life and probably never have to replace it.

Then take a look at what my girlfriend does: dirt bikes. Between the $70k motorhomes and/or the $50k toy haulers to the $100k custom-built dune buggies...now THAT is some serious cash to outlay for a hobby. Even for more normal people, your garden-variety dirtbike is going to run you likely somewhere between $5-10k..for one. Then figure you want your whole family to be able to ride, and then you have to haul it out to the desert so you need a trailer.....

Honestly, in my view, we get off pretty easy from a cash outlay perspective relative to some other pursuits.

[olaf haraldson]

Replacement cost for my current kit would be around $1300, not including weapons and shields.
It cost more than that to assemble, and I lucked out on the helmet, so that would probably cost more. With what the maille actually cost when I bought it, and what I would have expected to pay for the helm... closer to $2000.
As for all my kits put together... that would take some figuring. I've probably owned $1000 in helms alone... I've had 6, give or take.

[The Dude]

Compared with a couple of other what I'll call "mainstream" hobbies, I'd say ours is actually not that bad.

Take golf for example. You can easily spend $150 just on one round of golf...one round. Multiple that times golfing, say, 25 rounds a year and you are talking serious cash outlay just for the venue. Add in a couple of grand...or much more...for a good set of clubs, plus balls, clothes, etc. and all the sudden even a top-of-the-line late-period suit in spring steel doesn't look bad given you could fight in it every day for the rest of your life and probably never have to replace it.

Not necessarily true. My clubs were $250. (I have a driver that cost $200 like 10 years ago, but it was a gift last summer. I could probably get about $40 for it now.) Balls, just find some on the course. Check near the edge of the water hazards, tons to be found. My local course runs about $9 to walk 18. See, not necessarily that expensive.

One thing golf can't teach you, though, is to be humble when you find out that the wheezing old guy that just owned you turns out to be a SuperDuke from 40 years back...

[RoaK]

I’ve spent about 2K up to the current kit (evolved from 3 styles of kits) with about another 2.9K going to be dropped on the spring steel 14th century burial kit.

[Larmer]

I have probably spent $7,000 over the past 20 years on armour. Major purchase was a (Lyle) bascinet 10 years ago from Jeffery Hedgecock. That set me back over $2 K. I have purchased other helms over the years, tempered high carbon steel legs and arms from Mandrake for about $500 IIRC, gauntlets from Windrose for $600, shield blanks, various cloth items from Black Swam, Revival Clothing, Armlan for shoes, jupon from Princess Adrielle etc. There have of course been consumables especially rattan, tape and foam.

I am not skilled at making things so I patronize those who are good at making things. I need to get myself an new helm, finger gaunlets, and a mail shirt. I would like to get a full breast, back and fauld but that is probably years off.

Overall that is pretty cheap compared to what I could have spent on many other middle class hobbies.

[rob(in)]

around $1500 for everything. from helm to pads to rattan.

biggest bits were the custom Dirk provocator helmet ($850) and custom shovel greaves from Carlo ($180). everything else is padding and garb that i made myself. next biggest outlay is the aluminum shield from Windrose at $100.

[Karl Helweg]

Flying kit (far left) is very close to $1,200. as shown:

[img]http://gambesons.com/albums/gww-2008/adn.jpg[/img]

partially because I have had some parts so long and partially because I am so cheap that I do a lot of finishing work myself.

Vis. Karl von Sussen helm+polishing+plating+vervelles+padding+rivet aluminum mail+Hjalmr extra face=$476.00 makes up the highest single part. Sigh, I need to make my own fingered gauntlets.

My Landsknecht is about $400 not including guarb which is hard to put a price on. But I made most of it myself.

(That is Proxus in the center.)

[Wulfgar]

My current kit cost me around 2.5k

Total spending probably looking at around 10k when I consider my 7 helmets, 4 sets of body armour, 3 sets of legs, 2 sets of arms and then things like shields and swords and other things.

If I took in to account garb and accessories it would be more again.

[Blaine de Navarre]

Replacement value of current kit maybe 1500-2k
Over the years, not that much more as I wore some damn cheap armour, maybe 3K total, without adjusting for inflation.
Bought first great helm in about '81-'82 for $25, so if that 3k were all adjusted for inflation maybe double.
My third helmet was $175, which seemed like a lot of money in '92, off the table of this young guy who didn't even have his laurel yet, named Luther...wonder if it has value as a collector's item now?

[Ceawlin Alreding]

Boots $125
Winnegas, (cheaters) $10
Trousers- old, recycled garb
Tunic -about $45
Greaves $50?
Elbows $40 in the early 90's?
Vambraces $35
Half gauntlets $30?
Leather full gaunts $150
Shield $50
Basket $40
Various and Sundry padding bits $50
A helluva lotta Thorvaldr Scales- $400
Helmet $600
Gorget $50
So a total of $1,675

Damn, that added up. This is bits and pieces that have been around from the 90s added on to some more recent purchases. A decent amount of stuff I made in a friend's garage, I've listed his "buddy" shop price.

[Donald St. Colin]

<a href="http://s155.photobucket.com/albums/s294/russell_smith93/smilies/?action=view&current=ttiwwop.gif" target="_blank"><img src="http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s294/russell_smith93/smilies/ttiwwop.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

$550.00

Money goes farther when you make your own helms. Costs about $100.00 to make variations to my persona.

[Murdock]

i started adding up armour staring with my first hat

i got to my original 14th century is rig

including rattan shields tents armor and garb

i had gotten to $20,000 and change as of about 7 years ago


now


epp!

i quit adding

[gmandragora]

I have never counted the cost. I figure i have about 50% in cash and 50% in sweat.

[Hjlmr inn Danski]

Greetings,

i started adding up armour staring with my first hat

i got to my original 14th century is rig

including rattan shields tents armor and garb

i had gotten to $20,000 and change as of about 7 years ago


now


epp!

i quit adding

As long as you're driving yourself insane, don't forget to factor in site fees, gas, food costs, and beer.

In this regard, ignorance is bliss.


Hjlmr inn Danski

[Murdock]

That included 6 rigs and about 9 helmets and all the assorted gear to event with, chests tets tables ect.

I didn't count trailer rental, event fees and such

I have no idea how much all the adds to.


But hey if i wan't doing this it would be ISPC or Civil War or WWII or Buckskinners or Airsoft or something.

[Theodulf]

Howabout subtracting what you've made selling armour? Some people will go into very large minus figures.

[SirOlafr]

I'd have to say through the kits over the last several years, I've easily had $3,000 pass through armor and accessories.

Current kit:
Sir Brand Ocular Helm w/locking cheek - Couldn't get another, but I paid $400.
Rivetted mail haubergeon- Used $300. New probably $600 to $700
Torvaldr bazubands - about $140.
EGG Gauntlets - about $140
gorget - leather homemade $5
Crash pads - $80
Zoombang shirt - $85
gloves - $40
various padding - $30
molded plastic knee cops - $80
boots - Bohemond $120
linen tunics/pants - homemade $80
belts - $40

[Donald St. Colin]

<a href="http://s155.photobucket.com/albums/s294/russell_smith93/smilies/?action=view&current=OMG.gif" target="_blank"><img src="http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s294/russell_smith93/smilies/OMG.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[brewer]

Compared with a couple of other what I'll call "mainstream" hobbies, I'd say ours is actually not that bad.

No foolin'. Any competitive hobby can become expensive. Armoured combat is one of the least expensive I've stumbled across.

In the SCA, for example, the really, really expensive stuff - like a full suite of late-C15 Milanese plate from Mac or something - is more than I paid for the RH van. But that doesn't necessarily make you competitive in the sport of SCA armoured combat, does it? Nope. There are Dukes out there who fight like crazed wombats in armour worth less than $500, and can beat anyone. In fact, there's a pretty strong school of thought that says less is more when it comes to being competitive in the sport.

Now let's use another hobby - amateur radio - as a counterexample. The competitive pursuit in amateur radio is contesting. In order to make a decent score in an on-the-air contest, you need some gear.

To start, you need a decent contesting radio. That's around $2K at a bare minimum; top-flight rigs cost from $4K to $10K, with an everage of about $6K. Add in another $2K for station peripherals like a good set of headphones with integral mic, computer integration, etc.

Increasing competition means adding power. So you'll need to add a good linear amplifier. You can get a decent contesting unit for ~$4K.

Then you need to connect the coax to a good antenna system. You can't contest if you can't hear and be heard, and that takes good antennas. It's in the antennas that a wise contester goes a little apesh!t. We're talking at least two towers at least 60' - with all the concrete, civil engineer's certs, permits, installation, etc., that's about $10K per tower. Add in the directional antenna arrays - you'll need at least six - for around $25K. Add in low-band systems for 1.8 and 3.5MHz - another $4K, and a Gee's worth of wire and low-loss cable.

So: $12K for what's inside the station. $50K for the antenna system. That's more than $60,000 - and that'll only make you halfway competitive. You need to do more to become a real player - like two separate radios, coupled to dedicated amplifiers with automatic bandswitching and bandpass filtration, probably a move to a quieter (radio-wise) location - read: Buy a new house in the country or property on an island somwhere - upgrade towers and install stacks of monoband directional aerials, phased arrays of verticals for low-band work, beverage antennas radiating for kilometers in at least eight directions - things add up really, really quickly.

I know one guy who's dropped at least $3 million into radiosport. Most estimates say $100-500K for a competitive mid-level station in a good location in the Lower 48. $500K - 1M for a top-flight station in the Lower 48. Double all numbers for overseas stations.

That's if you're really competitive and want to win, mind. If you just want to have fun and score some points, you can have a station like mine that cost less than $5K.

So yeah, armoured combat enthusiasts get off light, so far as Big Boy Hobbies go.

Bob

[Ian Mac D]

Current kit(semi-historical sport kit):
Helm (Master Tearloch: $275+$10 for padding, buckle, & strap) $285
Gorget, body armor, arms, half gauntlets ($90 ebay leather purchase + $20 in buckles, rivets, thread etc.. )$110
Elbows (Bokalo: aluminum) $12
Weight belt $25
Drop hip plate belt (free plastic barrel, found belt, $1 in rivets) $1
Knees ($18 in knee braces +plastic home made cops from free barrels) $18
Under Armour (2 head caps, 3 shirts , 3 shorts, jock, cup) $210
Gambeson (fabric, thread, cording, & suede) $20
Sweat pants (heavy duty) $30
Wool socks (5 pairs) $60
Tunic $30
Kilt $10
Gauntlets (aluminum clamshells with steel thumbs) FREE {traded for old pair of hockey gloves that I had been given]
Gloves for half gauntlets/gauntlets $30
Boots (Son of Sandlar Peasant Boot with Vibram soles) $240
Basket hilts (Ice Falcon Stainless steel:3 @ $95/per + $10 in hose clamps) $295
2 Shields (Mandrake blank: $65, Iron Monger basket $30, rivets, strap, hose: $10) $210
Lochaber axe (By My Hand Designs head) $15
Spear (Mandrake) $25
Claymore cross hilt (Iron Monger) $15
Rattan (currently) $60

Total for current kit: $1701
Replacement cost would be more I'm sure because of price increases and having to buy clamshells.

A lot of my earlier kits were made of found/gifted parts but I spent (estimated):
Boots (Jammin Leather) $80
Leather $75
Helm (Armory: spun top) $65 {sold to a friend]
Buckles, straps, rivets $20
Cup hilts (???:2 aluminum @ $30) $60 {Gave to my wife to use]
Rattan (many staves) $500

Total: $800

WOW! if I had that all that money back I'm sure I would have a better(more period) kit than I do.

[Broadway]

Current rig:

$225 Helm from Whitebat
$255 Aventail with dags from weldedchainmail.com
tabbard torse and mantle were all given to me by friends
$25 full hockey arm for right arm
$15 small hockey elbow for left arm
$55 lacross rib protector
$50 half side of garment weight black leather
$85 half side of really thick leather
$130 stainless archers knees from Illusion
$5 55 gallon black plastic barrell
$75 aluminum shield blank
$10 cup and jockstrap

Not counting all the various sword baskets and crosshilts, and plywood and canvas and paint, and sweatpants, and socks, and all that random stuff...

Also not counting all the various crap I've bought and tried, but found out that it didn't work, etc...

Roughly... $900

[Jan]

Compared with a couple of other what I'll call "mainstream" hobbies, I'd say ours is actually not that bad.

No foolin'. Any competitive hobby can become expensive. Armoured combat is one of the least expensive I've stumbled across.

Heck...I think I've got more money in my collection of manuscript facsimiles than in my current armor! Now, if I were to add it all up, as this is my fourth helm, and I've been through a couple shields, knees, basket hilts, &c it probably tips the other way.

Honestly, I have no idea what my kit cost me. I bought some of it so long ago I've forgotten what the pieces ran me.

[Aaron]

Hi Brewer,

I've known people to spend $2K on golf...for the weekend (and that was just green fees and alcohol!!).

My sport is cheap!


Gas, food and creature comforts for events actually chew up more finances IMO.


-Aaron

[Blaine de Navarre]

Compared with a couple of other what I'll call "mainstream" hobbies, I'd say ours is actually not that bad.

No foolin'. Any competitive hobby can become expensive. Armoured combat is one of the least expensive I've stumbled across.

I always compare SCA fighting to golf. Some investment in equipment for both, with choices ranging from used and low-end with an entry level as low as a couple hundred up to tens of thousands. Green fees vs. SCA site fees. Stay close to home or travel for either.

An article I read a few years ago said the average American golfer spent roughly $20,000 annually on the hobby. I know of only a very small number of SCAers who would be anywhere near that. Jousters probably get there or exceed it considering the cost of keeping horses and necessarily higher quality arms.

[Aaron]

Jeepers! For $20K a year I could order a brand new Mac or Hedgecock suit in spring steel every year, and use it like it was disposable.

[horsefriend]

OMG!, TG! I make my own kit!

Right now, well under $800, half that for the custom gambesson, I'd guess.

Over the last 30 years?, I shudder to think of the costs to make the stuff, let alone if I had to buy it. Highpoints; Milanese 3/4 in 1050; steppes style rawhide and steel lamellar coat (knees to elbows); brass and stainless mail&plate hauberk, etc. Hell, I've probably made myself 20 different helmets since I started. Many years ago I was fairly infamous for have a substantively new harness for every Crown (West, 3x a year)

I really can't begin to tally costs. : /


alail/scott