The Armour Archive

Archivers,

I am tired of the weight of my 14th century legs and want to go hidden sport but I am not sure what to buy. Can I get some recommendations from you good folks, please?

I have looked online at some motocross legs but I am not sure if they will hold up to the rigors of heavy. Do these work for heavy? Anybody have any experience with motocross legs on the field?
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/2/ ... uards.aspx

If anyone has a better recommendation I am all ears. I fight out in Atenveldt (Arizona USA) so I am looking for something that breaths well and will be low profile enough to go under some lightweight baggy pants. The protection provided is of course a big requirement. I am going on 40 so I need to try and keep my aging bones protected.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

I bought a pair of the force pro motocross legs, but I did not like the protection offered for side impact. Even with an additional plate added (as would be required), it did not have enough padding on the edge for my liking. They were great for front impact, though.

I currently wear leather cuisses (not hardened) that are pointed to some fanless, aluminum knee cops. While they are not VERY low profile, they are adequate protection and hide well under somewhat baggy pants.

I wear splinted leather legs (not hardened), plastic knee cops, and haxpad shorts under linengarb pants for my Vendel era kit. The hexpad may be too much depending on what kingdom you fight in. So far, its the best setup I have used.



Marcus

I bought padded legs from Known World. I hung them with the leather cop facing out. This provides solid exterior protection to the outside of the knee. I use a hard plastic sport knee pad for the front. When you hang them with the knee cops facing out they also provide excellent cover high up an the thigh, where it seems lots of shots seem to find when unpadded. They looked pretty good under trousers and pass the 15-25 ft eye test. They were excellent for my Viking kit.

How about a pair of splinted aircraft aluminum legs? You can stil have the look without all of the weight. A pair of these weighs about 3 lbs, for BOTH!!!

http://store.fastcommerce.com/icefalcon ... 424-p.html

The pair i am wearing currently are made from the extra plates i had from my lamellar shirt.. Super light, super low pro, very protective..

If your curious i can shoot some pics and post em..

If you want hidden leg armor that is lightweight and highly protective, you need to get in Sir Haroun's queue.

Here's the review I did: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=130881&hilit=haroun

It's been almost 2 years since that review and I still have nothing but awesome to say about these legs.

I own a set of 14th century full legs and greaves that I'll wear for demos or when I want to 'play dress up,' but for sport fighting, Haroun's leg armor is the best I've ever worn.

Fight the good fight, and go with a period answer. 14th century means you can do with padded defenses, which are not only effective, light and easily available, but cost effective.



If you want lighter armor, you should wear lighter armor, not give into the plastic devil! They also come in white, and are also available with leather caps. I know lots of folks with either point knee cops to them, or just sew/rivet steel disks inside to cover all three points.

http://www.therionarms.com/reenact/ther ... c1191.html

I wear a pair of these.

Lightweight but protective (and still 14th cent.)

http://gambesons.com/gamboissed-cuise

The pair i am wearing currently are made from the extra plates i had from my lamellar shirt.. Super light, super low pro, very protective..
If your curious i can shoot some pics and post em..

Kormak, I am intrested. In fact I would love to see pics of all the undergarments armor. Im kind of bashfull when it comes to grabing down a guys pants, especially when he is fully armed...Now peeking up a skirt is a matter all together different!

Uilliam Le Syngur Ingelrie wrote:Kormak, I am intrested. In fact I would love to see pics of all the undergarments armor. Im kind of bashfull when it comes to grabing down a guys pants, especially when he is fully armed...Now peeking up a skirt is a matter all together different!

I'm interested in pics, Uilliam.

kk well i'll shoot some pic of them..

So heres what they look like..

More..

Sooo, thats them in a nutshell..

Super simple to lace up. The plates are aluminum, knees are mild..

Pattern was done in the span of 20 mins.. I think I had to tinker with them once or twice after I got them done.. Just to remove plates that were biting and pinching around my fat thighs..

I will be replacing the mild knees with a set of plastic cops.. Plus using some thinner leather for the attachments points.. Should lighten the whole rig up even more..

I am very surprised this kind of rig hasnt popped up on here previously..

Hope this helps yall..

Thanks for all the advice. I went to a CyclePro today and looked at the motocross legs. They are not even remotely good for heavy. I actually laughed when I held them in my hands. They would probably keep the flying pebbles from stinging your knees in a race, but a flying super duke would blow right through them.

Ice,
Thanks for the link but as awesome as those legs are and how much I would love to own a set they are about $250 out of my price range.

I have looked at the 14th century padded armor and it is not for me. Thanks for the links though.

Kormak,
That is a pretty cool design and I might just try that out. I found the plastic lam plates http://www.plasticlamellar.com/Plates/auk-plate and paracord is cheap. I even think that I have a set of Stonekeep knee cops laying around. Approximately how many plates are in each leg?

I'll get the specifics tonite once i get home..

I dont know how good the plastic plates are, but i have taken some monster shots to my legs and the lamellar absorbs blows very well.. Not too much, not too little, that just right area of sting and noise..

Also, those are the plates from Ebonwolfe i'll check the dimensions as well..

before you go redesigning your kit you may want to look at how your legs are hung. If your legs are hung properly the weight of each leg should be born by the legs and hips. hanging them correctly could save you from paying hundreds for what may be a $60 fix. Even unnecessarily heavy leg (like 12g stainless) shouldn't be bad if they are hung right. Like all armor, it will work better for you if it was made for you, meaning it was cut and shaped to fit your legs as opposed to an off the shelf piece.

Hidden legs are OK if you really NEED to wear them to give the correct look to your persona. For example if you were say portraying an 11th century Norseman leg armor would be an oddity, but you need something to comply with the SCA rules so covered legs that clearly show the placement of the knee are what you need. If you are doing early 14th (read 1320) a padded cuisses is the way to go something like this , as we progress deeper into the 14th you get more "plate".

For my experience though, if you are fighting your legs, (weight, movement) then first adjust how they are hung, then get a set made for your legs not ones "that will work" on you.

Thanks for the advice on hanging and fit of my current legs. I wear a pair of steel legs that were custom made for me by Armorer Eric and they are hung on one of the Pitbull arming belts. The fit and hang of the legs is very good and I have never had an issue with them slipping or sitting funny. The weight of my legs do sit with an even distribution on my hips and legs. I just want to lighten up my gear and my legs are the heaviest things that I wear. I have no intention of changing my current setup with my current legs and they will be there in the armor chest for the times that I want to be pretty.

For the big hot wars when I am on the field for several hours a day is when I want the lighter easier breathing rig. In melee I almost never get hit in the legs and lately I have been just wearing a simple knee cop. The wife is the one that gets pissed when I go out with less protection so I am trying to find a good solution with a balance of protection airflow and lightness. (with the scales tipping to the light and aery)

Marked Difference wrote:Thanks for the advice on hanging and fit of my current legs. I wear a pair of steel legs that were custom made for me by Armorer Eric and they are hung on one of the Pitbull arming belts. The fit and hang of the legs is very good and I have never had an issue with them slipping or sitting funny. The weight of my legs do sit with an even distribution on my hips and legs. I just want to lighten up my gear and my legs are the heaviest things that I wear. I have no intention of changing my current setup with my current legs and they will be there in the armor chest for the times that I want to be pretty.

For the big hot wars when I am on the field for several hours a day is when I want the lighter easier breathing rig. In melee I almost never get hit in the legs and lately I have been just wearing a simple knee cop. The wife is the one that gets pissed when I go out with less protection so I am trying to find a good solution with a balance of protection airflow and lightness. (with the scales tipping to the light and aery)

Then, as BaronGaston suggested, it is much better solution to make lighter, 14th century appropriate legs.

2 options I can think of:

1) Gamboised (padded) cuisses with knee cops pointed to them. You can use plastic or aluminum splints if you need additional protection over the padding.

2) Lighter weight leather (4-5oz I am guessing), with internal plastic/aluminum splints, pointed to knee cops.

Heck, if you want to get clever, you can get appropriately-shaped lacrosse shinguards and cover them with leather for greaves.

Is anyone usign the garden hose cuisses still?

Halbrust wrote:Is anyone usign the garden hose cuisses still?

Last time I fought Duke Cuan he was. He seemed happy with them.