The Armour Archive

My wife is thinking about trying SCA combat. She hasn't been in armor yet (mine doesn't fit her well enough to try it.) I'm working on seeing whether she can borrow stuff from a local to try it. I'm torn about how much to spend--this hobby isn't safe or fun with crappy gear, but we don't know whether she enjoys it yet.

Head circumference 22.5." I like minimum padding of exactly .5." She might want more padding, but I want to avoid padding a large helmet with a silly amount of padding. A larger helmet (like mine) would probably be too tall and end up resting on her shoulders.

Style wise, something 14th century maybe a hinged bar grill bascinet, but I recognize we can't be picky about style if price is a factor.

Before I talk with armourers about a new helm--do any of you have a used helmet near this size? If you do, please contact me with pics and price.

I have this one laying around. (made it to small, had to remake) helm is 27.5" at browband, should fit. $200.

Actually I take that back, that helm is sold.

Not to discourage but I'd wait til after she tries it a few times in loaner gear before you think about new a helmet.

Sevastian wrote:Not to discourage but I'd wait til after she tries it a few times in loaner gear before you think about new a helmet.

What he said; you'd hate to layout the cash only to have to resell the stuff if she finds she's not interested, and you're not likely to get what you paid for it in the resell.

This is true. Hence my statement about talking with local folks. Fact is, though, if nothing fits, then we would have to buy a helm for her to try it.

Yeah, unfortunately for your situation, most loner gear tends to be on the large side. I would suggest reaching out to other female fighters in your area, as they are more likely to have gear in something like your lady's size.

22-1/2 is not an unusually small head. It's very common, though the height issue could be a problem. I have a couple of small-size helmets in pieces in the shop, but they don't really fit your criteria, price-wise.

Look for something that fits her reasonably well, and /hopefully/ of a style that she likes, and she'll be a lot more likely to enjoy the experience. Chicks dig fashion.