Chainmail & Padded Armor

About

Chainmail and Padded Armor Two pieces of kit have kept fighters protected for over a thousand years. A quilted padded layer worn close to the body. Chainmail on top. That combination outlasted every alternative Europe came up with, and the reason is simple: it works. At Epic Armoury, we make both. Chainmail in riveted and butted steel, padded armor in quilted cotton, and everything you need to layer them correctly and keep them in good shape. At a glance: Two categories: Chainmail and padded armor, designed to work together or independently Layering: Padded armor typically goes under chainmail, though some padded garments work just as well over it Weight: A standard steel hauberk weighs between 10 and 15 kg, worth keeping in mind for full day events Use: LARP, reenactment, cosplay, display, and collection What Is Chainmail and Padded Armor? Chainmail or historically, maille, is a mesh of interlocking metal rings. It has been in use since at least the 4th century BCE, and for most of the medieval period it was the armor that ordinary soldiers actually wore. Not plate. Not leather. Maille. Because it moved with the body, stopped blades, and could be repaired with a pair of pliers and spare rings. Padded armor is what makes chainmail liveable. The gambeson, arming coat, aketon, padded jack: different names, same idea. A quilted layer worn underneath that does two things chainmail on its own simply cannot. It stops the rings from pinching and grinding against skin during movement. And it absorbs blunt force, the kind of impact that rings deflect but do not stop. Chainmail handles the edge. Padded armor handles the force behind it. The two have been worn together for as long as both have existed, and for good reason. What You Will Find in This Category Chainmail covers the full range: hauberks, haubergeons, chain shirts, skirts, coifs, mantles, and sleeves. Two construction types across the range. Riveted chainmail has each ring overlapped and pinned shut. It holds under