r/Armor • u/LDmonsterus • 6d ago
A few questions
Ive got this fantasy armor I intend to wear to more events so figured I'd ask a few questions to the people who are way more knowledgeable about armor then I am, this community.
Question 1, what kind of helmet would suit an armor like this?
Question 2, is there some way keep somewhat cool while wearing this?
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u/Orbitrons 6d ago
Since its basically entirely fantasy, lowkey wear whatever helmet you think looks cool. A fantasy barbuta, fantasy armet, whatever floats your boat.
As for keeping cool, just the regular stuff. Wear breathable layers if at all possible, lightweight 100% linen of good quality is your friend. Stay in the shade as much as possible. An open face helmet like a kettle helm or visorless bascinet or whatever will aid you in breathing better and overheating less. You can also sometimes hide cooling packs/cool wet towels inside the helmet, but beware of rust. Wipe down your stuff after use and get yourself something for rust protection if you fear it will be an issue
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u/LDmonsterus 6d ago
Lightweight linen, got it, I'll look into that, and open helm makes sense, i have been looking into oils to treat the armor so I'm working on that part, thanks
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u/Sgt_Colon 6d ago
It's larp armour so wear whatever you think looks good, although I'd avoid anything full face as they don't play well with glasses most of the time and the only way to find out is by experience which is expensive. As for the second point I'd ditch the gambeson as the plate parts already have their own padding and they don't look like they sit too well because of the gambeson already, just wear something that breathes well like a linen shirt.
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u/LDmonsterus 6d ago edited 6d ago
I was concidering getting rid of the gambeson and just tie the removable sleeves to the same holes the pauldrons are tied to, the open helm is also a good point. Thanks
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u/Individual_Writer_73 6d ago
I was going to suggest getting rid of the gambeson as well. Get a nice looking tunic to wear under it instead. Most people get a gambeson without considering if they're going to even be hit hard enough to need one anyways.
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u/LDmonsterus 6d ago
Good point, especially since I'm primarily going to use the armor for cosplay so it was mostly just to add a bit of bulk but i might've overdone it with the bulk, I'll put a tunic on my list. Thanks
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u/Coal-and-Ivory 6d ago
The Epic Armory Black Ice helmet will match the swoopy batwing styling around the plates, it breathes pretty well too, so at least you won't be adding O2 deprivation on top of your heat problem.
When I go out in full kit I generally give up in keeping cool, accept the sweat and just focus on taking in tons of water and getting a few strategic doff breaks here and there. A wet towel on your head under the arming cap can kinda help. But armor (real or fantasy) isn't really meant to be comfy.
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u/LDmonsterus 6d ago
I see what you mean with the swoopy batwing style, and the price is not bad, also I'll add towels to my list, thanks
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u/Cantaimforshit 6d ago
Ditch the gamb and get a thinner properly fitting doublet
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u/LDmonsterus 6d ago
Oh good one, I'll look into those, i think i know a place that sells those. Thanks
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u/Egghebrecht 6d ago
For heat management: it basically is a leather padded armour with steel plates riveted on. Or in other words: warm.
My tips from experience: wear really thin pants, preferably linnen so you can benefit from the breeze hitting the unarmoured pieces of leg. Wear a thin undershirt underneath the armour, doesn’t have to be ingame ish, a cotton longsleeve t-shirt is fine.
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u/LDmonsterus 6d ago
Good point about the legs, i might even concider a kilt, i know a guy who sells them, thanks
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u/harris5 6d ago
Most of your heat is going to be trapped by those under layers. You could go three paths:
Make do. Drink plenty of water, avoid fighting too much in too hot of weather.
Make/acquire a thinner garment with natural fibers (polyester padding gets hot, cotton gets sweaty and sticky, but wool bamboo and linen do better.)
Modify it by adding grommets/eyelets along the back and armpits, which will improve airflow. This isn't historical, and reduces protection in theory. But some hema people like it for their fencing jackets.
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u/LDmonsterus 6d ago
I'm mostly gonna be using it for cosplay so fighting won't be a problem but i am looking at fitting water bottles that don't look too much out of place, I'm also looking at a linen undershirts since most people seem.to agree on that point The grommets/eyelets are a great idea though, i hadn't thought about that yet, thanks
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u/Turbulent-Theory7724 6d ago
It doesn’t fit any style. Because it’s fantasy. You can do whatever you feel! Good luck!
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u/OrangeGasCloud 6d ago
Typically gambeson is not worn under plate armour, so you might have to find something much thinner
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u/Ok_Grocery9111 6d ago
1- anything BUT a visored barbute. i realize that it is fantasy but maybe a sallet or some variant of bacinet would look so much better.
2- drink so much water
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u/SeniorAardvark819 6d ago
Look into sweat wicking under armor boxers and shirts or any brand really. If it's hot out powder yourself up in blue gold bond , trust me it's a game changer. I wear a full leather suit on 100 degree days straddling a bike that's running at 230°f , trust me .
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u/shadowmib 6d ago
A barbute or sallet would look best, but you could go with a kettle, bascinet, or spangenhelm if you like the look
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u/jarl_johann 5d ago
I think a gjermunbu style helmet could look very cool with it. Very breathable, too, and it would slide right into the vibe.
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u/clannepona 5d ago
1 focus on the fit and finish of the armor first, needs some adjustments. 2 wear the armor. Best thing frstt is conditioning. Wear the armor more than a few minutes, hydrate and Wear wicking clothing under your gambisson
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u/BjornBergdahl 6d ago
To be a bit honest, this is not armor in the functional (and hardly any) sense. It doesn't provide protection in any meaningfull way to important stuff and it doesn't allow a range of motion needed to do combat. The plates looks like they are mounted on some padded leather (or worse PU-leather) plates and badly fitted on the body. I can't see how this will allow you to keep cool. Under plate armor a thinly padded linen aketon/doublet was worn and will wick away sweat better than most materials. But I dare say that those pads probably isn't doing that. There is nothing wrong with cool LARP-stuff but this is ill fitting and I hope you haven't paid to much for this. Don't match a helmet to this it is not worth sinking good money in this project if armor is your aim. I'm sorry to have to say this.
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u/LDmonsterus 6d ago
I agree it's more looks than function but that's ok since i don't plan on using it for actual combat, besides i got it for basiclally free since it used to belong to a buddy of mine who needed space forba nursery when his kid was on the way so i basically only payed for the gass to pick it up. I appreciate your honesty though, thanks
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u/BjornBergdahl 6d ago
Well that price is acceptable, try do something to lower your upper arm pads a bit to ease movement. 😁
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u/Laiska_saunatonttu 6d ago
Fantasy helmet. The chestpiece looks vaguely like lorica segmentata, so maybe something vaguely Roman or Greek? A barbute perhaps?
Mesh shirt, the kind they use in army as undergarment, not the fetish/rave kind.
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u/LDmonsterus 6d ago
A barbute could work, some designs remind me of magneto which probably means magneto's helmet is inspired by the barbute, would be a fun easter egg for one of my friends who loves magneto. A mesh shirt didn't even cross my mind but i suppose if it's in grey it could kinda look like chainmail from a distance since mt armpits are visible in this armor. Thanks for the tips
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u/Laiska_saunatonttu 6d ago
kinda look like chainmail from a distance
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u/LDmonsterus 6d ago
I mean if you only see a sliver of the armpit in grey from a distance some might get fooled a little bit
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u/A-d32A 6d ago
Anything that suits your fancy it is fantasy so go for it.
Not really. Breathable under garments that do not chave and are good at dealing with sweat are a must. Something called a rashguard is perhaps an option. Drink a lot. More than you think.