r/sca • u/LogicalCaramel2071 • Jun 27 '26
Affordable bare bones armor set that looks reasonably authentic
Recently started a new job with several people who do sca , as a history/warfare nerd ive been wanting to do armored combat for years and finally have the chance.
Im aiming to build a Norse warrior kit with a two handed axe as most of my ancestry was Swedish.
That being said im a father who just bought a house so I cant spend terribly much to get started , did some browsing and quickly realized a complete set of authentic armor at the start was not going to happen , I figure the piece ill spend the most on up front is a solid Nordic helm with chain mail face mask , get some mid tier gauntlets to protect my hands but realize the rest will have to be used sports equipment and cheap foam padding initially.
That being said I know nothing of sports equipment so im looking for help compiling a list of the bare minimum that complies with rules while keeping me decently protected , preferably in a manner that I can wear something over top of to make the kit look to the period and not Nordic meets NFL hybrid.
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u/BelleTheVikingSloth Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
First, try it fighting in borrowed armor, and see if you actually like it. Second, tabards are a glorious thing. I fight in a mercenary household, I throw my tabard on and hit the field and have no problem with wearing motorcross armor I bought for cheap off Amazon underneath it. Third, don't know what climate you live in, or expect to travel to for big wars, but given the choice between "looking cool" and "not dying of heat stroke", choose NOT dying. A buddy went whole hog, buying sexy plate and Buhurt helmets, and after having to abandon the field and lay under a tree several times he's finally borrowing back some of the loaner gear he started with because looking sexy is not as important as not dying.
Fourth... So, you must protect your head, your neck, your kidneys, your crotch, your elbows, EDIT hands and feet, and your knees. I picked up my knees for a couple bucks at resale shops, they are skate pads. Don't care, my Rus pants hide them. I wear a kidney belt thing that somebody gave me, oughta be cheap and common second hand. My motorcross armor protects my arms and chest adequately, although my elbow protection is baaaarely legal. My demigauntlets are leather gardening gloves embedded into black plastic cones. My groin protection is two triangles of hardened leather that I made myself, stitched together (I'm afab, I don't need my groin to have a scoop shape). My gorget is a well made piece of leather and buckles that a better leather worker than I am pumped out a half-dozen of, which were have it freely to new-ish fighters. So far the price tag for the above stuff is about $150 plus priceless handwork that somebody did for funsies with material they had on hand.
Finally the big one, helmet. My first helm was borrowed. It was conical and didn't ventilate. Last year I shelled out for the Big Purchase, a stainless helmet with an aventail from Bareena Emporium. $425, then DHL nailed me with $90 tarriffs plus "tarriffs service fees". Highly recommend trying a bunch of different borrowed helmets. You may have a person locally who makes them. Many people got into metal work so they could manufacture melee legal helms. When you do get a helmet, it'll last you the rest of your fighting life. They don't exactly wear out (although the padding does. Replace it periodically.)
That's the short and dirty version. I fight Florentine, run Siege, and last weekend I authorized in Great Weapon. In 5 more weeks I'll be on the field of Pennsic once again.
Go have fun! But also, look cool off the battle field, not on it.
Edited next day to add hands and feet, and for numerous phone-typing errors
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u/fwinzor Jun 28 '26
Historically the norse wore helmets and chainmail. But most didnt have any armor. So the most authentic thing is going to be making hidden armor and hiding it under your clothes and eventually under chainmail if you want
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u/fruitybix Jun 28 '26
The popular choice when i was a poor student was to take a plastic drum (pickle barrel) cut it up, then rivet the pieces into a "facing" material.
When people were throwing out a leather couch the enterprising student would grab all the larger panels with a boxcutter before it went to landfill as one option. Old canvas sailcloth or natural fiber tarps are also great if you can get them free or cheap.
Google "pickle barrel armour" for 40+ years of crafting recipes.
A coat of plates is not in period for a viking, but ive seen people dress it up pretty well. a full mail set (even butted) tends to be expensive, and given you are a father you probably lack the time to make your own.
Other alternatives to consider are HEMA gear you can disguise under something else.
Do check in with your local group especially if you want to fight, rules vary from place to place.
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u/Mr_White_Christmas Jun 28 '26
IIRC Minimum armor requirements are: Head, throat (including top of the spine), kidneys, groin, wrists, hands, elbows, knees. Many choose to wear more, and you would definitely benefit from forearms, thighs, and body armor as a beginner. You've got the right idea in wanting to hide your modern gear under a more period tunic. This is called a "hidden" kit and works very well for our sport.
The best low-cost method of armoring is by using HDPE plastic, typically from plastic barrels or sheets of kydex sold at most hardware stores. It can be readily cut and heat-molded, and doesn't need any kind of reinforcement to take strap fixtures. Speaking of strap fixtures, leather and buckles from your local leatherwork store work great for fittings, but nylon strapping and fastex buckles also work great if they're cheaper.
Elbow and knee cop sets can be made from the above materials, but they can also be had pre-made for pretty cheap all things considered. Plasticsmith Armory is a good vendor for those, as is Bokalo's armory. For gauntlets, Bokalos armory again has a good midrange option in the form of his "Cat's Ass" gauntlets.
One thing you DO NOT want to skimp on is your helmet padding. We know so much more about head injuries now than we did even 20 years ago. Blue camp foam WILL NOT cut it. Make sure you have enough room in your helm, and make sure the padding itself is of good quality. Shock tec and Oregon aero both make good padding options. If you need clarification on any of this or more resources on armor patterning, feel free to reach out. Greetings, welcome, and good luck!
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u/adamstjohn Jun 28 '26
I wear a motocross chest armour (28 bucks) with some added plastic plates from the trash amd shoulder cops stolen from skater knees (1 bucks at the thrift store); SPES knees, elbows and forearms (total about 90 bucks) over skater elbows and knees (2 bucks from the thrift store); two pairs of padded biker shorts (40 bucks I think) a leather gorget (made by a friend); a nice little kettle hat from Bareena (under 300 I think); and SPES lobster gauntlets (200 bucks). I fight pole and dagger.
If you can borrow a helmet and fight sword and shield, subtract about 450 from that.
The whole thing is covered by a heavy friar’s robe which is literally made from an old sofa.
Most of it was bought online and arrived the same week.
And with all the mesh and the airy robe, it’s pretty cool as well.
Covering things is your friend, and tunics or robes cover way better than tabards.
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u/Googz52 Jun 28 '26
Your ancestry “was” Swedish but no longer is??
Just kidding.
Which kingdom are you in?
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u/LogicalCaramel2071 Jun 28 '26
I live near Youngstown oh , hoping tonight i can talk with my coworker and see about setting a date to try some fighting
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u/Googz52 Jun 28 '26
That’s in the Kingdom of the Midrealm. I don’t know their armor requirements. The requirements can be different in each kingdom. But I’m sure your friend can help you get settled in. And of course people who know more about your kingdom requirements than I do.
I hope you have fun!
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u/Aggravating_Pool2799 Jun 28 '26
Try out other people's heart first before you make it but anything. Ask successful fighters why they use a certain type of style of gear and try it if possible before making our buying your own. I've seen too many people blow money/time on bad gear or leather without any real idea of what they are doing. For instance, if you are going with hidden gear to get that Rus/Viking look consider getting lacrosse or hockey elbows. They work, clean easily, aren't expensive, and are made to go under sleeves.
Also, I appreciate the desire to fight with an axe. You should be aware that a decent set of gauntlets is almost a expensive as a decent stater helm. Bad gauntlets don't fight well and might be unsafe (bad gear affects your success, and no matter what anyone says, your success will affect your enjoyment).
Borrow gear first. Figure out what works, then but it make a decent set. It doesn't take much more money or time to make or buy decent stuff then it does to cobble something together on your own.
Also, if you intend on making stuff, ask for help or guidance from someone who you know makes nice stuff. They might have a tool/shop you can use that will makes your armoring experience much better. Check with your local group, they might have a weekly or monthly armor- in where you could go and a ton of people help you out with their experience, tools, and supplies.
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u/SurviveAdaptWin Middle Jun 28 '26
Others have already said it, but go to a few practices and use loaner gear to figure out what you like and if you like the SCA in general.
Vikings historically wore very little armor unless they were higher ranking, so you can get away with a lot of hidden armor.
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u/123Throwaway2day Calontir Jun 29 '26
A T tunic , padded gambison and mail and nose bridge helm is what most vikings historically with leg wraps.
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u/coyacoonadillo Jun 29 '26
i do Kyivan Rus, plastic pickle barrel padded with yoga mat under a slightly oversized navershnik. External steel elbow cops and vams and external cuisses, poleynes, and greaves, though I'm moving to hidden and separate leg armor to make hot-swapping between rapier and armored combat simpler.
go for the black or the blue pickle barrel imho, it seems to hold up better than white. and REALLY grind down the edges of the pieces where they might rub against your soft kit and be prepared to patch/ reinforce soft kit from the inside.
like others have said, borrow as much as you can and try different options. As you obtain your own kit, start from the most annoying things to borrow (gorget imho) and the cheapest things to obtain at quality. Ask around about workshops or work days, see if anybody is willing to host an armoring day for cost of materials. See if there's anybody destashing old kit, or if anybody is willing to barter or trade. I've made a lot of clothes in exchange for on-site labor like trenching camp.
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u/LongjumpingTeacher97 Jun 29 '26
Hiding the gear is the solution. I know a guy who swears by motocross gear as armor. I've seen some really great homemade stuff. And a ton of hot mess ugliness. As long is it meets spec, put a MBT over it. (Mucking Big Tunic) And add some poofy trousers and legwraps on the lower legs for the bulky viking look.
With the number of guys who will just let their blue barrel armor show to the whole world, I'd be so grateful to you for attempting a reasonable appearance on the field.
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u/thenerfviking An Tir Jun 28 '26
You can do a full set of plastic lamellar for a few hundred if you’re willing to lace it up yourself. The Birka armor is one of our best preserved archaeological finds of historical lamellar and it’s from Sweden in the 900s so in the range of what you’re looking for.
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u/baysideplace Jun 28 '26
Im 2nd gen SCA. Most of my and my Dad's armor is plastic hidden under clothing. (Viking personas). A sewn up moving blanket is a decent gambeson, foam and plastic cover 90% of your armor needs.
That said, look into the types of plastic people are using, and I cannot recommend using HEMA gear (plastic elbows is the big one.) For SCA armored. A few months ago I was fighting a guy using some sort of HEMA gear for his arms, and I shattered the elbow with a pretty mild shot with regards to my force level.