Kit Update

After our trip to the Cambs Living History market and various other investigations, there are a few things to mention:

Belts

These are now very expensive - £70! I have looked into it myself, and I have ordered two leather straps for about £13-15 from two different suppliers. I've also ordered a couple of plain buckles and some strap ends from other suppliers. I reckon I can make simple belts for about £25-£30. I'll probably do an update on here after I've attempted it - I might look into embossing them too, and then start selling belts at shows for £60!

Pouches

The old D-shaped, box shaped puches are apparently now forbidden. It's hanging leather / cloth bags or nowt. I bought four for £8 each at the market, and will give one each to Adam & Tom. So I have a couple going spare for anyone who wants to cough up for one.

Helmets

Becca the Society armourer has approved the helmet I ordered, and now I'm just waiting for it to turn up. It cost £50 + £15 delivery. Maybe if we order in bulk we can get them cheaper.

Shields

I looked at bosses, they were £15 each from the only supplier I could find at the market. Having looked around the internet, that seems to be the going rate. When I know how many fighters we have who need shields, I will make a bulk order.

I will obtain the shield blanks myself, and may even make up un-rimmed shields. I won't be doing the hide around the edge - I believe struggling to tack down slippy/slimy dog-chew is a rite of passage for every warrior.

I have the Red & Green paints for anyone who needs them.

Shoes

Merchant of Menace (Luke, a Society trader) comes highly recommended for these. They are about £50 each for your basic turn shoes. Again, if enough people want them, maybe we can get some pennies off with a bulk order.

Clothes

Linen, linen, linen. Wool is still ok, of course, but who wants to wear that? Linen from Bernie the Bolt is £9-10 a metre, and Beccy & Helen are our experts on how much you need and (hopefully) how to put it together.

Cotton is no longer allowed. Nor are multi-coloured tunics - i.e., no differently coloured inserts/sleeves.

Gloves

As usual, there were some very expensive gloves on offer. I learned a trick from Black Bob years ago - buy some good modern aremoured gloves for about £10-£15 and then get some over-sized leather gloves to put over them. I will have some examples at the training session.

Armguards & Elbow-Pads

Wildly inauthentic, so should be worn beneath your tunic. But it's also a bloody good idea to have them.

Weapons

I leave your choice of weapon up to your individual tastes and financial means.

I can tell you that I saw swords (IMHO not particularly brilliant examples) going for £400. BUT: we looked up Paul Binns, the best sword-smith I've know, and he is making them for less! If you must have a sword, a Binnsy is the best choice, though they can take a while to turn up.

Of course, axes and seaxes are cheaper and easier to obtain.

Whatever you pick, make sure it's good quality & made of combat-ready spring-steel.

Other News

The weekend after training will be the TORM/ARM events, and I will be going to those to look for a standard pole, shield bosses, etc. If you want to go, let me know and I can perhaps give you a lift.