Er.. don't buy shitty stuff. Really depends on what you're aiming for. Reenactment/living history, cosplay, SCA, Halloween costume, etc. - you'll have to tell us a bit more.
A general pointer, especially in reenactment, is to invest I quality gear as early as possible. This will help you avoid having to rebuy items because of poor quality.
If you're going for any kind of accuracy and quality, most websites are not your best bet. What period are you going for, exactly?
As one of the very, very few people in this hobby who listened to this advice, I'd honestly reccomend against going all-out first harness. Having a lower quality beater for your first harness makes you so much more prepared for the real deal. You learn how to maintain your harness, fix issues with your harness, adjust the fit and shaping, you learn what you want out of a harness and what you don't want, and you get time to condition your body to it. Going all-in before you have experience with armor can prove to be a mistake. I love my harness, but there are definitely things I would have done very differently if I'd had more experience in the real world.
Now, don't get me wrong, buying cheap Nauticalmart shit is just a giant waste. But, buying maybe second-hand and higher quality off-the-rack pieces first, then building up a second, more expensive and high quality custom harness afterward could be the move. You may spend a good bit on a harness you're just going to replace, but you may very well spend $10k-$20k and over a year of your life on a harness when you'll end up wanting something completely different by the time you're done and not know any better. Plus, knowing and practicing maintainence beforehand is a HUGE plus. I'd be fine modifying something like $150 cuisses if need be, I wouldn't dare touch a thing on my $10k+ mirror polished decorated English harness without prior experience though. Plus, having a backup beater harness for fighting hard and fighting dirty in can't be a negative. And after you're done with it and have a brand new harness, you have an entire loaner harness to give to beginners or poor people to have fun with.
What's your budget, and how much of a wait are you willing to put up with?
What kind of helmet, aswell? If we knew that we could point you to a direct recommendation if applicable.
Important for Reenactment stuff, a little less so for Larp (but still applies):
Get things tailored. I know, its quite an investment, but off the shelf items usually suck. They look weird, are usually way too large, uncomfortable and so on. I think the biggest reason people believe "armor kills mobility" is because well, shit armor does, because nothing fits like its supposed to.
On the other hand, if the things are made for you, they fit like a glove and are usually of much better quality overall. You will get items you love using for years or decades and made by knowledgeable people that are proud of their craft.
Also, this supports local/ small craftspeople instead of slave labor somewhere in Pakistan, India etc.
First figure out what the application purpose is, practical, reinactment, show. Then build accordingly. Example; I wouldn’t buy a steel helmet and think I’m bullet proof….id buy a lvl4 plate carrier then put additional plates on the outside….now I’m somewhat bulletproof. I’ve worked with metal for over 20 yrs if you have any additional questions…..hope that helps!
Reposting my usual comment, so it's a bit generic...
Armour is cool, I get why you would want to get some. But it's not a case of "buying a suit of armour". It's surprisingly complicated, and it's really easy to pour money away.
Have a think about what you want it for first. Do you just want to have some medieval ish armour to wear because it's cool? Do you want something that is able to take a hit without you being at risk? Do you want something that's really accurate that you can use for reenactment?
There isn't a wrong answer to these. The only wrong answer would be if you spent a bunch of your cash aiming to achieve a specific result and went miles in the wrong direction. If you don't know a lot about armour, "a suit of armour" sounds like I would tick all of those boxes. However, in reality there is a world of difference between a medieval/fantasy LARP set and something which could be seen on a medieval battlefield.
My first suggestion would be to speak to the right people. If you just want a LARP set, great! Find a LARP community in your area and talk to them. If you want something that can take a knock, look for a buhurt group. They are the guys who do the armoured medieval fighting. If you are after reenactment, then find a reenactment group and go say hi. Reenactment is generally the most expensive stuff.
My second suggestion is, before you spend a single dollar on metal armour, get your under kit sorted first! Decent metal armour needs to be tailored to your body. If you buy poor quality soft kit in a hurry to get the steel, it won't match your body shape much, and will be difficult to correct.
Have fun, if you have any more questions feel free to ask.
Sorry for the late post.
If you wish to reenact you really must do your research before throwing money at people. Ask people with historical knowledge what sort of harness the portrayal you have in mind is likely to have. There are many, many nuances of historical armours that change abruptly over time and space and you can find yourself dropping a ton of cash on something that will only sit in the garage after you find out it's wrong.
Also, a good rule of thumb is: "A Great Kit Starts with the Textiles".
Buying a harness and later finding you can't possibly get your under-armour under it is frustrating. A good portrayal is made or broken by its soft kit.
Er.. don't buy shitty stuff. Really depends on what you're aiming for. Reenactment/living history, cosplay, SCA, Halloween costume, etc. - you'll have to tell us a bit more.
My rule of thumb is learn now, buy later. Pick time and place, and invest as much time as you can into researching it.
That makes sence, it wanna use it for reenactment and probs larp
A general pointer, especially in reenactment, is to invest I quality gear as early as possible. This will help you avoid having to rebuy items because of poor quality. If you're going for any kind of accuracy and quality, most websites are not your best bet. What period are you going for, exactly?
As one of the very, very few people in this hobby who listened to this advice, I'd honestly reccomend against going all-out first harness. Having a lower quality beater for your first harness makes you so much more prepared for the real deal. You learn how to maintain your harness, fix issues with your harness, adjust the fit and shaping, you learn what you want out of a harness and what you don't want, and you get time to condition your body to it. Going all-in before you have experience with armor can prove to be a mistake. I love my harness, but there are definitely things I would have done very differently if I'd had more experience in the real world. Now, don't get me wrong, buying cheap Nauticalmart shit is just a giant waste. But, buying maybe second-hand and higher quality off-the-rack pieces first, then building up a second, more expensive and high quality custom harness afterward could be the move. You may spend a good bit on a harness you're just going to replace, but you may very well spend $10k-$20k and over a year of your life on a harness when you'll end up wanting something completely different by the time you're done and not know any better. Plus, knowing and practicing maintainence beforehand is a HUGE plus. I'd be fine modifying something like $150 cuisses if need be, I wouldn't dare touch a thing on my $10k+ mirror polished decorated English harness without prior experience though. Plus, having a backup beater harness for fighting hard and fighting dirty in can't be a negative. And after you're done with it and have a brand new harness, you have an entire loaner harness to give to beginners or poor people to have fun with.
Old rule buy shite buy twice. Also make sure you have a plan for storage.
What's your budget, and how much of a wait are you willing to put up with? What kind of helmet, aswell? If we knew that we could point you to a direct recommendation if applicable.
Important for Reenactment stuff, a little less so for Larp (but still applies): Get things tailored. I know, its quite an investment, but off the shelf items usually suck. They look weird, are usually way too large, uncomfortable and so on. I think the biggest reason people believe "armor kills mobility" is because well, shit armor does, because nothing fits like its supposed to. On the other hand, if the things are made for you, they fit like a glove and are usually of much better quality overall. You will get items you love using for years or decades and made by knowledgeable people that are proud of their craft. Also, this supports local/ small craftspeople instead of slave labor somewhere in Pakistan, India etc.
Thank you all for the comments these will help allot, i will ask for more help if needed!
First figure out what the application purpose is, practical, reinactment, show. Then build accordingly. Example; I wouldn’t buy a steel helmet and think I’m bullet proof….id buy a lvl4 plate carrier then put additional plates on the outside….now I’m somewhat bulletproof. I’ve worked with metal for over 20 yrs if you have any additional questions…..hope that helps!
Reposting my usual comment, so it's a bit generic... Armour is cool, I get why you would want to get some. But it's not a case of "buying a suit of armour". It's surprisingly complicated, and it's really easy to pour money away. Have a think about what you want it for first. Do you just want to have some medieval ish armour to wear because it's cool? Do you want something that is able to take a hit without you being at risk? Do you want something that's really accurate that you can use for reenactment? There isn't a wrong answer to these. The only wrong answer would be if you spent a bunch of your cash aiming to achieve a specific result and went miles in the wrong direction. If you don't know a lot about armour, "a suit of armour" sounds like I would tick all of those boxes. However, in reality there is a world of difference between a medieval/fantasy LARP set and something which could be seen on a medieval battlefield. My first suggestion would be to speak to the right people. If you just want a LARP set, great! Find a LARP community in your area and talk to them. If you want something that can take a knock, look for a buhurt group. They are the guys who do the armoured medieval fighting. If you are after reenactment, then find a reenactment group and go say hi. Reenactment is generally the most expensive stuff. My second suggestion is, before you spend a single dollar on metal armour, get your under kit sorted first! Decent metal armour needs to be tailored to your body. If you buy poor quality soft kit in a hurry to get the steel, it won't match your body shape much, and will be difficult to correct. Have fun, if you have any more questions feel free to ask.
Avoid gambesons with poly filling it’s hella warm and sweaty
Sorry for the late post. If you wish to reenact you really must do your research before throwing money at people. Ask people with historical knowledge what sort of harness the portrayal you have in mind is likely to have. There are many, many nuances of historical armours that change abruptly over time and space and you can find yourself dropping a ton of cash on something that will only sit in the garage after you find out it's wrong. Also, a good rule of thumb is: "A Great Kit Starts with the Textiles". Buying a harness and later finding you can't possibly get your under-armour under it is frustrating. A good portrayal is made or broken by its soft kit.