mix n match armor?

[david a goodman]

would anyone b able to tell me if it was common or not to be wearing diffrent armor types at one time? example, having a chain shirt under a leather chest piece and metal for the arms and legs. my concern is if im going to b doing sparring w metal blades, id like the armor to b somewhat accurate and not look like an extra from a bad gladiator movie. safety will b the most important factor but bak to the original question: traditionaly, what was worn with what, or does it even matter?

[Will Adamson]

When you're talking about a full integrated suit meant to be made for the wearer, you generally don't see a whole lot of mixing and matching. Certainly different armourers made different pieces since the specialization of craftsmen generally increased with the sophistication of the field, but they were all made to move and work together.

Now for the practical reality of Joe Blow on the battlefield. With the more than occasional armored dead guy lying about, it was not uncommon to have the taking of armor outside of the chivalric ranks. If you look at the historical artwork study on the ARMA website you will see plenty of instances of fighters wearing various configurations of armor pieces that don't necessarily articulate with another. They could have bought them this way, or have taken them on the battlefield. If you take a foreign enemy's armor and wear it, the style will likely be different from your homeland where you may have gotten another piece that you wear. Your chain example is not necessarily a difference in style. Chain was worn even under the best of plate.

So basically, I would say that the lower you get in class of fighter, the greater the liklihood that you will find mismatched armor, but not as a full suit.

If you're looking at using this as modern safety equipment...don't bother unless you're wanting to pursue it as actual armored sparring. Use paddeds and then wasters for freeplay with modern sports padding. As soon as you can, start dropping the pads. Once you feel comfortable with waster freeplay without pads, you should have the requisite control for freeplay with blunt steel. Protective gear is very individual, and generally ARMA takes a minimalist approach to it. Controlling the weapon is more important than padding the participant.

[Shane Smith]

Early 14th century harness can be pretty broad in range and scope. There were many wearing coat of plates and splinted armour made of leather with metal re-inforcement. Here are two examples although neither are 100% historically accurate;

[david a goodman]

thanx for th nfo, that helpd now to find sparring partners, one of mine just move across the country if anyone is in the west tx (lubbock) and has the time to beat up on me, it would b greatly appreciated scott, where are u?!
dave