[Ansteorra] A modest suggestion...

[Brian O'hUilliam]

As a fighter (rapier fighter for many years, new to armoured combat), I see
some issues with these suggestions:
  Fans in the helm honestly worry me.  I don't want anything mechanical near
my head when people are trying to hit me with sticks nor do I want whirling
blades there either.  And if they generate sound that could interefere with
hearing, that's reasn enough to not allow it on the field.
  Cooling units in the body armour create other problems.  On the rapier
side I have seen, and experienced, fighters losing the inability to call
shots due to cold gel packs under their shirts.  That may occur on the chiv
field, but another problem I see is the possibility of having a pack burst
and get that gel all over you and your armour for an end result of all
around unpleasantness.
  A Wise man, Sir Alexis (pardon the slightly intended pun), has said
(paraphrasing) that you should not try to change the armour because in the
Middle Ages what they had were the best solutions.  They literally lived and
died by their armour.  Perhaps you should look at getting different armour-
  If the helm is causing problems, look at the padding.  Maybe closed cell
isn't the best for you and you should look into period lining.  Perhaps a
helm that is not fully enclosed would be beneficial (like what Prince Ulsted
wears or kettle helms with bars around the helm).
  Instead of thick heavy leather armour, try a lighter or more
breathable body armour.  Lamellar, coats of plates, and breast plates were
used in several different periods and can be covered under fabric if you are
an early persona.  These can be light and strong and breath very well if
made properly.  It will take either more time or money and probably both,
but it never hurts to have good armour.
  Another suggestion I have pertains to fabric.  On the rapier field, linen
is the best thing you can have.  It's light, it breathes well, it looks good
and it's period.  Instead of using the good ol' Ansteorran double knit, try
linen on the chiv field to beat the heat.  However, I'm not sure if that
suggestion will help with Sior Tomas' particular case as I believe he
already uses linen.  Either way, linen looks and feels a lot better than
sweats and trigger tabards.


In Service,
Bran O'hUilliam



On Sun, Jul 18, 2010 at 8:18 PM, Steve Scott (Dietrich) <
dietrich.strobelbart at yahoo.com> wrote:

> SNIP
>


>  Among our members, we have some very inventive people.  Mundanely, many of
> you
> work, or have worked at NASA, or one of their contractors.  A few of you
> may
> actually even be "rocket scientists"!  We have some of the smartest people
> in
> the Known World living right here in our own kingdom!  I am sure if we put
> our
> collective minds to it, we could come up with some un-obtrusive and
> relatively
> inexpensive ways to make armor cooler to wear on hot days.
>
>
> As an example, at the 2009 Gulf Wars, a man showed me how he had installed
> two
> rather small, but very powerful fans into his helmet, powered by a small
> battery
> pack.  He told me later that it had worked wonderfully, and kept him much
> cooler!  Another device I know of is a vest  that has pockets all over it
> for
> holding cold packs, worn by people who wear "mascot suits" in hot  weather,
> under their costume.
>
> SNIP



> I can just see it now, a knight in armor, in Ansteorra,  in the middle of
> July,
> dripping not with sweat, but with condensation from his cooling unit!  ;-)
>
> I'll climb down off of the soap box now.
>
> Yours in Service,
>
> Herr Dietrich Strobelbart
> Who just hates to see people suffer un-necessarily, in service to a
> wonderful
> dream!
>
>
> Numerus vestri  pluma!
> Number your feathers!