This thick quilted gambeson, crafted from thick cotton and fastened with thick cloth buttons on its front and on the sleeve cuffs. Its interior is lined with cotton felt. As this gambeson is crafted from organic material, it will breathe better than other poly-fill gambesons on the market.
This gambeson is handcrafted, sizes will vary slightly – so these measurements should be taken as approximations.
A thick, padded jacket common to Medieval and Renaissance warriors, the Gambeson was a protective layer beneath chain or plate armor – it served both as a shock absorbing layer and chafe protection for its wearer. Poorer combatants and lightly-armored archers and skirmishers might wear only the gambeson as their major piece of body armor.
Gambesons first began to be common in the 10th century and were largely intended to be a layer beneath chainmail. By the later years of the Medieval era, it became common for soldiers to wear a substantially thicker gambeson, sometimes called a padded jack, as their main armor. Quilted with many layers of fabric, typically linen, a padded jack could act like a sort of kevlar and give its wearer excellent protection from cuts and slashes. It could even stop arrows in some circumstances. Additional protection could be added to such gambesons with jack-chains, a sort of partial-plate protection which could stop a strong slash from cutting into the shoulders and arms.
SIZING
SMALL
Chest Size: 36 (96.5 cm)
Length from Neck to Bottom of Coat: 34.5 (87.6 cm)
Weight: 4 lb 4.6 oz
MEDIUM
Chest Size: 40 (101.6 cm)
Length from Neck to Bottom of Coat: 36 (91.4 cm)
Weight: 4 lb 0.3 oz
LARGE
Chest Size: 44 ( 111.7 cm)
Length from Neck to Bottom of Coat: 38 (96.5 cm)
Weight: 4 lb 6.2 oz
X-LARGE
Chest Size: 48 ( 121.9 cm)
Length from Neck to Bottom of Coat: 38 (96.5 cm)
Weight:
XX-LARGE
Chest Size: 53 ( 134.6 cm)
Length from Neck to Bottom of Coat: 40 (101.6 cm)
Weight: 4 lb 14 oz
Iohn d. –
Very Pleased with this Gambeson For being a 14th century style, the waist is cut a little roomier than I would have expected, the grand aissette sleeve is just slightly off point, and the cupped elbow is a two-piece panel instead of one. These are minor complaints when considering this is in standard sizing as opposed to fitted to personal measurements. On the positive side the material is a generous 5-6oz tight woven cotton canvas both lining and facing. I was pleased at the range of motion the period sleeve design offers, and was impressed with the cloth buttons. As an entry level fighting gambeson I give this one a two thumbs up.
Sam –
Gambeson I got this for a 14th century kit that I’ve been finishing up and I have to say… It really looks great! The fit for it is excellent and the padding isn’t too thick or thin for my use. The only complaints I have are that the buttons can come loose without proper care so be careful. Also… I probably should have bought the black one instead of white because the natural color stains like nobody’s business. Still a great product.
William M. –
Best of the Lot I’ve picked up a few different gambesons for sword and buckler and heavy rapier use. All the others have been just massively heavy, bulky, and hot enough to worry about heat stroke. The cut on this jacket is excellent, and the design of the shoulder and pre-bent elbow really make movement easy. Yes it’s not as protective as the heavier coats, but it does the job perfectly well.
If you’re on the cusp of the sizing, go with the larger as I did. The elbows are cut in close to the arm and the smaller jacket may not have fit well. As is the arms were a little tight at the elbow until some use was put into it.