Has anyone ever asked you how much all that kit that you’re using weighs? Do you like maths? Are you looking for a post that will lull you gently to sleep? If your answer to any of those questions is “Absolutely!” then you’ve come to the right place!
I got a bit bored during the Christmas holidays and decided to weigh up all my armour and weapons, using a normal set of bathroom scales (in my defence, I was left unsupervised). I quickly realised that bathroom scales are rather inaccurate but hopefully the error margins in all of the weights below cancel each other out. Approximately. Here we go, from top to bottom:
Coventry Sallet Helmet (plus cap) = 3.9 kg
Bevor (neck guard) = 0.9 kg
Arming Doublet = 2.1 kg
Brigandine = 8.8 kg
Arms (“loose” attachment) = 3.8 kg
Gauntlets = 2.0 kg
Chainmail Miniskirt = 2.7 kg
Legs = 6.0 kg
Sabatons = 1.7kg
Accessories (belt, bag, colours) = 1.1 kg
A quick totting-up gives us a grand total of 33kg (a bit over 5 stone). But we’ve forgotten the weapons! Well, there is a choice between an arming sword and buckler (2.7 kg) or a hand-and-a-half sword (1.7 kg). If you carry one of the large metal heater shields that adds another 3.1kg.
But there’s more! Rather than wearing my black brigandine I could use my shiny metal breastplate and backplate. This would also allow me to use the articulated arms and the enormous pauldrons (shoulder armour) that hang off them. What would this do to the overall weight?
Breastplate = 4.7 kg
Backplate = 4.1 kg
Arms (“articulated”) = 3.5 kg
Pauldrons (shoulders) = 2.8 kg
Switching these out brings the total weight of armour to 35.5 kg (just over 5.5 stone). Is it worth it? Well, most of the additional weight is in those pauldrons so if you’re worried about a hit to the collarbone (and you want a profile like a Space Marine!) then I would go for it.
So, if anybody ever asks you “How much does all that weigh?”, you can now give them the answer!
