Revival Clothing is a new business devoted to producing top-quality (yet affordable) clothing for the historical Western martial artist. Each of their pieces is researched for accuracy and built to last. One of their first pieces is a Medieval gambeson, seen here being modeled by Mr. Christian Tobler, author of Secrets of Medieval German Swordsmanship from Chivalry Bookshelf I had the opportunity to test out one of these gambeson's personally while training with the Chicago Swordplay Guild, and found it to be an excellent piece of equipment. I was very impressed with the gambeson's feel, construction, and performance, so I wanted to find out more about them. Going straight to the source for answers, I had a chance to sit down with Revival Clothing's Nicole Allen for this exclusive Alliance interview.

Pete: Nicole, could you please explain for everyone just exactly what a “gambeson” is.

Nicole: A gambeson is essentially a padded jacket that had functioned throughout the middle ages as fabric protection or armor – used either by itself or in addition to maille, plate or hardened leather armor. It has been called many different things – jack, pourpoint, aketon and arming coat to name a few but they all share similar construction in that they are made of fabric or leather and padded or stuffed with either fabric or natural paddings like tow or horse hair.

Pete: OK, so it’s a padded coat. Now, over the years I have seen various styles of stickfighting use padded jackets and I'm sure that some of our readers have as well. Can you tell me about the Revival Gambeson and specifically what makes it a “cut-above” anything else available?

Nicole: We set out to find the best combination of durability and affordability to produce a garment that would be useful for both Western Martial Artists and Reenactors. Our gambeson is based on a combination of 14th c. sources, both extant garments and contemporary artwork. We’ve retained the most important aspects of the historical patterns, particularly the exaggerated armhole which permits complete freedom of arm movement. Taking inspiration from period garment quilting designs, it is made with three layers of 100% cotton batting for a combination of protection and breathability. It is made of durable, heavyweight 100% cotton to make it long lasting and affordable.

One of the most important considerations for any sort of “armor”, medieval or modern, is mobility. If you can’t move in it, it’s useless. With many forms of modern padded armor, etc, arm mobility is often a problem. The key to arm mobility is the medieval solution I mentioned above, a large, inset sleeve essentially following the line of the breastplate. This provides little if any restriction when the arm is raised--something that I'm sure we can all agree is absolutely critical in the study of any martial art. Sadly, most modern tailors (and reenactors) are unaware of this medieval solution to a very real problem. Choose your arming coat well, because it is the foundation upon which all other elements of your harness are based upon.

Pete: When I was wearing the gambeson earlier, it seemed to be kind of stiff. Is it supposed to feel that way? I have seen homemade gambeson's before, but they were very light by comparison.

Nicole: That is because of the night-and-day difference in the materials used! The Revival gambeson is made of very heavy weight cotton and has three layers of cotton batting inside. A garment this substantial takes some time to break in. Wearing it, (and sweating in it) and cleaning it will make softer over time. Much like the original, unwashed denim jeans it just needs to be worn and used and it will conform to your body over time. All medieval armor is a compromise between protection and mobility and in this respect ours remains faithful to the originals.

Pete: That's what I figured, but I thought it was best to ask. Now, let’s look at the gambeson from the point of view of training gear. Assuming I’m just into the historical martial arts, and am not a reenactor, what’s the advantage to a gambeson instead of wearing modern martial arts pads?

Nicole: Well, if you were training in judo, you’d wear a judo gi, right? Or if you were a kendo player you’d wear kendo armor? Same thing here – the gambeson was a western solution for western combatives. This is a piece of equipment that was specifically designed for use with the martial arts of medieval Europe – weapons combat and close quarter grappling and dagger work, in and out of armor. Gambesons were meant to function two different ways: as shock absorbers under the metal armor, and as a form of light armor in their own right. So besides its value to reenactors as a piece of “kit”, any good gambeson should do the same.

Some western martial arts group use these gambesons for training and fencing with aluminum training weapons, knife trainers, etc., and others also use them as wrestling jackets. The high level of arm mobility and heavy shell makes them easy to move in and capable of taking a fair amount of abuse, while the padding takes the sting out strikes and blows. So, people are using them for a wide variety of purposes. Obviously, the level of acceptable risk and training equipment is a very personal choice, and no element of equipment can be said to be "safe" for all applications. As a wrestling jacket or padded coat for small weapons training, you probably don’t need anything. For heavier weapons, hard points such as the elbow or collarbones will always face some risk when meeting an impact. Groups seem to vary on their translation of this risk into equipment requirements.

Pete: I really like the fact that you can use them for a number of purposes within the practice of WMA, instead of having to get one jacket for rapier, another jacket for longsword, another jacket for stick fighting, etc. etc. The gambeson really is quite versatile in that sense. You can certainly see why people who used swords for a living invented them! (Laughter) Any final thought for our readers?

Nicole: Well, I think that it's important for everyone to remember that, armor aside, the most important aspect of safety is a sense of sincerity and companionship for your training partner. Without this, no piece of equipment can ever make things safe.

Pete: Right on! Master Fiore DeLiberi even states how we have to practice carefully with our partner!

Nicole: Exactly. On a lighter note, I hope everyone will visit Revival Clothing and see what we have, and feel free to write to me if you have any questions at all.