Posted: 26 June 2023 | Last modified: 17 April 2024 | Expires: Indefinite
In an effort to better share what HEMA gear I use when people ask, I decided to document my kit. For gear I no longer recommend, or for gear no longer available, I also include alternatives. I aim to update this article as my equipment changes.
Please note that this article is not a “budget equipment guide”, and neither my picks nor the listed alternatives aim to recommend economy or even easy-to-get gear; there’s cheaper gear available, and more expensive gear available. This is just gear I settled on and use and can recommend.
The Horsebows mask is controversial in the greater HEMA world, partially because of the high price, partially because of quality control issues. I received mine in late 2018, and have had little qualms with it after getting the internal suspension system dialed in. That suspension system is the best part about the mask, as it keeps the walls of the mask away from the sides of your head, so you don’t feel most hits like you would with a regular, padded fencing mask. The only modifications I made to the mask were adding locktite to some of the hardware, adding a different enclosure system to the strap which secures the back plate, and adding padding to the chin area, as rare occasion had it that the mask hit the bottom of my chin from straight thrusts to the bottom of the mask.
The overall community consensus is that older versions of the Horsebows Mask (especially the original masks made by Terry Tindall) were rock solid, but masks produced in more recent years may have issues, such as a messy suspension system setup, or other problems with the finish. I do think the design offers a mask that better absorbs strikes than traditional fencing masks, but the lack of finish now seems consistent enough that I don’t recommend the mask for most people anymore.
The mask is allowed in most North American HEMA tournaments as far as I can tell, but not all (presumably owing to the fact the bib does not carry a Newton rating. If you want a steel mask, or want a mask with a suspension system, this is the go-to. I’m quite happy with mine, and you’re welcome to read my review of it if you want more details. That said…
Alternative: I ordered the PBT Warrior with the respective overlay when my Horsebows mask took enough damage to the leather bib that it needed a replacement. I’ve since shifted to using the Warrior full-time until my Horsebows mask is fixed, and I’m pretty happy with it. The Warrior improves on conventional masks by adding a solid brow plate which should keep the mask from ever completely caving in, and the mesh sits adequately off your face to prevent waffling lower on the face. Some folks argue that the mesh is softer than other masks, but that’s arguably a feature, since it will absorb a bit more force should you happen to receive a too-strong thrust to the mask. The sides of the face could be angled a bit steeper to shed blows a bit better, but this is a very minor quibble. The sides and top of the mask also extend further back, so you can get away with just a back—of-head protector without gaps showing. Nonetheless, I opted to get PBT’s overlay for the Warrior to add more padding to the sides of the mask. Hard strikes to the side of the Warrior are still more noticeable than in my Horsebows mask, but the Warrior is easier to take on and off, and requires far less maintenance. If you want a more conventional mask design, this is the one I’d recommend.
Leon Paul used to have a more robust HEMA lineup, which started to go away around COVID. They made a two-piece hard plastic gorget with articulating plates, which was an awesome piece of kit I managed to pick up. I’ve since reached out to them to ask if it’s ever coming back, and they replied they would like to, but due to supply chain issues, they don’t know if/when it will happen. The gorget has a blade catch, and covers the mid-sternum and back-of-neck as well, which also helps mitigate head acceleration to some degree. Velcro straps hold the front and back part of the gorget together, and allow some adjustability. After almost five years of use, mine is starting to show signs of wear like stress cracks at the top sides, some rust around the rivets, and the occasional loose thread, but this is the best gorget I’ve come across.
Alternative: The Vytis Light Gorget is basically a more minimal version of the Leon Paul HEMA gorget - it’s a similar concept, only without a full rear enclosure, and covering less total area. I bought one of these as a backup, along with the Nape Protector add-on, and it’s a nice piece of kit overall. I don’t think the nape protector is worth it, because the way it attaches to the gorget isn’t great, but it does provide extra head support. Vytis also makes a hanging clavicle accessory to go with the gorget, if you want more protection. Side-to-side, the Leon Paul is made of thicker plastic, offers more coverage, and I’d argue is overall better than the Vytis, but since you can’t get it anymore, the Vytis is the gorget I now recommend.
My jacket is a SPES 800N AP Light, and I added arming points and the Pro Plates to my configuration. I’m glad I went with the Light over the regular AP because it’s not as hot to wear, and though it has less padding than the regular AP, the Pro Plates add enough extra protection that I don’t feel I need much more. It’s a comfortably light jacket with good enough protection, and the strap on the back allows for good adjustment.
Alternatives: Between aesthetics and levels of protection, there are a lot of jackets to choose from now. I still think the AP Light is among the most accessible and best for its balance of protection and heat, but at the moment, I’m convinced my next (eventual) jacket purchase will be an InMotu St. George jacket. It has a more modern-fencing aesthetic, but the technical specifications are what attract me to it: actual puncture resistance certification of the garment itself, four-way stretch material, and it’s lightweight.
For added chest protection, I use the Tempus Fugitives Chest Protector for tournament-style sparring. The chest protector gives me more peace-of-mind if a hard thrust happens during more intense play, or if my partner has a less-flexible sword. In theory, because the foam padding at the front of my jacket is removable, I could technically forgo the chest protector and just get thicker padding for the jacket front, or add hard plates (like Kydex) to the jacket itself. A separate wearable chest protector is more convenient though. Sadly, this one is no longer made.
Alternative: The HF Chest Protector is a two-piece design, which may be overkill, but the added protection to the sides would likely be useful for those shots that come in hard to your ribs. Since my jacket has no padding on the sides, this would be a nice complimentary piece of protection, and one I’ll look into once I’m in the market for a new chest protector. If you have breasts, I’d suggest looking into the chest protector from Cryptid Combat Wear instead.
As indicated above, the Pro Plates I ordered with my jacket are great - they provide that extra bit of hard protection, especially for the elbow. While some people say they’ve experienced the hard plates flying off during hard exchanges, I haven’t had that experience. Just make sure the elastic ties that hold them on are tied tight, and perhaps replace them. I use these flat 3mm ties that I double up, and they do the trick.
I stopped using the Pro forearm plates because I wanted additional protection on the inside of the forearm which the Pro Plates don’t cover. After trying several options, I finally landed on the Kydex forearms guards from Amber Damare. These also serve to extend hard protection closer to the wrists, as the forearm Pro Plates end before some glove cuffs begin, resulting in a gap. The Amber Damare guards come in several lengths, and you can pick what color(s) you want, so you’re not stuck with just HEMA black. They also come pre-drilled with attachment points for SPES elbows, so they integrate well with what’s arguably the most common elbow protection in the HEMA scene. The rivets won’t all last, but they’re easy enough to replace.
I also augmented the elbow cup with SPES elbow side wings, which help cover a gap on the arm that occasionally takes a painful hit.
Alternative: The VOID Forearm Guards are a great, lighter weight option if you want something more minimal. They can fit under the Pro Plates (yet over the jacket) if you want, and you can wear them backward if you want complete protection on the inside forearm (opposite how you’d wear them if you had no other forearm protection). That said, plenty of other folks use these as their only forearm guards (optionally adding some thin stick-on foam to the inside), or as a compliment to gloves with longer cuffs. IMO, on their own, these would be too short for most people, but they’re a nice piece of minimal kit that works great to supplement what you may already have. I used them for a while, and will likely keep them around as a backup.
My current go-to heavy glove is the HF Armory Black Knights. They’re cheaper than other gloves in this class, and are one of the primary heavy glove recommendation for most folks. They’re also more easily available than most other heavy gloves, as Purpleheart routinely stocks them, and HF Armory produces them in batches and ships accordingly. They’re also one of the more maintenance-free heavy gloves on the market. I’ll eventually get to a more thorough review of them once I’ve owned them longer.
Alternative: If you’re looking at other options, take a look at my Longsword Glove Buying Guide.
I opted for the basic PBT HEMA pants which offer a more elastic 350N material than what you’ll find with most other HEMA pants. There are a lot more sizing options on these than with competitors too, and these come with removable hip pads. While PBT offers a similar pant with thigh and knee padding if you want it, the padding in those aren’t removable. My reasoning for going with the more basic pants is that they’re a bit more flexible in use, and because tournaments require hard knee and shin guards anyway, padding for the knees seemed redundant and unnecessary, and potentially an issue with fitting knee and shin guards. I do give up thigh protection, but I’m okay with occasional bruising here. If I anticipate leg attacks being an issue, I have a pair of Leatt padded shorts which I put on under the PBTs if I feel I need it.
Alternative: For pants, my next purchase will be the InMotu St. George fencing pants, for all the same reasons as with the St. George jacket above. As a bonus, it will up the protection of the PBT pants to 800N, yet still be light and stretchy. Will they actually be worth twice the price of the PBT pants? I don’t know, but I’m willing to try them out for their integrated thigh padding and elasticity.
I wear a Nutty Buddy Flex cup with a jock. This setup allows better movement than an integrated cup pocket in a pair of briefs. Obviously, other companies offer similar products, but this is the one I happen to own, and I can’t vouch for whether this brand is better than others offering similar set ups. FWIW, there are also female groin protectors available, and I’d recommend everyone wear groin protection, but I can’t personally speak to best brands here.
If you’ve never worn a cup and don’t know how to layer this setup, it’s simple: underwear -> impact shorts (optional) -> cup -> jock -> pants.
For leg protection, I went with the classic pairing of the Ultra Flex III Knee Pro and Harrow shin guards. This pairing has been recommended by folks in the HEMA community for a while now, and while neither piece of kit is made specifically for HEMA, they work so well that even Purpleheart is carrying them now. The Knee Pros adequately cover the side of the knee, and the Harrow shin guards offer protection that goes down to the ankle, and they fit inside a pair of long socks (which you’ll be wearing with fencing breeches anyway). In theory, you may also be able to wear the Harrow guards without socks, either using no additional attachments method, or a tie of some sort.
Because the Knee Pro guards don’t fully cover the side of my knee, I ended up augmenting them with the SPES knee side wings. They don’t affix under the Knee Pro plastic like they would with SPES knee guards, but attaching them to the outside worked fine.
The consensus here is that any indoor court shoe is fine for practicing HEMA, and that you should generally wear a shoe made for the surface you train on. While wrestling shoes and fencing shoes are commonly seen, remember that HEMA (particularly longsword) requires good lateral movement, not just linear movement, and this may affect your sole choice. I’m in the camp that recommends a minimalist shoe, meaning a zero-drop or near-zero-drop heel, with minimal padding.
As a proponent of Vibram FiveFingers for most of my athletic activities, I’ve been wearing the V-Train model for HEMA for years. They come in a women’s version also. I stopped wearing them briefly when I transitioned to tall socks, but went back to them after I discovered leg sleeves were a thing, so I just wear short toe socks, and leg sleeves over my calves to hold my shin guards.
It’s also worth noting that regardless of how you feel about toe shoes, Vibram soles are among the best out there in terms of traction and durability. I’m almost at the point where I consider Vibram soles to be akin to YKK zippers: a company is cheaping out if they don’t have them.
Alternative: Initially, after getting my PBT pants and realizing toe socks were hard to come by, I picked up a pair of Xero 360s (which also come in a women’s version). They’re good - they have a good size toe box, offer good ground-feel, and are quite comfortable and I think good-looking for an athletic shoe. The soles are pretty slippery when new, though. (They don’t have Vibram soles.) I still swap to these when my leg sleeves are in the laundry, and use tall socks with them instead. If you don’t like the idea of toe shoes, these are a solid pick.