BUYING ARMOR II

Before making smart armor purchases, you need to understand three key aspects of your goals.

1. Which league(s) do you plan to fight in?
   A suit of armor that works for some local renaissance faires or demos may not be legal for larger tournaments run by Medieval Combat USA, or for most international tournaments.

2. Your budget
   How much are you planning to spend per year on this sport? For some fighters, $2,500 a year for gear and travel is a stretch. For others, it's a temporary step toward a $15,000 custom set of full plate armor.

3. Your practical armor priorities
   Do you prioritize increased face protection or a larger field of vision? Do you need a lighter weight set, or do you need durability? Do you need modular parts to optimize for different formats or are you okay with one kit for everything? These are questions that you can't answer until you've already fought in armor several times.

Safety

Armor is what lets us safely participate in this sport. You are reasonably protected when you have armor made from proper, durable materials that cover the important parts of your body and that coverage remains intact in any position you reasonably move in. Poor fit or bad strapping can make even top-tier armor unsafe. All kits have some gaps, but a safe kit minimizes them.

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Legality
Your armor must meet the rules of the events you want to fight in. This comes after safety, because league rules aren't always best practices. In practice, if your kit is safe, you will be able to fight in many domestic events.

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Comfort

One major difference between new and experienced fighters is movement. Experienced fighters move as if armor isn't there. This comes from training, but also from armor that fits well, allows you to see well, and moves naturally with your body.

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Aesthetics and Style

Style matters, but it comes last. Looking cool should always happen within the limits of safety, legality, and comfort. There's still plenty of room for flair.

If your kit is safe and legal but not historically accurate, you can fight in some limited events in the United States.

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However, authenticity requirements apply at almost all international events and also apply to most major U.S. tournaments, especially those run under Buhurt International (BI) rules. 

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Why plan for authenticity early on?

It's easiest to get this right the first time, before buying armor. A BI-compliant kit lets you fight at any tournament anywhere in the world. Off-the-rack, historically coherent kits are more accessible than many expect.

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Your teammates, the wider buhurt community, and the BI authenticity documents and experts are key resources here so that at least you will know what you can and can't do with the armor that you're purchasing.

Here are some of the minimum specifications for armor and weapons in the Buhurt International League:

• Technical Requirement for Armor

• Weapons Requirements

• Weapons and Shield Height and Weight Chart

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All leagues require armor and weapons to represent a single historical time and place. ​At most international events and a many U.S. tournaments, armor is inspected for compliance.

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Buhurt International maintains an Authenticity Committee, which publishes policy documents and updates and answers authenticity questions via email and Discord.

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BI has posted various authenticity guidelines for specific pieces of armor, such as helmets, greaves, gauntlets, tabards (uniforms), etc. these can be found on this page under the Authenticity section.

A good kit fits well, moves well, and doesn't hinder fighting.

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"Sport-optimized" gear refers to equipment that many fighters feel offers performance advantages, such as helmets with visors that offer improved vision and breathing or titanium armor that offers reduced weight for slightly less impact protection.

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Do you need sport-optimized gear to be competitive?

No! World-class fighters routinely win with full-face visors and steel armor. The best optimization is good training. Breathing and awareness improve with time, and conditioning can offset heavier kits.

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However, you should always be aware of your priorities in the list and for your body type and conditioning and prepare accordingly. These kits are some of the most popular out there for a reason.