Eastern Gambeson

Eastern long gambeson is a typical example of eastern tribes wearing starting from the II century a.d. It preserved its original appearance today in some national costumes (of the same length or shorter, with long or short sleeves) of such eastern countries as Mongolia, Kazakhstan, etc.

This gambeson was not a specialized type of armour. There was usual stuffed vest, made of wool, linen or cotton, and it was worn by nomad tribes, who were irrupted the near tribes. People, for whom war was a life-style, were upgrading such gambeson with metal or leather plates. These plates provided good protection during the battle.

You can see such type stuffed armour in the picture of Genghis Khan’ warriors, Chinese imperial soldiers and commanders.

You can use this gambeson coat for:

• SCA
• HEMA
• Larp
• Stage performances
• Medieval festivals
• Reenactment events

You may use this gambeson armor together with chainmail. In this case we recommend to order quilted gambeson with 4-6 layers of padding. If you plan to wear it under brigandine or plate armour, so 2-3 layers of padding will be enough.

Check out these models of padded gambesons: long gambeson of the XI-XV centuries, gambeson of crossbowman XII-XIII centuries. If you are looking for light or short sleeved or even sleeveless gambeson, so these items might be interesting for you: renaissance period gambeson, early medieval gambeson of the VI-XVIII centuries, sleeveless gambeson with festoons.

Eastern tunic and pants will be perfect additions to this gambeson. For good body protection, we recommend you to wear Khatangu-degel (eastern variant of plated armour) over this gambeson. And tatar-mongolian helmet will protect your head perfectly.

In section “Gambeson”, you can see all models that we offer for ordering. If you didn’t find any for your taste and wish, please send us photo and description of the required model and we will make it for you.

In this article, we're telling how to choose a gambeson.