Since starting my stint as Kingdom Cut and Thrust champion during Dietrich and Thora’s reign, I’ve been looking for effective and cheap ways to get onto the C&T field. This is what I’ve put together thus far. This guide requires buying a few things in bulk, but individually, the same can be done for only a few more dollars.

Equipment

Back of the Hands

From Foam Factory, closed cell foam sheets that can be used for back of the hand protection for 50 pairs of glove for $32 using Volara and $34 using Neoprene.

From Amazon, 3M Foam Fast 74 spray adhesive, Spray adhesive designed for foam and fabric. 16.9 fl ounce for $25. According to 3M, 1 can supports 25 pairs of gloves.

Trace the back of your glove on the foam. Cut with sissors. Use spray adhesive to glue to the back of the hand.

Demi Gauntlets

From Piedmont Plastics, 1/4” HPDE sheets at 4’*8’ for $57. 15 pairs of of Articulated demi-gauntlets following Rainald’s pattern for Articulated demi-gauntlets on the Armour Archive.

Use a handsaw to cut out the pattern. Use an oven to gently heat the HPDE to make soft, and have a friend help mold it to your hands. (Wear your gloves, hot plastic hurts!)

Back of the Head

From Home Depot, an ANSI Z89.1-2014 Type 1 hard hat for $6.97. These can be converted into reasonable back-of-the-head protection following the guide from Philipp Reimer of the Midrealm.

Elbows

From multiple sellors listed on Google Shopping, Mueller 4535 multi-sport knee pads for around $12, for required elbow pads. These can be found cheaper in bulk, but bulk purchases do not have multiple sizes.

Results

Assuming free labor, a hand saw, scissors, and an oven.

• Back of hand padding: $0.96 per person
• Demi-Gauntlets: $3.80 per person
• Back of the head protection: $6.97 per person.
• Elbow Pads: $12 per person.

To get someone on the field with a three ring swept hilt from Darkwood, the total cost is under $24.