Chain Mail: What You Should Avoid 

The fact is that a modern reenactor or hobbyist might think 26 pounds is "heavy" and yet that's pretty light for armor

Cumbersome, sure, but heavy to the point of noises for every movement? My backpack for all of High School was 60lbs because I didn't have access to a locker. Come now.

26 lbs is light for a hauberk, I have one that weighs almost 38 lbs and it has larger rings with 7 mm interior and 9 mm exterior diameter, also riveted is typically heavier than butted by a marginal amount. You are supposed to wear a padded gambeson or arming doublet under the hauberk and use a tight belt around the waist just above the hips so that the weight is mostly resting on your hips rather than on your shoulders......……..

Not sure if you've ever seen his channel, but a fellow that goes by Lindybeige uploaded a video about maile and one of the best points he illustrated was how a good belt helps with weight distribution. Wear the belt at your midsection, 'blouse' the maile to where the belt takes some of the weight off from your shoulders.. You'll be amazed the difference.

>Stainless steel >Doesn't rust >"It may be coated with zinc" Stainless steel is made not to rust - it doesn't need a zinc coating. Unless you keep it in a box of water then I doubt you'll see it rust in any significant way

As the others have already said, those rings are a perfectly fine size. The thing that is making the shirt weigh too much isn't the size or gauge of the rings, it's the terrible tailoring. What you have there is essentially three large tubes of mail that have been stitched together into a "T" shape. This creates a shirt that is incredibly easy to manufacture but you end up carrying an extra 5-12 pounds of metal that simply doesn't need to be there. If you're feeling brave, it is very easy to re-tailor a butted shirt. You may even be able to lengthen the sleeves with the scraps. You showed a few pictures of historical mail suits and the one thing they all have in common is proper tailoring. Without it, mail simply doesn't work as well as it should.

From what I understand, rings with an internal diameter of 5mm are perfectly acceptable. There were finds of Lorica Hamata with an internal diameter of 5mm, as well as medieval finds with an internal diameter of about ~5-6mm. The problem here is that it looks like the rings are made from a lower gauge than historical finds would suggest. 20-18 gauge rings is the likely thickness of the wire used, with these generally being beaten flat and then riveted onto either solid rings or riveted rings. However, these are butted rings, and having a lower gauge would make them less likely to come apart than if they were made from a higher gauge, which is definitely leading to the weight problem that you are experiencing. For the weight of your butted maile suit (12 kg), another person would be able to have a full hauberk with sleeves reaching to the fingertips weighing in at the same weight, because it is riveted and using lower gauge links. That said, maile is a complex subject where there are many things that can add or take away weight, such as wire thickness and the density of the weave and et cetera. There is an interesting video by Ola Onsrud titled 'Knight in 13th century armour', which features a more historically authentic suit of maile, at about the exact same weight as your suit.

there is no reason to coat stainless steel with zinc.

the way he's putting it on its ridiculous

People see fake armor and say stuff like "look how heavy it is, knights had limited motion" as a owner of a high quality custom made chainmail i can say that proper made chainmail that has been made for your body does not limiti your motion and it feels like a second skin! Ultra light!

Mine is a long-sleeved hauberk with a coif. 33lbs Riveted mild steel. I can't take it on and off without any help and it's really not heavy.

Dude they called chainmail the magical armor, because the 26 lbs gets distributed on you’re shoulders and all that weight goes away, also it helps to be standing when you can it it on.

26lb is light. I've seen plenty of mail that's 60lb+. I personally wear 40lb 10hrs a day.

I made a short sleeve hauberk that I can get on and off by myself. and once belted around the waist, you hardly notice.

If you don't like the shininess of stainless steel it is easy enough to "age" it with a thinned wash of an appropriate metal paint and a spray gun. Movie props people do it all the time. Of course it is still butted mail rather than riveted, but you can't see that from a distance.

My butted spring steel hauberk is about 50 lbs...

Aside from the chainmail, you need to wear a gambeson underneath the mail. And on top of that is the main armor and weapon/s Which will add some extra KGS 😲😮

Wearing a belt which puts the weight on your hips would make it considerably lighter

yeah i dont know mabye try PUTTING ON A BELT see if if makes it easier for you

Well, as other have stated, this is built by someone who knows nothing of historical maille. The patterns are all wrong. You can tell from a first glance before you even wear it. Theres no sort of fitting done with this. It was simply manufactured for consumers that dont know what they're looking for. Suckers, you could say. Rings are not the issue, nor is the material. Strictly the design.

Less than 30 lbs. isn't bad for a suite of chainmail.

26 pounds is a normal weight, your maille will be the heaviest part of your full kit, if you had enclosed body protection, meaning you have a breastplate and backplate then a pair of maille sleeves and a skirt would replace the full shirt.

Back in 05 I made a butted chainmaille halbert for training that one was 85lbs. I’d even roll it up and put it in the bottom of my rucsack before company marches just for added weight. At first it’s heavy, but over time you get used to the weight. Than using normal armor seems too light.

26 pounds should not wind you ma boy.

I wonder how long it took Medieval craftspeople to make chain mail suits for their warriors. They must have some methods to make themselves fast and efficient.

I get your point but 12kg is really not heavy. You should work out heh

You could tailor some of the rings out and shave some weight. But 26 is a good weight of a full shirt. My armor which is ballistic armor plates weighs over 30 pounds and only covers the torso. But if i was getting mail i would just get the sleeves and skirt i mean that stuff is heavy and wearing armor over it means its extra weight.

If it's not specially tailored for your exact body shape, you need a belt worn over it at the waist to "carry' half the weight on your hips.

Thanks this was actually really helpful I’ve been looking at chainmail for pretty much two weeks and I couldn’t tell the difference between what was real and what was fake

As a mail maker I never ever go above 16 gauge and as some others say it poorly tailored. Perhaps you can find someone who could fix it for you. Shaving off several pounds. Best of luck.

What you want is same gauge wire with larger diameter rings. Larger rings like you want just makes the mail looser and can open more gaps. But that is trash mail. Mail is heavy you have to train and wear it all the time to get used to the weight. What is lost by loose mail is the chain mails ability to absorb blows, the tighter and less malleable the mail the less the perceived blow is felt. Kings mail used double or triple rows rather than one to make it stiffer and more protective. I make butted mail by hand so i have a little experience.

Would love one special made with long sleeves, and finger and thumb holes, would be amazing to work out with, would be fun to shadow box with.

2 years ago, I was 14 back then, I made a chainmail shirt it took 3 months, it was heavy, school-backpack heavy. It took 4 coils if steel wire 5 kg each. Totaling 20 kg and I took it to school multiple times, I cycle 12 kilometres to school, I took it along with my shield. That was a mistake(my back didn't like it at all) 20 kg of steel + like 5 kg of books + 2 kg of shield hurts.

Make your own, I did for fun, learned over the Plandemic how to Knit with plyers as I call it. I have really long hair and when I tried to put the mail on my hair got tangled up in the rings. Once I escaped from my mail which was no mean feat I put a beanie on and was successful in putting it on again. You want riveted or welded rings are the best.

Wow! $400 for that? Granted it's stainless steel, but I paid about $70 off ebay for a long sleeve, butted mail, zinc plated steel Hauberk about 20yrs ago. It's a piece of shit of course. Made in India or Pakistan. About 15% of the rings were poorly closed, with a few of them open almost enough for the ring to fall out. I fixed a lot of them, as well as tailoring (to make the sleeves fit more closely to my arms) and lengthening the sleeves (by removing a narrow strip off the bottom of the body section and using it to add some length to the sleeves so they would extend to just below my wrists). I bought it because it was a cheap way to get "costume grade" mail. Wore it as part of a Halloween costume a few times and I got a bunch of attention because of it. It, along with the coif that came with it, have been sitting under my desk on a shelf for about 17yrs now. I pull it out once in a while to look at it, but the zinc plating smells pretty bad at this point... Nearly a complete waste of money, but I did get some use out of it and it was a learning experience.

Loved this Shadiversity recommended this channel glad I checked you out.

I agree butted mail is crap. Riveted mail is the only stuff that actually works and it’s also half as heavy because less material is used.

the reason its so heavy on you is because you dont have a belt

26 pounds is heavy? That's not really even a conference to many people that work for a living. Dispersed across the whole body it wouldnt even be that noticeable. You would tire out faster at first but it yo I wore it regularly you would get used to it really quickly. Dude get a physical job and try it on after a couple weeks. You would be surprised the difference it will make.

Fewer isn’t ALWAYS lighter. But in this situation I see what you’re saying

Typically stainless steel is not zinc plated. Stainless is corrosion resistant, thus no need for a coating. Galvanized steel does have a coating, but is not made from stainless. Both types do tend to be shiny, though, and neither are historically accurate

It weighs as much as my son

Hey I am planning on buying a zinc chainmail, since it's significantly cheaper, set for this year's halloween and I wanted to make it look more realistic. Are there any tips? I kinda want it to look a bit darker too.

Dude, good advice. Also, how would you consider finding a squire? I may know a guy ...

nice video, my chainmail I bought a couple months ago (its also butted, small rings) weighs 20 kilograms, its an hauberk and I made it a bit shorter, but it still weighs 15-17 kilograms. (its just heavy, but when you starting to wear it and fight in it, you get usted to it ;)

But if I want it for a personal protection against stabs and shrappnels? Should I still buy mild steel mail?

It looked to me like a maille shirt than a hauberk. As a hauberk would reach the middle of your thighs. Being stainless steel would mean its softer than spring steel so means you need thicker wired rings to retain strength. My butted spring steel hauberk is about 10kgs and reaches down to just above my knees and my flat ringed riveted spring steel is 6.5kgs of the same size fitting but prices are 120 pounds and 300 pounds in cost respective. Now wearing it is not bad after a while and spread with a belt.

Stainless still does rust but normally in terrible conditions

I have butted mail an it’s not heavy at all. I’m 12 and even my little brother who is 9 has no trouble wearing it

Anyone knows where can I acquire a squire? Thanks! ;]

As a former Infantryman, our Kevlar and ceramic plates, for us larger men, where significantly heavier. Especially when you added all the extra gear that goes on it like medical packs, water sources, and ammo. Get stronger.

Common weight for a shirt in that shape 😆

They should have used 3/8 inch. 1/4 inch is overkill

Its 12 kgs ....

where was this shirt from?

It hurt watching him struggle with 26lbs

Should of got riveted mail as it’s half as heavy

Is stainless steel coated with zink? Sure it's not galvanized? Stainless looks more shiny.

My haubergen is 47.2lbs. Then the coif....then the helm... then the mail chauses...ect ect lol

I have seen people swim across a dam while wearing maille . no shoes , can swim , shoes well you sink. maille isnt that hard to put on , I used to put mine on , then belt it, in under a minute , combat ready in two minutes .

Why not stainless steel? Playing medieval, or excersizing - it is a great tool, does not mean you nedd to mess around with sensible things which need to be oiled, are dirty... Stainless steel. By the way, for such a shirt a medieval knight would have killed. Butted... No go, moving around stresses the shirt, rings open up, no thanks. Cheap is soon expensive. Heavy, depends on tailoring. 8 kg I wear, good for everyday life training. I put it on like a T shirt, was a bit puzzled seeing your struggle.

How far could you get if you went jogging while wearing that?

Maybe it would have been wise to do some research before buying a mail shirt. I am pretty sure that yours is a shirt from India. It is rather low quality, particularly being zinc-coated (most likely not stainless steel). The weight is pretty much normal. On a lump, mail feels very heavy. You have to wear it. In order to do that comfortably, it has to be cut perfectly to your body - no baggy sleeves like this one. Also, it takes some practice to get in and out of it. Also, wear a belt to bring some of the weight onto your hips. High-quality mail shirts are made of riveted and full rings. You could use your, being butted mail, to get a little into mail shirt tailoring (first look up tutorials on RU-vid about this topic). There is much more to say, but I refer you to channels such as scholagladiatoria, Metatron and similar. There you will find everything you need to know about mail armour.

26 pounds and grunting 😂

dude ... 26 pounds is not heavy. yes, better tailoring would remove a lot of excess weight, and a belt would carry a lot of the weight on your hips ... but 26 pounds has you grunting and groaning ... with all due respect ... get in shape. in the military i carried a 26 pound machine gun and 60-70 pounds of gear on my back ... and walked for miles a day.

I thought Stainless Steel doesn't rust cause it has Nickel and Chromium.

Never heard a dude complain so much in my life🤣🤣🤣

I thought Alicia Silverstone starred in Clueless.....

This video was too funny, sell as workout equipment

you are complaining about 26lbs? the firefighter gear this woman (me) has to wear is close to 50lbs. sounds like you dont know chainmail. actual chainmail, go look at examples in museums, yes they exist, are extremely small rings. the weight of 26lbs is insignificant when it is worn properly with a belt to tie the weight into your hips. riveted chainmail was very common.

so what are you going to do with this mail shirt?

This 26 pound mail shirt is too much... Nor like ssoilders today can handle a platw carrier and gear load out 50 lbs or more especially with ammo included

What's wrong with zinc?

You look like Goku with weight cloth and after remove it you become faster and stronger. LoL

Why is he so dramatic 12kg is light af for Armor

hmm.. and if you are fat, and loose about 12 kg.. does it make you well trained to wear that chain mail?))

I'm a Vietnamese, 60kg- 1.65 m. I made a chainmail myself. It's about 8 kg and I can wear it easily. I wear it when I do exercises for at least 1 hour. Your body are just too weak.

What a wimp. 26 pounds for mail isn't heavy. It's normal. Roman Legios marched 20 miles a day wearing their mail plus the rest of their kit.

Frankly it was kinda funny watching him struggle with the shirt, I've managed to get one on about that size when I was 10, also squires were trained from the age of 10 to wear chainmail to strengthen their bodies so it became similar to wearing a regular shirt. I suppose it felt heavy cause it isn't normally something he did. If im to offer any constructive criticism; maybe do more research on the subjects you do "dont get" videos on, cause there may be a reason it is the way it is

26lb is not heavy. ESPECIALLY when distributed evenly over the body... you weakling.

video having no interest because the butted mesh is not historical, it is a pure modern invention at low cost. Only the riveted mesh is historic

Fuck I wore my dads chain mail that he made for Halloween and it was 60lbs but 25lbs is considered really heavy, damn

Dude twenty six pounds is a good weight many a little on the lighter side, the smaller the rings the better because that makes it mor durable to stab attacks which is chainmails biggest weakness so stop complaining

you need to work out if you cant even wear that and another thing is they wore belts to hold some of the weight

It's armour. Join a gym then it won't be so heavy. What are you Monty burns from the simpson? I guess taking something from maggie simpson would be a challenge to you.

Bro is weak

well I was gonna rip into you over this video but it looks like everyone else has said it already.....yeah you should probably pick something else to make videos about

25 lbs????? that is it? The ones knights wore were like 35 -40 lbs at least. How can you not lift and wear 25 lbs over your body? LIke...... that sonly ilke 3 lbs per any inch of your body........ sounds to me like somoene needs to train better...... Maybe even put a belt on and tailor the shirt correcly.

I love that these comments are all highlighting how terrible this guy is and how awesome this armor is. Because it is just that... ARMOR. You're lucky it only weighs 12kg, it was designed to stop you from dying... enjoy your larger rings lol.

It's only 12 kilos, ffs. He's whining and wheezing like Oprah is sat on him.

Its 12 kgs....