Gear

Below is our recommended list of gear for participating in drills/partnered work.

Links provided are for Purpleheart Armory, a reliable distributor of quality HEMA goods. Superior Fencing provides more affordable HEMA products, but has a questionable reputation in the HEMA community. The USA retailer for Blackfencer, a good source for weapons, is SoCal Swords. SoCal Swords also distributes SupFen in the US. For more information, speak to a club member. See E-Bogu and Akado Armory for Japanese arts.

Basic Gear

Required
Drills
AF Basic HEMA Fencing Mask
Lacrosse Gloves or Singlestick Gloves

Optional
Elbow and/or forearm padding

Sparring Gear

Longsword (Steel or Synthetic)
SPES AP Jacket with additional protection (plastic men’s, women’s)
SPES Dragonfly Fencing Pants
HF Armory Black Knight Gloves
Appropriate back-of-head protection
Gorget
Hard elbow and knee protection
Forearm and shin protection
Groin protection and/or breast protection

Saber (Steel or Synthetic)
Appropriate back-of-head protection
SPES Officer Jacket or similar light jacket (men’s, women’s, higher protection) with additional protection (plastic men’s, women’s)
Fencing Pants
HF Armory Black Knight Gloves for Steel or adequate bowl hilt
Hard elbow and knee protection
Forearm protection
Shin protection
Groin protection and/or breast protection

Singlestick
AF Basic HEMA Fencing Mask
Heavy hoodie or HEMA Hoodie
Singlestick Gloves
Hard elbow protection (recommended, but not required)

Weapons

Longsword
Wooden (for techniques only)
Synthetic

Saber
Infantry Synthetic

Scottish Broadsword
Synthetic

Singlestick
Cheaper Option (you may want gloves due to basket style)
Super Extra Cheap Option
Hickory or Rattan with Leather Basket
Hickory or Rattan with Synthetic Basket

Bayonet
Synthetic

Japanese Arts

Gear
Keikogi and Hakama (Cultural clothing, not needed to practice)
Tattsuke Bakama (Cultural clothing, not needed to practice)
Kakuobi (Needed for drawing of the katana)

Not needed if you have HEMA gear
Bogu
Suneate
Jukendo Do Futon
Jukendo Kata

Weapons
Shinai
Bokuto
Shoto Bokuto
Steel Katana and Wakizashi

Jo
Tanjo

Naginata
Shiai Naginata
Synthetic

Synthetic Yari
Mokuju