Armor?

I've been hit with some questions lately about what's legal for torso armor, and let me tell you, they run the gamut. Some people are saying Under Armour is legal by itself while others are saying that stretch fencing jackets aren't. Talk about a spread.

So let's tackle Under Armour first. For anyone who doesn't know, Under Armour is a brand of athletic apparel designed to help regulate your body temperature by wicking sweat away from your body. It's great stuff and has been a part of my kit for better than 5 years now, but I never thought of it as armor. But the people who claim it counts as all that's required for torso protection cite the fact that it passes the Society's drop test. Which, while it is a nice piece of trivia, is completely irrelevant. You see, under the definition of abrasion-resistant materials, it specifically lists lycra/spandex mix materials and, well, I hate to break the news to proponents of Under Armour, it is a lycra/spandex mix. So, until the Society's Rapier Handbook is updated to say otherwise, Under Armour is not legal torso protection by itself.

Which leads us to whether stretch fencing jackets are legal or not? The argument against these jackets is that the backs are a stretch nylon that does not meet the Newton requirements set forward in the Society Rapier Handbook. The thing is, just like with the Under Armour, it doesn't matter. The rules state that commercial fencing clothing rated at 550 Newtons is puncture resistant. So whether or not a jacket has stretch panels or not, if the maker rates the jacket at 550 Newtons, it is legal. Of course, the hard part there is finding a stretch jacket that is rated at 550 Newtons. FIE stretch jackets are rated for 800N, but most of the club stretch jackets are only rated for 350N. But if you're willing to put out the extra money for an FIE jacket, you can wear it.

So, for you marshals out there who have fencers trying to buffalo their way through either allowing Under Armour or saying no to stretch jackets, just remember pages 6 and 7 of the S.C.A. Rapier Marshal's Handbook holds all of the answers. And with the jackets, unless the jacket itself says otherwise, assume it meets the standard, but recommend they upgrade to period armor.