The Complete Beginner's Guide to Choosing LARP Armour

Everything you need to know before buying your first set of armour.

Stepping into your first Live Action Role Play (LARP) event is an unforgettable experience. Whether you want to play a noble knight, a battle-hardened mercenary, an elven ranger, a rogue or a fearsome dark warrior, your armour is one of the most important investments you'll make.

For many newcomers, choosing armour can feel overwhelming. Steel, leather, EVA foam and polyurethane all have their place, but which is right for you?

This guide explains what to look for, common mistakes to avoid, and how to choose armour you'll enjoy wearing for years.

What is LARP Armour?

LARP armour is designed to create the appearance of historical or fantasy armour while remaining practical to wear during events.

Unlike museum replicas or historical battle armour, LARP armour needs to balance several factors:

• Comfort
• Weight
• Durability
• Appearance
• Freedom of movement
• Ease of transport
• Ease of maintenance

The best Larp armour is the armour you can comfortably wear from morning until night while remaining fully immersed in your character and without becoming fatigued.

The Four Main Types of LARP Armour

Steel Armour - The Burdened Choice

Steel armour is popular with historical enthusiasts.

Steel is traditional, but it comes with severe physical penalties that can ruin a long weekend event.

The Reality: It is extremely heavy and exhausting to wear all day, rapidly draining your energy during battles. Cheap metal armour often features dangerous sharp edges that can ruin expensive latex weapons or injure other players.

The Catch: It will rust quickly without constant, messy oiling and cleaning. If it does not fit perfectly, steel causes painful bruising and pinching, and it is incredibly expensive to ship due to its weight.

Advantages

• Extremely realistic
• Long lifespan
• Traditional construction
• Authentic weight and feel

Disadvantages

• Very Heavy
• Will rust without maintenance
• Can have sharp edges, cheap metal armour can often be dangerous to other players or weapons.
• Badly fitting metal armour can cause bruising and pinching.
• Requires regular cleaning
• Expensive to ship
• Can become very uncomfortable during long events

Many first-time players underestimate how tiring it can be to wear all day.

Leather Armour

Leather is often popular for rogues, rangers and lighter fantasy characters.

It offers excellent flexibility but provides a very different visual style from plate armour.

EVA Foam Armour

Foam armour is lightweight and affordable but lacks longevity.

However, it often struggles to reproduce the sharp details and convincing metallic appearance of higher-end materials. It can also be more susceptible to dents and surface damage over time.

Polyurethane Armour

Modern cast polyurethane has become increasingly popular for LARP because it offers an excellent balance of realism, comfort and durability.

Wyrmwick Creations are the leaders in the field of Polyurethane Larp armour with over 30 years of experience.  All of our armour is made and designed in our UK workshops specifically for Larp and Cosplay.

High-quality polyurethane armour captures intricate sculpted details while weighing significantly less than comparable steel armour. It won't rust and requires very little maintenance, making it ideal for players who attend multiple events each year.

For many beginners, it provides the closest visual appearance to steel without the associated weight and upkeep.

What Armour Should a Beginner Buy First?

We recommend that you build your armour in stages.

A sensible progression is:

1. Shoulders (pauldrons)
2. Gorget (neck protection) 
3. Bracers (arm armour) 
4. Greaves (leg armour) 
5. Breastplate and backplate
6. Helmet
7. Accessories

This allows you to spread the cost while ensuring each new piece matches the rest of your kit.

Comfort Matters More Than You Think

Your first event may last an entire weekend.

That means you'll likely spend many hours:

• Walking
• Running
• Fighting
• Sitting around camp
• Eating
• Sleeping in costume

Armour that feels comfortable for ten minutes in a shop may become exhausting after eight hours.

When choosing armour, look for:

• Lightweight construction
• Freedom of shoulder movement
• Comfortable strapping
• Even weight distribution
• Secure fastening

Think About Your Character

Your armour should reflect your character's story.

Ask yourself:

• Are you a disciplined knight?
• A brutal warlord?
• A wandering mercenary?
• A royal guard?
• A dark fantasy champion?

Choosing armour that suits your character creates a more believable and memorable appearance than simply buying the biggest pieces available.

Can You Mix Armour Sets?

Absolutely.

Many experienced LARP players gradually build a unique look by combining pieces from different collections.

Matching shoulder armour with a complementary gorget, bracers and helmet creates a distinctive appearance while allowing future upgrades as your character evolves.

Wyrmwick Creations have a huge range of armour all of which can be mixed and matched to create your own unique look.

Don't Forget Weight

New players often focus entirely on appearance.

Experienced players will ask one question first:

"How much does it weigh?"

A few kilograms or pounds might not sound significant, but after wearing armour for an entire weekend, the difference becomes very noticeable.  A full set of steel armour can weigh over 25kg (55lbs).  A full set of Wyrmwick armour weighs less than a third of that - on average around 8kg (17½ lbs).

Historically, armour wearers trained from childhood and were very fit and active, modern day knights may not be, so choosing lightweight armour can make the difference between enjoying your event and counting the hours until you can take it off.

Caring for Your Armour

One advantage of polyurethane armour is how easy it is to maintain.

Most pieces only require:

• Wiping away mud or dust with a damp cloth
• Storing in a cool, dry place
• Checking straps occasionally
• Giving the occasional polish with solid shoe polish
• Avoiding prolonged exposure to extreme heat

Unlike steel armour, polyurethane won't rust, making it an excellent choice for wet weather.

Common Beginner Mistakes

Buying purely on price

Cheap armour often ends up costing more when it needs replacing.

Ignoring comfort

Heavy armour looks impressive until you've worn it for six hours.

Choosing random pieces

Building a coordinated armour set creates a much stronger impression than mixing unrelated styles.

Forgetting transport

Consider how easily your armour fits into your car and how much it weighs when carrying it across a campsite.