Three purchases really matter when you build your first HEMA sparring kit. Your mask protects your face. Your gloves protect your hands. Your jacket protects the rest of you.

The jacket is the largest piece of kit you will buy, the piece that takes the most hits over the course of a lifetime in HEMA, and the piece most likely to reveal its shortcomings in ways you remember. Cheap jackets fail in ways that leave you bruised. Bad-fitting jackets restrict your movement in ways that hurt your fencing. Good jackets make sparring feel safe and free in a way that changes your whole relationship to the art.

This post walks you through how to find a good one.

What a HEMA Jacket Actually Does

A HEMA jacket is a padded torso garment designed to absorb the impact of a steel feder or blunt sword. It wraps around your body from the collarbone down to somewhere around the hips, covers the arms from shoulder to wrist, and closes with either zips or lacing at the front or back.

Its three jobs, in order of importance:

Impact absorption. When a thrust lands on your chest, or a descending cut wraps around onto your shoulder, the jacket's padding distributes and absorbs that force. A good jacket turns what would be a deep bruise into a faint echo of contact. A bad jacket does nothing and you spend Tuesday evening discovering new colours on your torso.

Puncture resistance. HEMA feders have flexible points, but the geometry of a determined thrust can still concentrate force. A proper HEMA jacket is made of fabric layers that resist puncture at the specific CEN standards (800N minimum for most HEMA uses).

Freedom of movement. A jacket that protects you against hits but prevents you from moving your sword is useless. Shoulder articulation, underarm gusseting, and the cut of the sleeves all determine whether you can actually fence in the jacket.

Getting all three right in a single garment is the whole design challenge of a HEMA jacket, and different makers make different compromises.

The Main Options

The HEMA jacket market has stabilised over the last decade. Here are the main options most practitioners encounter.

SPES (Poland)

SPES Axel Pettersson, SPES AP Light, SPES AP Plus. The industry standard. Well-cut, well-padded, available in multiple sizes with decent fit for most body shapes. Price range £250-£400 depending on the model. The Axel Pettersson is the most common HEMA jacket at European tournaments, which tells you something about how well-trusted it is. The Plus version has additional protection for heavier sparring; the Light version is slightly more breathable and less bulky.

For most beginners, an SPES AP Light or standard AP is the safe choice. Good protection, good fit, widely available, good warranty support.

PBT (Hungary)

PBT HEMA jackets are a popular alternative, particularly for practitioners with budget concerns. Decent protection, slightly less refined fit than SPES, and sometimes harder to source new in the UK. Price range £200-£300.

Superior Fencing (USA)

A reputable American maker. Their HEMA jackets are well-constructed, a touch more tailored in the shoulder than SPES, and slightly pricier due to shipping into the UK. Worth considering if SPES sizing does not suit your body.

Regenyei, Blackfencer, and smaller makers

Several smaller European makers produce HEMA jackets of varying quality. Regenyei jackets are widely used and reasonably priced. Blackfencer is known for their nylon training swords but their jackets are respectable too. Smaller makers can offer custom fitting for practitioners who fall outside standard sizing.

For your first jacket, the reliable advice is: stick with SPES, PBT, or Superior Fencing. Adventures with smaller makers are for your second jacket, when you know what you want.

Budget Options

As with gloves and masks, the budget end of the HEMA jacket market is where trouble lives. Sub-£150 HEMA jackets from unknown brands are often under-padded, poorly constructed, and fail under the kinds of hits HEMA sparring delivers routinely. The savings are not worth the bruises.

Fit Matters More Than You Think

A well-made jacket that fits badly is worse than a basic jacket that fits well. Here is what to check.

Shoulder articulation. Raise your arms above your head, hold them in Posta Frontale, and see if the jacket binds anywhere. Shoulder-heavy padding is common in budget jackets and it severely restricts the high guards.

Underarm gusset. The fabric under your arms needs to flex as your arms move forward and backward. Fixed underarm fabric means you cannot extend comfortably into Posta Longa.

Torso coverage. The jacket should cover from roughly the collarbone down to the hips. Gaps at the waist are where bruises live.

Collar comfort. A collar that is too stiff or too tall will press into your throat when you look down. This sounds minor until you spend two hours fencing in a jacket whose collar is digging into your Adam's apple.

Closure system. Front-zip jackets are convenient but can loosen during sparring. Back-lace jackets are more secure but require a partner to put on. Most beginners prefer front-zip for the solo convenience; experienced tournament competitors often prefer back-lace for the fit precision.

What to Actually Spend

For a first HEMA jacket that will last several years and not let you down, expect to spend £250-£400 at the reputable end of the market. SPES AP Light at around £280, SPES standard AP at around £320, SPES AP Plus at around £380.

Spending significantly less means buying into the budget tier where failures happen. Spending significantly more buys custom-fitted jackets from smaller makers, which are worth it for experienced practitioners but not essential for beginners.

When to Replace Your Jacket

Jackets outlast masks and gloves in most kit bags. A well-used SPES jacket will happily carry you through 3-5 years of regular sparring. Signs to replace:

  • Padding compresses permanently. If a hit on a familiar spot starts hurting more than it used to, the padding has flattened.
  • Seams fail. Any seam that starts to split is a jacket that is one bad swing from exposing a gap.
  • Fabric abrasion through to the lining. Heavy wear on the sleeves or chest that reaches the inner layer means the outer shell is compromised.

Keeping an old jacket for drill work after retiring it from sparring is fine. But know that "this is my drill jacket" is a different category than "this is my sparring jacket".

Buy Once, Buy Well

The theme of HEMA safety gear is the same across masks, gloves, and jackets. Buy from reputable makers, buy the fit and not just the brand, and do not try to save money on the parts of the kit that protect you from steel. Your future self, sparring happily and pain-free three years from now, will thank your present self for the choice.

Come and Learn

HEMA Penzance has loaner gear for beginners, including jackets where sizing allows. We train every Tuesday, 7pm to 9pm, at Penzance Leisure Centre. Your first lesson is free, all equipment is provided, and no experience is necessary. Come along and see for yourself.