Short Riveted Leather Bracers

Short Riveted Leather Bracers with Buckles for LARP and Cosplay

Historical Context and Combat Use

Leather bracers (or vambraces) served from antiquity through the late Middle Ages as absolutely essential forearm protection for light infantry, archers, mercenaries, and hunters. While heavily armoured men-at-arms preferred plate steel for hand and arm defence, massive hide reinforced with steel or brass rivets provided an excellent compromise between protection against light slashing wounds and maintaining maximum weapon agility. Historically, the rivets not only gave the armour a more aggressive look but also strengthened the overall structure of the leather and often held inner padding in place. Today, these bracers are a popular and practical accessory for fantasy warriors, rangers, witchers, or rogues across various gaming realms.

How to Wear Them and Safety Guidelines

These bracers are simply attached to the forearm using two sturdy leather straps featuring historically styled metal buckles. For a proper fit, place the leather plate on the outside of your forearm and thread the straps through the buckles on the inside of your arm. Thanks to the pre-punched holes, you can easily adjust them to the circumference of your wrist. Please note that from a safety perspective, this is a costume accessory. They are not intended for full-contact heavy combat with steel weapons, such as buhurt, HEMA tournaments, or Battle of the Nations. However, they will serve you brilliantly for LARP battles with foam weapons, stage combat, or simply as a highly stylish accessory for your camp clothing.

Caring for Natural Leather

The bracers are hand-crafted from genuine cowhide. Minor variations in colour and surface texture are natural characteristics of the material, making every single piece somewhat unique. To maintain the suppleness and longevity of the leather, we highly recommend occasionally treating the bracers with a high-quality leather balsam containing beeswax. If the leather gets wet at an event, let it air dry naturally at room temperature. Never dry your gear on a radiator or too close to an open fire – the leather would irreversibly harden, shrink, and crack.

We highly recommend complementing these bracers with a matching medieval leather belt featuring a forged buckle or a padded arming doublet, which together will form the perfect and functional foundation for your armour.

Technical Specifications and Dimensions