Loaner armor

From MiddleWiki

Loaner armor is a group or individual's collection of armor that is usually used to help individuals new to Armored combat get into the sport. Some groups maintain an informal office to manage this armor called the Rusty key. This is otherwise coordinated through the Group Knight Marshal if the practice is run by a SCA group. Larger Households may also maintain their own loaner armor.

It is almost always the case that loaner armor consists of ugly cast-off or hand-me-down pieces. While all pieces of armor loaned to new fighters should be safe, they may not fit well. Some groups see this as an incentive for new participants to make their own properly fitting armor sooner than later.

Groups may have differing policies regarding long term use of loaner armor. Examples may include the loaner armor being brought to each practice or provided as a long-term loan. The latter policy is often of concern since initial retention of new fighters may be very low and the armor may disappear.

See also: First Time In Armor