The Knight Life
Field Guide
Which weekend is worth the journey?

Understand the event before you commit.

Compare what an event is really like, what organizers expect, who they want to attend, and what you are likely to get from the trip.

Not a star rating. A practical description of the experience, supported by current facts and identifiable sources.
Armored combatants at the Deed of the Swan Knight
The Deed of the Swan KnightPhoto and account: The Knight Life
A group of armored SCA fighters at Pennsic War
Pennsic WarAdriaan Wessels · CC BY-SA 3.0
67

Event leads

Seven full field guides plus an expanded archive of deeds, Harnischfechten tournaments, Rossfechten, jousting and public history.

Explore events →
14

Training programs

Schools that publicly support fighting in armor, with instructors, entry routes, costs and riding noted.

Find training →
18

People & companies

Three practitioner profiles and fifteen fighting companies, schools and regional armored networks.

Meet the community →
29

Physical Culture

Armorers, mail makers, suppliers and clothiers compared by historical basis, price, delivery evidence and order status.

Compare makers →
7

Full field guides

Detailed expectations, strengths, tradeoffs, audience fit, costs and source trails for the pilot events.

Compare full guides →

How this field guide works

Official claims, firsthand reports and editorial conclusions are kept separate. Dates and rules receive freshness warnings when they age.

  1. Find current official information
  2. Collect identifiable firsthand accounts
  3. Standardize the event fingerprint
  4. State strengths and tradeoffs plainly
  5. Show sources and uncertainty
  6. Invite organizer corrections
Directory foundation

What each status actually means

Research depth and present activity are recorded separately. A concluded event can still have an excellent full field guide, while a newly announced event may remain only a research lead.

Read the directory policies

Depth of research

Research leadExact identity established; important details still need checking.
Verified listingCore identity and current claims checked against reliable evidence.
Full field guideDetailed expectations, strengths, tradeoffs, costs and source trail.

Present condition

Announced / openA future occurrence and its attendance path are confirmed.
Concluded / historicalA documented past occurrence retained for useful comparison.
Current status unclearThe identity is sound, but current dates or operations cannot be confirmed.
Cancelled / postponedAn occurrence changed status; this is not a judgment of its quality.