Long story short, I've noticed a distressing number of individuals in the local chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism, including the head of the local chapter where I live, have been telling me an increasing number of things I am quite sure aren't entirely true.
I know for a fact that "Medieval swords were absolutely never sharp, they were used as clubs because armor existed!" is pretty blatantly untrue. But now they're enforcing leather armor as a rule instead of gambeson. The leader of the local chapter believes that gambeson was actually a myth. I'm incredibly frustrated and figured I'd ask an actual historian for validation at this point.
Well, I guess long story short is a lie at this point. I apologize if the phrasing of my question is confusing, I'm a wannabe fantasy writer myself, but I at least strive for accuracy in weapons and armor.
Would you mind asking the leader of your local SCA club which authors he's referring to when he claims that gambesons are a myth and that leather armour was the most common form of armour? If he can provide some, that should go a long way to establishing whether he's quoting from an old source that inspired the fictional use of leather armour or a more recent source that he might be misquoting.
Isn't a gambeson an item of clothing, not a material that clothing is made of?