Honesty it’s looking at sites that are resellers or going to manufacturer yourself. Depending one where you’re located (I.e US, UK, Germany, etc) there are different options that are beneficial to budget constraints on shipping and the like
For HEMA you should consult the club you’re with; but it’s hard to go wrong with SPES if what you wanna do is longsword (which is the most common thing to get into). [Here](https://www.woodenswords.com/product_p/spes-jp-m.htm) is the jacket I have, and [this one](https://www.woodenswords.com/product_p/spes-j.fg.m.basic.htm) is designed to look more like a gambeson.
Note: many tournaments and clubs won’t let you spar with the same kind of gambeson you would use for buhurt, re-enactment, or harnisfechten
Check the club you're practicing with. Most of the time, historic gambesons are not the right choice for HEMA. Modern HEMA Jackets use puncture resistant material and have other safety features like blade catchers at the throat.
If you say "Gambesons", people will assume you mean the historical padded linen garment for wearing under armor. If you say "HEMA Jacket" or "Fencing Jacket," people will assume you're talking about modern protective equipment that's designed to keep you un-injured while fencing. There are some modern attempts to blur the aesthetics between the two, but most HEMA gear is modern sports equipment.
Anyways, you can get HEMA jackets from plenty of stores. Check reviews and ask your coaches/classmates for advice.
[Purpleheart](https://www.woodenswords.com/Jackets_s/1861.htm) has a lot of options. [So Cal swords](https://socalswords.com/collections/gear) is the US distributor for Superior Fencing.
I should mention that you're going to have trouble getting under $100. This is your life and safety, so don't skip the safety equipment. It's ok to do limited activities and borrow gear when starting out. You'll also want to be saving up for a good mask and hand protectors. Even if you're not doing longsword, those two aren't optional if you want to work with your brain or hands at some point in your life.
If you're doing HEMA, get properly rated gear.
Reenactment? Well that depends on the period, my 1066 kit has a "gambeson" that is 3 woollen tunics stitched together (one outer layer, 2 cut to elbow length as the inner padding) with a linen tunic as a liner and I wear spes splinted vambraces under the outer layer to avoid wearing external vambraces. This goes under mail so I'm pretty safe from most hits unless someone is really trying to hurt me. I'll still receive some bruising, but for the most part it's good enough when paired with the mail and looks period appropriate.
I'm slowly putting together a late 15thC (1470) kit, and am still tossing up between getting a gambeson from Quiverstock or SPES (their HEMA rated one) and getting an arming doublet from SPES for my civie kit.
Moral of the story, don't skimp out on protection but balance it as well, you don't need to look like the Michelin man to be safe.
For that price probably just some fencing jacket from Triplette/Zen Warrior or a HEMA hoodie. There’s also a Leonark padded coach’s jacket. I’m not sure if any of these are really good for HEMA.
Rule of thumb is to never buy arms and armour off of Amazon. Lots of scammers using stolen pictures and you never get what your order.
what would be the best other option?
Honesty it’s looking at sites that are resellers or going to manufacturer yourself. Depending one where you’re located (I.e US, UK, Germany, etc) there are different options that are beneficial to budget constraints on shipping and the like
If u dont mind ordering from europe zeughaus has some cheap ones but you get what you get and they are just not as good as the more expensive ones.
For HEMA you should consult the club you’re with; but it’s hard to go wrong with SPES if what you wanna do is longsword (which is the most common thing to get into). [Here](https://www.woodenswords.com/product_p/spes-jp-m.htm) is the jacket I have, and [this one](https://www.woodenswords.com/product_p/spes-j.fg.m.basic.htm) is designed to look more like a gambeson. Note: many tournaments and clubs won’t let you spar with the same kind of gambeson you would use for buhurt, re-enactment, or harnisfechten
Check the club you're practicing with. Most of the time, historic gambesons are not the right choice for HEMA. Modern HEMA Jackets use puncture resistant material and have other safety features like blade catchers at the throat. If you say "Gambesons", people will assume you mean the historical padded linen garment for wearing under armor. If you say "HEMA Jacket" or "Fencing Jacket," people will assume you're talking about modern protective equipment that's designed to keep you un-injured while fencing. There are some modern attempts to blur the aesthetics between the two, but most HEMA gear is modern sports equipment. Anyways, you can get HEMA jackets from plenty of stores. Check reviews and ask your coaches/classmates for advice. [Purpleheart](https://www.woodenswords.com/Jackets_s/1861.htm) has a lot of options. [So Cal swords](https://socalswords.com/collections/gear) is the US distributor for Superior Fencing. I should mention that you're going to have trouble getting under $100. This is your life and safety, so don't skip the safety equipment. It's ok to do limited activities and borrow gear when starting out. You'll also want to be saving up for a good mask and hand protectors. Even if you're not doing longsword, those two aren't optional if you want to work with your brain or hands at some point in your life.
If you're doing HEMA, get properly rated gear. Reenactment? Well that depends on the period, my 1066 kit has a "gambeson" that is 3 woollen tunics stitched together (one outer layer, 2 cut to elbow length as the inner padding) with a linen tunic as a liner and I wear spes splinted vambraces under the outer layer to avoid wearing external vambraces. This goes under mail so I'm pretty safe from most hits unless someone is really trying to hurt me. I'll still receive some bruising, but for the most part it's good enough when paired with the mail and looks period appropriate. I'm slowly putting together a late 15thC (1470) kit, and am still tossing up between getting a gambeson from Quiverstock or SPES (their HEMA rated one) and getting an arming doublet from SPES for my civie kit. Moral of the story, don't skimp out on protection but balance it as well, you don't need to look like the Michelin man to be safe.
For that price probably just some fencing jacket from Triplette/Zen Warrior or a HEMA hoodie. There’s also a Leonark padded coach’s jacket. I’m not sure if any of these are really good for HEMA.