A gambeson is a padded defensive jacket, worn as armor separately, or combined with mail or plate armor. Gambesons were produced with a sewing technique called quilting. They were usually constructed of linen or wool; the stuffing varied, and could be for example scrap cloth or horse hair.

What is the meaning of gambeson?

: a medieval garment of stuffed and quilted cloth or leather originally worn under the hauberk as a pad but later used alone as a defensive garment.

How good is a gambeson?

Just how good was gambeson? The short answer is that fabric armour (gambesons, jacks, doublets of fence - there are a number of different garments with different names) is indeed very effective, even when used as a standalone armour. But it isn't as effective as plate armour.