Except that I get everything I know from another group of guys. So I'm only one space removed. Fair enough I don't have first hand experience but I have plenty of second-hand experience and textual knowledge to back it up.

NeoSpartan, high and late Medieval plate was totally different and much heavier than mail. A Roman soldier's battle-dress is roughly the same weight as a modern soldier's and his harching kit is lighter, although more awkward. In any case there is evidence the infantry battle took several hours and the men would have been fitter than probably anyone except the SAS. If the weight of mail was truely prohibative it would not have been popular for 1,500 years. Lorica Segmentata lasted a bare 150-180 years by comparison. Further, the the suits became simpler and less effective in terms of protection with a greater emphasis on repairability.

I do not deny that Lorica Segmentata provides a greater degree of protection from blunt trauma, not that it was lighter. However it is more labour intensive to maintain and more prone to breakage in the field through wear. It is also more prone to rust which can be a problem in wet climates, though less so with iron than modern steel. What Lorica Segmentata does not provide is great protection from thrusting weapons, such as spears. Nor is it as flexable or easy to put or on as mail. Further there is good evidence that mail was never abandonded by the rank and file and given that Lorica Segmentata is supposed to be cheaper and quicker to amke this raises serious questions that have yet to be answered.

Had you checked the link I posted you would see that the quote is from the Ermine Street Guard, arguably the world-leaders in re-enactment.