I consider my self to be some what of a strong swimmer, or maybe just a stuborn one...im not sure. I weigh about 165 lbs with 13% body fat. I can tell you right now, that I could not swim 1/4 mile with 50 lbs of maille on. I can do one lap with my 60 lb cousin on my back and more if i have him in a rescue cary, but 50 lbs of steel hanging off of your body would be something totally different. One, it saggs. Two, if you were wearing chain maille, it would be likely that you would have a gambeason, or some other heavy cloth on underneat. Seeing as Wool was the primary cloth of the land and time, i would immagin that it would soak up the watter quite quickly, thus, making it even more difficult.