Captain America's shield is used as a type of equipment.
 Sometimes shields were made of metal, but wood or animal hide construction was much more common; wicker and even turtle shells have been used
 Shields also vary a great deal in thickness; whereas some shields were made of relatively deep, absorbent, wooden planking to protect soldiers from the impact of spears and crossbow bolts, others were thinner and lighter and designed mainly for deflecting blade strikes (like the roromaraugi or qauata)

