There's nothing wrong with chain mail in my opinion. As far as I'm concerned it's not too different from using plate armor. Could be a bit heavy though.
I hope I didn't misunderstand something now...
I just use +1 light leather armor and a small shield. I have a pretty high dexterity, so I don't really need the extra protection. Besides, if I ever get low on HP, I just back off and start firing arrows. :)
How are you firing the arrows with that small shield?
normajeanyates, that's not how you spell irrelevance in a spam message.