Winter is setting in and the temperatures are dropping. Time to think about your cold weather gear. Airsofting doesn’t have to end because the temperatures take a dive. Now, low temperatures can have an effect on your airsoft guns but I’ll leave that conversation to the more technical experts of the community. For this discussion we will focus on keeping you warm while staying combat effective.

The quick and easy answer to keeping warm while doing winter pew pew is layers. Wearing layers and how to adjust them for the conditions can completely change your experience. Knowing how to add or take those layers away can actually help keep you safe also. I’m not talking just about hypothermia but dehydration. Yeah, you can risk getting too hot, just like you risk getting too cold during winter airsoft.

When deciding what to wear this winter you need to know the conditions you’ll be playing in. Whether traveling or playing local, a 45 minute drive north or south can mean a big difference in conditions. Then you have to consider your time of potential exposure. If you’re just playing local for the day you’ll be set up differently than someone going to a weekend long event. Now you don’t have to have two separate sets of winter gear to cover local and long weekend play. The difference is how you plan your layers and assess risk when exposed to the elements. So, always know the conditions of the AO.

Now to the clothes, the first layer is key and in any situation it’s all it takes beyond the uniform you’ll be wearing. Luckily there have been plenty of leaps in the advancement of lightweight thermal gear. It has also gotten a lot cheaper. Long gone are the days where you would wear bulky hot long Johns or bulky polypro under your uniform. Now you can go to the store and find lightweight thermals designed for different temperature ratings. This really allows you to tailor the winter gear to your comfort level. Once again you don’t want to overdo it and risk dehydration because you’re sweating your ass off running around. So first, it is always the silk weight form fitting thermals that’s your base layer under your uniform.

Next comes your uniform or civilian clothes, if that’s how you plan to roll. Now honestly, it’s not a big deal what you decide to wear in this layer as long as it’s long sleeved and not shorts for the obvious reason. Going short sleeves under you uniform is fine when you are wearing those light silk weight thermals that should be long sleeved. While keeping the core of your body warm is key, your arms aren’t the biggest concern, we all want to be comfortable. Now things change a bit if the day is sunny with no risk of precipitation. But what if it’s cold? In this case if you have those silk weights on and put on a sweater you might be ready to go. A soft shell jacket is something you want to save until you really need it.

Before going for that soft shell jacket which adds bulk, you may want think about your layers beforehand.

Do you have the right silks weights for the temperature range?

From there, go from lightweight to thicker thermals. Anything you can add that won’t limit your movement or overheat you is where you want to be thinking. Even within soft shell jackets you have your range of options before you’ll need to grab the Gore-Tex.

For your weekend local field play you will want to accept a small degree of discomfort in the staging area because once you get moving you’ll warm up quick. You’ll be grateful to not feel like a marshmallow sweating your ass off once you get into game play. Just remember that if you are still feeling cold in game, you can always go to the car and add a layer or throw on a coat in-between rounds. This is always a better option than dressing in a way that causes you to overheat.

If you are hitting the field during the weekend of a big op you need to do some extra planning. You have to take into consideration daytime highs and night time lows. The swing in temperature along with the weather moving in can change dramatically. So being prepared matters in your planning far more than what helmet or plate carrier you plan to use. Then as the weekend develops you’ll add or remove layers, while keeping that consistent base layer of silk weight thermals and uniform intact. The ability to flex with the conditions is what will keep you in that sweet spot between hypothermia and dehydration which you want to avoid.

At larger and/or longer weekend events, the need for that soft shell or Gore-Tex jacket becomes much more important. These are the final layers you’ll add when it’s at its coldest or to keep dry from precipitation. Now we all know rain is wet, but I know there those out there that need reminding that snow is also wet. Yeah, look it up, it’s science. So realize that once it’s done raining or snowing, you’ll want to try and get that jacket layer off to dry. As it gets cold, it can make you chill faster having that wet jacket on. If you have to keep a jacket on consistently because it’s too cold not to. Think lightweight as much as possible while keeping moisture out. There are plenty of good soft shell options with the ability to keep the water out.

There’s a lot of practical thinking that comes in to play when thinking about keeping warm during winter airsoft. We didn’t even hit on gloves, hats or foot wear which are also very important. When it comes to these you’ll want to follow similar thinking, looking for the right gear for the right temperature range. There isn’t a one option that fits all situations and it requires more planning then you may think. So put the time into thinking about it like you think about the rest of your gear, it’s just as important as choosing a comfortable plate carrier or a reliable gun. Do some more in-depth research and buy the right cold weather clothing for your needs.

Remember the basics:

1. Always think layers and how to add/remove them for the conditions.
2. Know the weather at the AO during the day and at night because it can change fast.
3. Invest in your cold weather gear like you invest in your rifle of combat gear.
4. Hypothermia isn’t your only concern, dehydration is that enemy that will sneak up on you.

On a bonus note, don’t forget how your combat gear may or may not help to keep you warm. A plate carrier does more than a chest rig to help keep you warm and you might switch them up depending on the cold weather gear you choose. So think about it, you might be warm and adding a plate carrier will make you hot. So switch off a layer or switch out to a chest rig.

I hope you find this basics guide helpful and take the time to research beyond to learn even more on the subject. This was really just some basic stuff and there’s mountains more to learn.

Just one grunt’s opinion.

Javier “Darkhorse”

Pics are just me freezing my ass off back in the day as part of the nasty girls. Lol!

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About The Author

Javier "Darkhorse" Franco, formerly from This Week In Airsoft, runs his own Airsoft Blog on Facebook called "One Grunt's Opinion." This article has been posted here with the author's permission.