Newbie & Wet Weather

[Aj698]

Hi all,

Being a 2022 Newbie to the World of Airsoft and enjoyed the delights if playing 36° heat this summer.  Am planning for those wet months that lie ahead.

Looking for any advice on wet weather clothing.  Do ex army smock cut the mustard under a plate carrier do is soft shell the way to go?

Any advice/ experience welcomed.

Cheers,

Aj

 

[Tiercel]

Pick up a new hobby for wet days   

Anything properly waterproof is going to be hot, sweaty and gross to run around in, anything not hot sweaty and gross isnt going to be waterproof. Playing in the rain is rubbish, your eyepro turns into a wet mess of not being able to see anything through wet fogged up lenses, or water droplets clinging to mesh, and was that a BB hitting me or a large drop of rain?

Most heavy woodland sites youll have enough tree cover overhead from the rain anyway that standard gear will be fine, just pack a change of dry clothes to go home in, or find indoors CQB sites. Ive done a few game days on wide open sites like old airfields, quarries etc with no overhead cover and its just been a totally miserable experience that most people packed up and went home by lunch time. 

Dont forget to waterproof your gun as well, getting water in the electrics and shorting out your trigger contacts etc can lead to a frantic scrabble to eject the mag and pull the battery out because it wont stop firing full auto.

Snow is good fun to play in though! 

 

[BigBell1987]

If your happy to spend the money you could consider some good tightly woven wool or tin cloth.

I'm not a wealthy man but I was lucky enough to find a Filson jacket in a charity shop once for £20 (these retail for £400+) The weave breathes well, blocks wind and water and is super tough when it comes to rubbing off the various surfaces you find yourself brushing past and clambering over not to mention they are very smart looking jackets.

I've never worn it for Airsoft as I've only played indoors so far but I've done plenty of walking and exploring in much the same environments and its never met a match.

 

[concretesnail]

Playing in the wet ccan be great, i have a very fond memories of playing night games in extremely heavy rain.

Kit wise it's good boots and a pair of rab gaiters which sorts the below knee and above its left to quick drying trousers, personally I go for clawgear. The top half is a mixed depending on the style of play, if it's a slow and steady type game or a long one then waterproof jacket that is breathable, breathable is a must. Shorter or very active games, then just my ubacs and base layer. 

Vision I play in ess glasses so it a treatment and a hat; tilley, boonie, cap.

Water proofing the rif i do with a touch of conformal coating on exposed connections and swapping all plugs to xt type connectors. 

Then ts the little things and the nicer things like a charcoal hand warmer and ziplock bags for anything carried which needs to be kept dry. Spare clothes, towel and thermos in the van. 

 

[RostokMcSpoons]

I did a thread on this a few months back.  I ended up buying a cheap poncho from Go Outdoors in case it really tipped down, but I've just been rained on a couple of times since then, and my Brit Army surplus stuff and decent para boots kept me sort-of dry and warm enough to get through it.   This is outdoor woodland when there wasn't much leaf cover.
Very much enjoyed the change of undershirt and gloves at lunchtime, and dry clothes at the end.

ESS goggles + mesh lower face mask worked ok actually.

The poncho remains unused.

I've probably got wetter through sweating too much tbh, so take from all that what you will 
 

 

[Cannonfodder]

Anything properly waterproof is going to be hot, sweaty and gross to run around in, anything not hot sweaty and gross isnt going to be waterproof.

Click to shrink...

This, even with the fanciest breathable waterproofs you're going to get hot running around. Personally I tend to wear a regular smock as while it's nowhere near waterproof the rain helps me to not get too hot as I like to keep moving, but if you're the sort to sit in a bush then something a bit more waterproof may be more suitable. 

Whatever you decide to go with remember this quote from Sir Ranulph Fiennes 

"There's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing" 

I have very little sympathy for those who don't dress for the conditions and then spend all day whinning about being cold and wet

 

[Emergencychimps]

While I agree with the general consensus that anything waterproof will leave you as a hot sticky mess, being sensible about the rain is recommended. 

Unless it's really chucking it down, I'd recommend avoiding goretex and other water proofs. Windproof is where I think you'll get the most benefit, in most showers they cope ok and if they do get soaked, well you're wet but the wind isn't an issue and it's the wind that is often the big problem of being wet. You'll generate loads of heat moving around. There is a bunch of wise people that recommend windproof under your camo of choice, it's much harder to get it wet, still windproof and if your out layer gets soaked - again, not the end of the world. 

I find baseball caps are super useful for keeping the worst of the rain off your glass/goggles and if you're comfortable with mesh, having a pair of mesh goggles in your bag for those super wet days. Some people like boonies, I have never got on with them but I have a weird head. 

I find trousers, socks and footwear more important for general comfort. I don't always recommend waterproof boots, they can be good but not cheap, need maintaining and often heavy. I like having a pair of sealskinz in the bag, when it's wet enough to soak my boots I just wear those, not great for 2-3 days straight, but an average skrimish day is fine. If doing multiple day events, good waterproof boots are sensible, talc and sock changes. 

Gaiters are massively under appreciated, often it's not even that rainy but your feet and lower legs get soaked from wet grass - gaiters are your friend.  When it comes to trousers, a choice that dries relatively quick (not jeans) and isn't cotton (poly cotton is ok I find), so your average camo pants work fine, some clones of crye pants aren't great and it's this sort of thing where having real ones can make a big different to your comfort. 

A spare pair of gloves is a nice luxury as well, putting wet gloves back on after lunch just sucks, as does getting shot in a freezing cold, wet hand that doesn't have a glove on because your only paid is wet. Check out mechanix, i think their originals line is awesome and well worth the cash. When wet I find they still keep my hand less cold than without them. 

 

[Badgerlicious]

Softshell is pretty nice. I have some jack pyke digicam stuff that's decently waterproof and not too hot. That plus a waterpoof boonie and I'm pretty happy in the rain. Fortunately my local site has heavy tree cover so it's not so bad, the worst is really the ground and puddles, so some waterproof boots and soft shell trousers work out pretty well, even if I go lighter on the top. 

 

[Aj698]

Thanks for all the advice ??????