Help me build my winter loadout!

[Finius]

Hi folks!

 

So it's about this time of year that I start planning ahead with regards my airsofting. I'm basically where I want to be in terms of figuring out my armoury, but it's struck me that I don't even own a decent set of camo anymore.

 

I'm not buying any more summer kit until I've fully prepared for the winter; why, you ask?

 

I went skirmishing last Sunday, and I got wet. Now, usually, I don't mind being wet, but it was windy, cold AND wet all at once, it got me thinking.

 

I'm getting site membership in September, meaning I will start skirmishing every week just as the weather starts to turn; the boots I wore last week are still a bit damp, this is unacceptable.

 

With that in mind, I'm looking for suggestions on kit that will meet the following criteria:

-Highly Waterproof

-Some degree of windproofing

-Not too poofy/restraining, I like freedom of movement

-Load-bearing kit should be adaptable or at least be roomy

-Multicam a bonus

-Load-bearing and camo should match

-The single most important thing for me to keep dry is my feet

 

I'm looking for guidance on everything, head-to-toe from gloves to tactical-undies; mostly because I want inspiration.

 

Hit me with ideas, and feel free to discuss general cold/wet weather gear here! I know nobody who likes to be skirmishing soggy!

[craig]

this is a mix of what jason and i use in the winter time, danish snow camo and olive drab

 

 

helmet

hat

balaclava

gloves

jacket

shirt

trousers

goretex socks

EZ holster

molle belt

plate carrier

 

from that just add ammo pouches, utility pouches, thick socks and a set of thick under clothes

[geoffreym]

in this sort of scenario we're screwed, something waterproof will not breathe at all, something warm will get incredibly heavy when wet, gloves you lose feeling.

what i did was go down to a high quality hiking shop and try on different jackets and trousers to see which ones i prefered. wear them on a skirmish field, and then find a suitable comparison in the military world.

what i bought was a craghopper sharkskin jacket and padded hiking trousers, i found that they didn't work for me, all i do is wear some neoprene undergarment under my UBAC's (both of which are quick drying), and then make sure there's a good seal (gaitors) between boots and trousers.

for boots i use these in all weather "British Military Issue Goretex Lined Cold weather Boots", comfortable, warm and waterproof.

[Flynn567]

I'm in scotland so when I think winter I think snow

 

 

Gear: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Military-Arctic-...=item7b688493a8

 

Gun:

[craig]

last time i was in Scotland for an airsoft the snow was so bad that we stayed at the site for 2 more days just airsofting away like legends

[spamofthejungle]

Not sure on the skirmish front as I'm still a virgin But on my motorbike I use Gortex in the winter and I can't speak highly enough of it. Windproof, breathable, waterproof (even when the rains being forced into it at 70+ mph) warm, flexible and quick drying. That said I wouldn't use my particular gear on the field

http://www.hein-gericke.co.uk/clothing/mot...z-neongelb.html

 

Not much concealment to be had looking like a lollipop lady.

[Finius]

Bearing in mind that I live in the West Midlands, and that our winter seems to persist for about six months without us getting more than a few days of snow, I want to avoid whites in camo. What would work best is a fairly leafy looking camo; I know for a fact that A-Tacs FG works REALLY well, but the Molle options for that are horribly expensive and the options are really limited due to how exclusive and hard to get the stuff is.

 

Multicam would also probably work at my local site, since we get a lot of light-looking scrub in Winter and most of the cover is built into grass/scrub anyways; if you buy the decent stuff then it's definitely "multi", it tends to just be that the Chinese stuff is more yellow.

 

Rig-wise, if I'm going multicam, I'll be using a RG base for the rig and multicam pouches; I've found that at range that combo works fairly well.

 

I'm liking the helmet-balaclava combo; full face becomes more important to me during the winter and it's a cheap enough solution. Not so bothered about a hat under that;I have really thick hair and with a balaclava and helmet I'll be nice and toasty.

 

Also skipping on the under-armour/thermals right now - I'm kinda tubby and as a result warmth will come easily enough with something that keeps my dry and keeps the wind away, though I'm starting to lose weight so will keep an eye out.

 

Here's my current outline:

Mich 2000 Black £15

Multicam Mich Cover £20

Multicam One-Hole Balaclava £13

Multicam Waterproof Jacket £80

Multicam Shirt £30

Multicam Waterproof Trousers £57

Multicam Gloves £25

Seal Skinz Socks £26

Converse warrior Multicam Boots £85

ACM CIR Rig RG £80

-Assorted pouches in multicam from wherever.

 

What do people think?

[Ian_Gere]

Well, I've not been airsofting long, but most of it has been in not exactly clement weather, sometimes cold and recently pretty wet. Regardless however, I've also been into "the great outdoors" for about 35 years, so I've picked up a few lessons. You'll be able to tell by the state of the gear in my pics that I have put it to the test (and not bothered to clean it yet).

 

I think you're on the right track by first concentrating on your feet. If your feet are wet and/or cold, no matter how comfortable the rest of you is, you will be to some degree miserable. I'd say that if you have the money then funky socks are probably worth spending on, but £15 extra spent on a pair of socks will not produce the same benefit as £15 more spent on boots. That said boots generally fall into 2 categories: heavy, solid, waterproof all the way to the top, leather; vs lighter, more flexible, not really rugged, water-resistant rather than proof and made from a variety of materials - the former are cheap if you get them as grade 1 surplus, but not very comfortable, however 1 pair will last at least a decade of civilian use - the latter tend to be comfortable when dry but invariably fail to live up to their manufacturers claims of water-resistance and durability and also, once they are soggy, they fail alarmingly catastrophically and there is nothing quite so disheartening as not only having to deal with the physical reality of fubar footwear in adverse circumstances, but also the emotional trauma of knowing how much the 'kin things cost!

 

It may sound like I'm prejudiced here but really I'm not because I must admit that my personal experience doesn't include the most recent developments in high-end boot technology and the disparity in comfort is a real issue - I use these:

 

which I think are German military issue and have Speed Lace Zips on them for ease getting them on/off. I've got 1 pair of odour eaters and 1 pair of comfort insoles as well in them and I tape up the back of my ankles with 10cm strips of fabric plaster held firmly in place with micropore tape against blisters whenever I skirmish or walk more than about 2 hours in them... as well as wearing 1 pair of very thin M&S socks inside some pretty good hiking socks - to stop my feet moving about inside the boots. See what I mean? This works for me, but compared to a pair of Magnums which I expect I could wear comfortably with just a pair of decent socks, it's a fair old faff to get right! That said, these are the 2nd pair of this type of boot I've had since I was 17 (I'm 44) and I confidently expect these to last the rest of my foot-abusing life, whereas, in the mean time, I've also trashed maybe 5-6 pairs of gucci'd-up boots. Bear in mind that, despite appearances, I do actually look after the leather of my boots.

 

I go with Remploy Ltd. TROUSERS MANS WATERPROOF:

 

I forget how long I've had these for, but I'm pretty sure Remploy don't make them anymore. They're supposed to be breathable, but they're pretty hot to wear, although thinking about it, my kecks underneath don't get soaked in sweat like they used to under some Peter Storm waterproofs I used to have ages ago. I can sit, kneel or lie in any mud/puddles etc without getting soggy and they're totally rain-proof so they're worth it. These are size 170 height even though I take size 180 because they fit over my boots better a bit short. Soldier 95 kecks do well under them, but I also have a pair of pre-95 ones which are looser and thicker so better in wind. I wouldn't bother with gaiters or twists, I just wear my combat kecks tucked into my boots, although I would get gaiters if I thought walking through knee high wet grass whilst not wearing my waterproof over-trousers was a likely regular scenario.

 

NBC Jacket:

 

Totally waterproof and windproof, it's also a handy length to wear with over-trousers. I can only wear it for the first 1 or 2 scenarios because it gets way too hot, but once I'm warmed up, with the waterproof kecks on I stay warm enough in just a shirt and my Web-tex vest. I just put the NBC back on during longer breaks in the safe zone. If there's no risk of serious rain I just go with either a 95 jacket or a warmer pre-95 pattern British one.

 

I've been wearing a scrim scarf sometimes too, to keep the wind off my neck, but I've recently got a free gift of what Mean & Green are calling a military head-over, no doubt to distance it from any unfortunate 80's connotations attached to the word "snood" and despite my remembering those connotations all too well, it seems pretty good and fits nicely under my Viper Comforter for full lower face and neck warmth and BB protection. I sometimes wear a MK6 helmet which obviously keeps rain off and other times a Baabaa beany - it's really thin and lightweight but keeps my hair in order (it's long and unruly) and my head warm.

 

I've still not found gloves that I'm really happy with. I started with some fairly decent leather gloves, but they got damp and bitterly cold in the wind - I also didn't want to trash them because they're smart. I tried goalie gloves - handle the damp well but get trashed by twigs and mag winding. These weren't too bad:

 

although they weren't actually waterproof, I could knuckle my way through shallow puddles/mud. That said, the armoured backs were never that comfortable on my fingers. Then I managed to burn right through the right thumb by lighting a smoke bomb with a lighter (and that really hurt!!!). In a knee-jerk reaction I ordered some AFV Crew flame retardant gloves (they were cheap - £4) which are actually totally impractical, although I suppose that when it gets really cold again, i could wear them inside some other water-resistant/proof gloves. Next I got these:

 

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Pyrohide and kevlar gloves with armoured backs - wow I thought, because I got them for £7 inc P&P off eBay, and they're usually expensive, eh? Well, the inner part is a bit loose so bunches up a bit making it difficult to get my little fingers into them, they're pretty difficult to feel through so mag winding isn't so easy, and the leather does get a little damp, not as bad as my smart ones mind, but bad enough that I expect to have problems when winter comes around again... I did pick up another pair of plastic armoured gloves like the ones I burned but made by Rhino for a few quid - yeah well, the label says XL but they're more like just L IMO! Any suggestions with experience to back them up would be appreciated...

 

Oh yeah, and I should mention my custom bum-rig, which is great for comfort in the wet. It can be seen here:

 

It's actually a gardener's kneeling pad which I've coloured in camouflage with permanent markers and attached to my webbing with elastic and a carabiner (which allows it to be shifted from under my bum to be knelt on instead). My main reason for using it is because I have a medical problem which causes me so much pain sometimes that I just have to get off my feet regardless of whatever the options for sitting are. That aside though, it's also just really handy! It's waterproof, cushioned and keeps the cold off no matter what I sit on. I mean, yeah, it looks pretty weird but that's just because nobody else wears one. The 1st bloke to wear a top hat got arrested (serves him right mind, the dick) and so did the 1st bike rider or something like that anyway... you'll all want one eventually!

[Finius]

Well, I've not been airsofting long, but most of it has been in not exactly clement weather, sometimes cold and recently pretty wet. Regardless however, I've also been into "the great outdoors" for about 35 years, so I've picked up a few lessons. You'll be able to tell by the state of the gear in my pics that I have put it to the test (and not bothered to clean it yet).

 

<Loads of sensible stuff>...you'll all want one eventually!

 

Taking what you're saying, I'm now thinking maybe ditch the fancy multicam boots in exchange for some boots that have a high enough leather-percentage that a pair in size ten will be roughly equal to a whole cow, and then, assuming they'll be waterproof, worry less about waterproof socks and instead invest in something like the "1000mile comfort" series (they promise that whatever the footwear, if you keep them dry, you can walk 1000miles in them without a blister forming, I wore them for DofE and found them to be awesome).

 

In the past I've had a pair of these: Brasher Supalite. They're leather inside and out and they were pretty much the best footwear I've ever had - they eventually died to my working on turkey farms and whilst always waterproof, they were not rabid-turkey resistant. I'd be highly tempted to buy a pair again, they're fairly low but offer awesome ankle support; I'd probably get some gaiters with them to counter the low-ness.

 

These are the socks I mention above: 1000 Mile. They've come down in price by about half since I first had a pair; they've got multiple layers to prevent blisters and it works fairly well, in combination with good boots they're every walkers dream-sock (or so I've found).

 

I'm currently eyeing up different types of camo, but unfortunately, it always goes back to DPM as the cheapest option, so we'll see on what happens about all that stuff.

 

Cheers for the post dude, very informative

[Ian_Gere]

Those socks do sound good and at that price it's not worth quibbling between them and pretty much any other 1/2 decent hiking socks. Yeah, those boots you linked to filled me with dread... I mean, suede!?! In the wet? I've got to say I've got my doubts about those gloves for the same reason - ok, it's more a sort of dyed raw-hide on the gloves, but without any polish the water will wick into them like a chamois! It doesn't matter if the water doesn't get to your skin because of a liner, once they get cold in the wind, you'll never get your fingers warm again without keeping them in pockets...