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Cold weather clothing


AussieTactical

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Not sure what forum to post this in - hopefully this one is okay.

 

What do people wear on their upper body at USPSA/IPSC matches in cold weather (for me thats under 50 degrees Fahrenheit , but I guess that might vary for others). Any specific items that work for people?

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What's below 50 F. ?    :D

 

I usually wear a tight shirt over a tight undershirt, and a winter coat -

wear the coat for the 238 minutes I'm at the range, and  take the

coat off  for the 2 minutes I'm actually shooting    :) 

 

Do same thing for rainy weather - wear a rain resistant top, and

remove it when I get to shoot.

 

Don't forget the gloves and warm hat.

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Layer using good quality clothing made by someone who knows how to do it right.  That leaves out the likes of Under Armour, etc.   I've found Patagonia clothing to be the best for warmth and dryness.  For warmer 'cold weather' I wear a silk weight capilene t-shirt under a level 1 fleece.  Both wick moisture well and the lightweight shell I wear over them does as well.

 

As the weather gets colder, I increase the weight of the layers.  For instance, I'll use a light weight long sleeved capilene undershirt with a level 2 fleece.  For 30 degrees and below I use a pair of long sleeved shirts.  First the light weight capilene with a dry-flo over, under a level 3 fleece under a down jacket.  The fleece has hand warmer pocket in the front. I remove the jacket when shooting.  I also wear a pair of dry-flo 'long johns' under tactical pants.

 

The point is to stay dry.  Whatever you wear should wick moisture away from you .  Your outer shell must pass moisture out while allowing nothing in.  Following these rules allows me to stay toasty with very minimal bulk.  Everything is from Pategonia or Lowe Alpine (no longer available).  Everything is synthetic, including most of the down.  I do wear a real down outer at 30 or below, because I am sitting for most of the day and don't sweat.

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I wear whatever I need to wear in order to stay comfortable while at any match any time of the year.  The extra layers come off when I get in the hole.  I always shoot in jeans and a shirt no matter the temperature.  You will be just fine in temps below zero for the 10 minutes max it will take the previous shooter to run the  stage, reset and for you to run the stage.  I'm from Wisconsin and shoot year round.  I can only think of a handful of times I changed from this routine. 

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Just want to add this tidbit.  A base layer of silk socks will do wonders to help keep you warm in temperatures well below zero.  I know it seems like non sense but give it a try.  Silk pulls the moisture away.

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On 8/19/2017 at 7:11 PM, Hi-Power Jack said:

 

I'd be interested in knowing "which ones" will you put into practice?

 

And, after today's shoot, how did they work out for you ?    :) 

 

I ended up using some thermal underwear I use for skiing and a synthetic fiber hunting shirt. I had both on hand, so it cost me nothing to try them. The day started colder than I expected, but ended up hotter than I expected. 

 

I started off with a jacket on over everything, but by mid morning I didnt need the jacket and by mid afternoon when it hit the high 50s I was just about too hot. I was mostly happy with everything, but the fiber that the shirt is made of is a little "slippery", so it was difficult to keep it tucked in over the course of the day. And its not like I can easily tuck it back in with the multi belt and the load on. Next time I might try just a cotton shirt over the thermals. But if it had of rained on the day, my set up would have been a lot better than cotton.

 

 

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Edited by AussieTactical
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On 8/15/2017 at 3:37 AM, Hi-Power Jack said:

What's below 50 F. ?    :D

 

I usually wear a tight shirt over a tight undershirt, and a winter coat -

wear the coat for the 238 minutes I'm at the range, and  take the

coat off  for the 2 minutes I'm actually shooting    :) 

 

Do same thing for rainy weather - wear a rain resistant top, and

remove it when I get to shoot.

 

Don't forget the gloves and warm hat.

Exactly what he said.  Walk around with with a jacket or flannel shirt, then  take it off when shooting.

But if you're LEO or mil I guess you would want to practice in your work clothes.  

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  • 1 year later...
On 8/14/2017 at 9:13 PM, AussieTactical said:

Not sure what forum to post this in - hopefully this one is okay.

 

What do people wear on their upper body at USPSA/IPSC matches in cold weather (for me thats under 50 degrees Fahrenheit , but I guess that might vary for others). Any specific items that work for people?

I know this is a late response but I believe a tight fitting merino wool base layer is best. That’s what we use when backpacking when it gets cold. Wicks moisture and if you do get sweaty it will still insulate while wet.  Expensive but worth it. I have a (smart wool) and an (icebreaker) long sleeve. 

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under armour cold gear infrared shirt, with a lighter weight fleece pullover over that, both tucked into my pants so not in the way of my draw or grabbing mags.  heavy winter coat over that which comes off when i'm up at bat.  under armour 3.0 or 4.0 cold gear long johns, jeans or bdu's over that.  if really cold i'll keep gloves on (until shooting) with hot hand packets inside them.

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I wear Under Armour cold gear insulated top and bottoms (not at 50 degrees ) when its cold out. Consider buying one size bigger than normal as they are fitted. The nice thing is they are not bulky at all but still warm......

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T-shirt or thermal shirt depending on how cold (tee for your temps) for the base layer, 240 weight Merino midlayer, and a fleece outer layer. Gloves as needed. Take the gloves/outer layer off when you're on deck. We'll shoot when it's in the 20's but we also have wood stoves you can huddle around if you're not shooting or ROing.

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I bought a battery powered vest and gloves for this years winter shooting. The gloves especially are very useful. I make sure I leave them on at least 10 mins before I’m up. Makes a big difference in my finger dexterity. 

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Good old fashion long johns and a long sleeve shirt.  I may add a jacket or if it's too cold in the morning a winter coat.  I also use handwarmers that you open the package and they are air activated, they last 7 hours.  I found some toe warmers that I may get a chance to test this year.  The warmers I got from Academy Sports.

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Top: A long sleeve compression shirt, a tight fitting zip up hoodie, and gloves that I can put hand warmers in.  If wind is bad or it's below 40, I wear a jacket as well.

Bottom: Long johns, wool socks, and Tru-Spec or 5.11 pants. 

 

For the compression shirts: Grab on of the "Tesla" branded ones from Amazon.  They run about $10, fit well, and don't fall apart.  Just get 1 size larger than you normally wear.

 

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