Keeping warm during winter

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   Since cold weather is a big factor in paintball and have I havn't seen a post like this on the forum, I thought it might be a good idea to post on how too keep warm during the holiday season (except you darn Cali and Florida folks, you and your nice warm weather!) Knowing how to play and keep warm in the winter time is necessary for you to have a good time. This is a guide on how to play in the winter (feel free to add/correct anything). Before reading: this is how to keep warm, I have not included how to keep your gun in working order in the cold.   
Keeping Yourself Warm:
I don’t care how many Sylvester Stallone’s are out there who think they can climb in the snow for 30 minutes and still survive, wearing the right clothing is necessary. Face it, you will have to give up some tactics you use during the summer in order to keep warm (e.g. wearing a loud windbreak to keep you warm but compromising  your stealth). Obviously with the cold, people use their common sense to layer themselves correctly but here are a couple suggestions for clothing:
     Camouflage you wear during the summer simply won’t cut it. It is too thin and if you are playing in the snow you will get cold fast. If you insist on wear camouflage, wear the stuff specifically made for cold weather. They always have a lining that is designed to keep you somewhat warm. Either that or wear your light camouflage over something that will keep you warm. Hoodies are always pretty good at keeping you warm, except you will want to wear a long sleeve shirt under it and maybe some sort of waterproof windbreaker over it. Ski trousers are always great at keeping your legs dry, but the inside lining might chill your legs. Long johns underneath are usually aa good idea. And of course,  gloves are a must! Without them, your fingers will become stiff and cold and it’s not fun. You will want to make sure that the gloves you wear aren’t too thick so you can still slip you finger between the trigger and trigger-guard. 
             If you play sports and own Cold Gear™ Under Armour or equivalent, wear it. It will keep you warm and absorb the sweat, plus it’s thin so you will have great maneuverability. Although make sure you don’t play in it for too long, or else you will get cold from the absorbed sweat, plus wearing spandex for long periods of time isn’t too comfortable. Along those lines, thermals are a good idea, depending on how cold it is outside.
     Socks are always necessary. Ski socks are always great, as they are made from wool and will keep you feet nice and cozy. Otherwise I would wear maybe two pairs of cotton socks, as they weren’t designed for keeping your feet warm in close to freezing weather. Do not wear cotton socks or clothing as it will trap moisture and is not designed to keep you warm (that's why cotton clothing is ideal for summer). Another suggestion that is to use sock liners inside your socks to keep your feet insulated and nice and cozy.
     Some sort of wool watch cap is a good idea to wear along with your mask. Either that or ear warmers, as having cold ears isn’t much fun.
     You might want to wear Balaclava or ski mask under your mask as well. I sometimes wear a light one when its cold, but usually I find a heavy one hard to breathe with it on and it also fogs up my goggles. 

Footwear: during the wintertime, wearing the right footwear is essential. Hiking boots are good – if they are water proof, that’s even better. Combat boots are along the same lines as hiking boots, and usually keep you warmer because they cover more of your lower-leg. Sneakers and running shoes should be right out if your mind as you decide what shoes to wear, as they are thin, designed to keep your feet cool, and will let water in a jiffy. I know this sounds obscure, but ski and snowboarding boots aren’t a good idea either – they are too clunky and not very maneuverable.

Know Your Limits:
This sounds a bit odd at first, except what I mean by it is that you should know how much clothing will keep you warm. Wearing too much can be as bad as wearing too little. If you wear to much, you can become too overheated and possibly even dehydrated if you are not careful, plus the sweat created from the excess clothing will cause you inner clothes to become wet and freeze, making you even colder. Wearing too little is self-explanatory. Also, always make sure you are comfortable wearing what you have on. Make sure you can move around. Don’t play for too long a time, anything over three hours and you will start to feel a bit chilly.
  >A Good Insert From druidsecendant
WOOL and GOOSE DOWN are the BEST natural insulators on the planet. Forget Thinsulate, it's CRAP compared to them. NEVER SOLELY RELY ON THINSILATE but you can augment under-layers with it.
They both continue to insulate even when wet, the problem is they tend to get heavy. Wool can be coated with 3M Scotchguard Brand water proofer but Down can't. Concentrate on shoulders, knees, elbows, forearms and the seat of your pants. CABELAS sells wool pants and jackets. I use them and they are AWESOME for PA winters which can get down to around -30*F with the wind chill.
LAYER your clothing LOOSELY. This traps the warm air in between them which is what keeps you warm. Tight fitting clothes won't, even in layers.
Neoprene is waterproof but it doesn't breathe well at all. Your perspiration will be held in and is no different than getting wet. It will chill you to the bone. GoreTex Is AWESOME stuff. It's allows your perspiration to evaporate but doesn't let water in. HIGHLY recommended..
BOOTS - I prefer an insulated leather boot myself but they tend to get wet and defeat the insulating properties. Use Sno*Seal Brand waterproofer. It's a bee's wax, Mink-oil hybrid paste in a can or tube. Warm the boot by putting it in a gas oven (Place a layer of aluminum foil on the rack...pilot light only) for about an hour. Put on latex gloves and rub the agent into the leather in an even layer. Put back in the oven for 2 hours. This will soften the paste and let it seep into the pores. Pull them out and do it again. Keep this up until the leather won't take anymore. Wipe off excess with a clean, lint free rag. 
Sno Seal HERE - http://www.gunaccessories.com/Sno-Seal/waterproofing.asp
Your other option is rubber/snowmobile type boots but they have a tendency to be clumsy and get heavy after a while. They are a better boot though, especially if yo get the models with multiple wool and neoprene liners.
Gloves - Ragg Wool, fingerless/mitten hybrid styled are AWESOME.
wool hat, Undergarments, and socks....all here under the category "Clothing/Hnting" - http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/category/category.js p?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/category-link.jsp_A& _DAV=MainCatcat470076&id=cat470076&navCount=3&pa rentId=cat21424&navAction=jump&returnPage=&retur nQueryString=&cmCat=MainCatcat470076&parentType=cate gory&rid=5000160032502

Edited by Bird-Dog - 09 August 2006 at 12:04pm