What Are You Wearing At Winter Comps?

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Good Ol' Boy

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This has been my first year doing USPSA and IDPA and now the cold months are upon us.

Question is simple, what are y'all wearing?

USPSA is to my knowledge no restriction but are folks going out minimalist in order to still get a quick draw and jacketting between, or are people wearing jackets while running stages?

IDPA I know the length rule but I've seen pretty much all vests through the warmer months. Im assuming legnthy jackets are normal during colder months?

Are gloves permitted in either?


Any advice is appreciated....
 
I'm a wimp, so if it's too cold I don't go. But afaik there are no restrictions as long as it's safe. At least in uspsa. Lots of folks wear some kind of shooting glove too.
 
I am pretty wimpy too.
My idea of winter wear is Smartwool socks, flannel lined pants, long sleeved shirt and undershirt, quilted vest long enough for IDPA concealment, unzipped to shoot, cap and hand warmers.
If I need more insulation, it is too cold.
I used to shoot fall and winter BPCR in "technical" layers but not any more.
 
I really like these Under Armour base layers https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/mens-ua-base-3-0-leggings/pid1281109-001
Under Armour Coldgear top (mock turtleneck usually) with a fleece over it and a heavy winter coat if needed. The coat comes off during the stage.
Get a paster gun and you never have to take your gloves off except to shoot. Never met a guy who shoots with gloves on that was any good.
 
About 95+% of your actual time at a match is spent not being "the shooter." The vast majority of stages take less than a minute from "make ready" to "hammer down, holster."

A long sleeve base layer and shirt of some sort, or even a thin-knit sweater, should be enough to get you through 60 seconds of adrenaline-filled fun. Doff the jacket and gloves for your run. Put them back on afterward. You can take the cold for 60 seconds.

Also: Handwarmers. Fire up a pair of these at the start of the match. Put one each in pockets that your right and left hands can reach while you've got your gun on. Use them to, you know, warm your hands. When you're "double hole," (3 shooters away from your turn), take the one from your right pocket (if you're a right-hander) and hold it on the backstrap of your pistol. It won't make the gun warm, but it can boost it just enough to get it out of the hurts-to-touch range.
 
I wear a warm coat with a hood and hand warmers in the pockets, that I hand to someone right before I load and make ready. After I unload and show clear, I put it back on.
 
600-gram thinsulate waterproof boots
Good smartwool socks
Thermals under my jeans
Silk shirt under a heavier wool outer shirt
Real cold? Add a fleece north face liner/jacket.
Gore-Tex 3/4 length armored cordura motorcycle jacket that covers my holster and is relatively easy to sweep aside. Armor removed.
Thin browning gloves with rubberized texture on the palms and fingertips. Heavier gloves over those for standing around.
Scarf
Woolen cap
Electronic earmuffs.

Example: I'm wearing an orange ball cap in this match though.
 
About 95+% of your actual time at a match is spent not being "the shooter." The vast majority of stages take less than a minute from "make ready" to "hammer down, holster."

Yup. Only about 1% of your time is spent shooting, so wear a "shooting" layer under your "gabbing while you should be pasting" layer ;).

For me, I'd wear warm boots and socks, long underwear, wool hat, pants (which are about a size too big) and a tight-ish (but heavy) sweater tucked into my pants (as a cyclist, I also have a warm but form-fitting winter cycling jacket I often used). That's what I wear while shooting. The other 99% of the time, I'm bundled up with good gloves and good warm outer wear that gets taken off only when my name's called to LAMR, and is put back on once the range is called safe.
 
Every time I'm in WalMart I pick up a few packs of chemical handwarmers and more important chemical toe warmers.
 
A long sleeve base layer and shirt of some sort, or even a thin-knit sweater, should be enough to get you through 60 seconds of adrenaline-filled fun. Doff the jacket and gloves for your run. Put them back on afterward. You can take the cold for 60 seconds.

But what about those stages where it takes me longer than 60 seconds?;)
Just not fair the open guys are only cold for a third as long as I am.

Depends of course on how cold it is.
Layers of course
A Jell-Dog North Dakota Winter at -30 is a huge difference than my winters where it might be 35-40 and rarely dips below freezing.
Looks like it might be a bit colder where 1KPerDay is than where I am at.
I have some Silk long johns and undershirt I got from Cabela's for snow skiing. Thin, light and quite warm.
Never really cold enough where I am at to need more than a warm loose shirt and denim pants on top of that.
If it wet and sloppy boots, other wise running shoes, both nice warm socks. I don't care if the boots slow me down I want good footing, not time to be sliding around when shooting IMO.
I suppose if it was really cold a pair of slip on warm boots like they make for after ski activities for waiting and resetting targets, then when it's getting close change to the shoes/boots you want to shoot in.
Good gloves to keep my hands warm, good jacket to keep me warm when not shooting

So enough layers to be warm when I am not shooting that I can peel off before shooting.
One winter one of the guys was dressed really light and just wrapped himself up in blankets when not shooting or patching targets. (he was more worried about a couple seconds a run than I am, I prefer to be a bit warmer.)
 
But what about those stages where it takes me longer than 60 seconds?;)

If your mind is on something other that the shooting solution for the stage, you could wear mittens and it wouldn’t hurt your chances of winning.

I will never forget one match where I asked another fellow if he could take over as RO for me. It was low 20’s F with a North wind 15-20 MPH, in Texas, to Texans that might as well be -50 F. We had a new shooter that day and as I had him load and make ready, I noticed a bead of sweat run down the side of his face. After he holsters back up I pass the timer to another RO, as his nervousness had in turn made me nervous. He had found a way to make his own heat...
 
Winter clothes?

I guess you mean long pants and a light jacket for the mornings. The high today was 72 and sunny,

I the sunshine state is a great place for shooting in the winter
 
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