Many of us have been there before. You really want to go for an airsoft game but the weather forecast comes up with extreme temperature warnings. As this gets more and more often, we came up with 5 (literally) cool tips for these days!
💡 It’s crucial for you to know that you’ll be playing in such temperatures before the actual game. Check the forecast.
You see, airsoft isn’t really the best thing to do when there is a heat wave as we tend to be out in the open sun, and move around a lot, all while being overdressed to mitigate the pinch BBs inflict when hitting bare skin.
TIP 1: Freeze your water the day before
This one is super simple. Grab a large bottle of water and put it in the freezer the night before you go out and play. Bringing a bottle full of ice to the field has two notable upsides (if you don’t forget to drink a lot of it of course).
Firstly, it stays cool for a much longer time, slowly warming up to the centre of the bottle. This means you have cool water for almost the entire day, even if there is no fridge available. Secondly, you can use the bottle itself to cool you from the outside. Easy and effective trick.
TIP 2: Soak a scarf in water and put it around your head/neck
The second tip is great as it can be used during the game. If you have a camo scarf lying around, just submerge it in some water. You can then tie it around your neck or throw it over your head. Alternatively, you can do the same to your Boonie hat/cap.
However, keep in mind that if you put a wet hat on, it may result in a more aggressive fogging when it comes to your safety glasses. The excess moisture unfortunately makes it worse. By the way, if you don’t have a camo scarf laying around, we have some in our shop!
TIP 3: Make your gear as breathable as possible
Adjusting your gear to a super-hot day can really have an impact on the experience. We usually run as lightweight as possible – getting rid of all thick clothes and gear. However, this comes at a cost of a bit more painful hits. Yet, we found this to be very much worth it.
For this purpose, combat shirts work the best. They are very breathable while protecting your hands. Also, a regular sports T-Shirt is also great as it transfers the sweat away from your body. On the contrary, wearing shorts might not be the best idea as you could harm yourself when kneeling in some debris found on many fields.
Besides the base clothing, the carrying platform is super important here. You see, many people use plate carriers with foam inserts. The problem with these is that they are great at insulating, which is the exact opposite of what you want at that point. Given that, we opt for a Battlebelt which lets air flow directly on your torso.
Or if you still want to run a plate carrier, we highly recommend you explore the one we’ve newly designed for airsoft. As it’s made with mesh fabric and a special plate insert, the air just goes right through – a great compromise for protection and heat reduction!
TIP 4: If there is running water, put your head in it!
Some fields may have a toilet/running water. When there is a break, the best thing one can do on a 30°C (or 85°F)+ day is to go and put your head under the water. Then rest for a while and you’ll feel substantially better. Or, if you happen to be on an island, you can just jump in the see ☺
If you want to check out how that may work when playing airsoft, make sure to check out our Airsoft Island video!
TIP 5: Add ice to your camel bag
A straightforward tip. If you run a camel bag, just put in some ice before you go into action! As camel bags are often heated up fast due to them being close to your body, having a lot of ice in there may be really helpful for you.
âš Don’t put your camel bag directly in the freezer. When water turns into ice, it expands which may puncture the line you drink from.
EXTRA TIP: Use a sunscreen
Despite the fact that sunscreen won’t really cool you down, it’s actually something worth keeping in mind. If you’re playing outside, it’s not unlikely you could get burned by the sun. Using sunscreen pretty much prevents this. Pro tip: The back of your neck is often exposed even if you’re fully dressed for the game.
