In part 1 of ‘Staying Warm When You LARP in Winter’ we talked about the basic principals that the Canadian Armed Forces use when battling the cold. Knowing the ‘why’ is just as important as knowing ‘how’ so if you haven’t read part 1 of this segment then go read it now, and then return here for practical suggestions on what to wearn that will help keep you warm.
One Way to Stay Warm
Staying warm in sub-zero temperatures isn’t hard if you are properly prepared and are willing to do a little work – and I mean very little. Mostly staying warm is about paying attention to what you are wearing, and what your body is telling you.
There are dozens of products considered ‘winter wear’ and it’s important to find the ones that you want to wear and more importantly what works for you. But what about when you just want something that works? Well, here is a list of suitable garments that came up during my discussion with my neighbor Sean, who is a soldier in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Not only is this his list for ‘best gear to wear’ to keep you warm but all of the articles here fit into one medium sized bag. Here is his list, completely unaltered.
a. Hat, (and helmet)
b. scarf,
c. thermal undershirt,
d. shirts, (several),
f. sweaters, (several),
g. thermal underpants, (long-johns),
h. pants, (several),
i. socks, (several),
j. gloves,
k. breathable boots; and,
l. jacket, (or armor).
From the point of view of playing at a live action role playing game I don’t think his list is that far off. If you play a medieval fantasy LARP then you may very well have a helmet, and armor.
I know from personal experience that when you are layered properly you can get away with wearing things that would otherwise make you cold – like real chain mail. I had a real leather tabard covering the 55 lbs of chain mail protecting my body and there were times when I had to open up to cool off.
I don’t have any illusions that I was warmer because I was wearing the chain mail but layering made it possible to have the warmth without losing the protection.
Next we will address some common practices to ‘help’ keep you warm which are actually harming you by lowering your body temperature or causing you to sweat – which leads to chill due to the moisture.
All the best in your future LARP endeavors,
Kevin Tjia
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