pmcimagazine.com
WARM ON THE RANGE!
The colder months of the year are a great time to check out gear specifically for keeping snug when the
temperature plummets and the sleet and snow drive in! Bill has been testing a number of garments
suitable for just this and now brings in his findings...
I
n the last issue pf PMCI I took a look at how
to set up a shell system that will allow you to
stay warm, dry and comfortable during a day
of training, but as the days grow lighter and
warmer at last I’m going to look at one very
specific item that every shooter should own
and that’s a warm, insulated jacket for use
when cooling down on the range after a solid
training session.
I actually feel that this is a crucial piece of gear to
own for two main reasons. Firstly, after a hard mornings
work you’re going to have built up a head of steam but
when you’re out on a basic site with no heated facilities
(in some cases you’ll be operating from the back of the
car!) it’s very, very easy to chill down quickly when you
stop. This leads to quick discomfort and on a cold, snowy
winters range day I’ve seen many guys leave at lunchtime
as they’ve become too chilled to continue.
Secondly, sadly for me in the UK it’s often not the cold,
pretty white stuff falling from the sky that we need to
contend with but rain and sleet; if you’ve ever stood on
an exposed range with horizontal sleet driving in you’ll
totally get why I find an insulated jacket to be and
indispensable bit of kit!
In the winter months if you really need to push up
the insulation levels of your mid-layer then it’s seriously
worth considering some form of lightweight lofted
garment. Once upon a time everyone would have been
18
saying “get a down jacket”, and in certain conditions I’d
thoroughly agree with that. These days though I pretty
much always go for a synthetic fill rather than down;
synthetics retain a high percentage of their insulative
properties even when wet whereas when down gets
wet it will stay wet and will actually try to use your own
core body heat to dry itself resulting in you being even
colder!
Another benefit of a synthetic fill is that you can also
compress it, and leave it compressed for extended periods
of time without causing any damage to its structure. Most
of the jackets will come with a compression or stuff sac
which can be used to minimise its size making it easier
to store and carry with you.
Hypothermia is not something to be taken lightly and
let’s face it, you really don’t want to be “that guy” who
causes a problem for everyone due to lack of forethought
and preparation. I know, I really do, that you could easily
look at this and say that an insulated jacket is just another
piece of kit to buy; another expensive item of clothing
that won’t get used that much. In fact once you own such
a garment I think you’ll be shocked actually how much
you do use it!
All the “big names” out there will offer one if not more
insulated jackets in their clothing range and depending
on your budget then shopping around will get you
something in your price range. Although camouflage
insulated jackets are available think about where you’ll