Scarves and Neck Protection

Some airsoft grounds may require you to wear face protection, however, most will leave that decision up to the player. Whether you opt for the popular mesh facemask or not to wear one at all, in colder weather it is worth considering some form of face covering. Using a scarf or any other kind of protection can save your face and especially your lips in the cold air. It’s important to note that whilst keeping your face warm is important, it is still worth wearing a mesh mask under or over whatever weather protection you have chosen.

Protect your Vision

It goes without saying that being able to see properly whilst still protecting your eyes is a key factor in airsoft. So much so that most official and licensed airsoft grounds will require eye protection specifically designed for the job. You do still have a couple of options though:

1. Mesh Goggles

These do have a slight impact on your visibility but nothing that will affect your play. However, this breathable option does completely prevent the potential problem which often happens when using our second option.

2. Clear laminated plastic glasses/goggles

These are the most common option used by frequent airsofters. They can be purchased relatively cheaply whilst offering good protection.

However, as the weather gets colder, your goggles are likely to fog up. This could be down to you wearing a face cover, wearing more clothes in general and breathing heavier when exercising. There are two good products to help to avoid this.

Our Anti Fog Cloth and Abbey Lens Cleaner are designed to tackle this exact issue. Our anti-fog cloth comes in a quick to use re-sealable bag to keep it clean and is designed to easily remove moisture and condensation from any lens you may have. Our Abbey Lens Cleaner can then be applied to the lens to remove any remaining moisture and dirt and provide a protective layer to prevent further dirt from attaching to the lens.

3. Anti Fog Spray

Now you know how to remove dirt and moisture once it is obscuring your vision it is important to prevent further build up and misting. Our Abbey Anti Fog Spray is a non-soapy solution which breaks down surface tension that normally allows misting to form on cold surfaces. Applied simply by spraying it on the lens and wiping away using an Abbey Microfibre Lens Clean Cloth and leaving a visible film to give all day protection.

Powering your Weapons

Not only will keeping yourself warm be necessary in the colder months, but your weapon needs some extra protection too.

Battery powered guns will naturally lose some of their lifespan in the cold weather just as a smartphone would. You can prevent this by keeping your batteries in a warm enclosed pocket on your person rather than in an external pocket on your rigging.

The other airsoft guns which will be most affected by the cold are green gas weapons. Naturally the gas will be less energetic in colder weather and therefor produce far less pressure to shoot the BBs. One solution to this issue is to use specialised gas depending on the temperature you will be playing in. For example, our Predator Ultra Gas is ideal to keep lightweight plastic airsoft pistols cycling when the air would be too cold for lighter gases.

Protecting your Weapons

As anyone might expect, winter will usually bring wet and muddy conditions, whether that be from rain or simply the cold air overnight. All this mud and moisture will work its way into your gun and can cause short term jams and long-term corrosion and damage.

Our Silicone Gun Oil is a high-quality silicone-based protection which helps prevent corrosion from fingerprints, moisture and other damaging substances. Using it before a game and post-cleaning (before storage) will make sure nothing will sit on the metal and damage it before your next use.

Socks and Boots

In the summer a casual airsoft player might get away with wearing trainers or normal boots, but as the grounds get wet and the sun goes away it becomes much more important to keep your feet dry and warm. Using proper leather boots with thick socks means you won’t slip as you run (providing they are done up properly!) and your feet will stay comfy. Nothing will ruin an airsoft day as quickly as stepping in a puddle and having to run around in wet socks and boots all day!

Gloves!

Anyone with previous airsoft experience will tell you it is a good idea to wear padded gloves even in the warmest of weather. That advice is even more important in the cold weather. Preventing your fingers from stiffening up in the cold means you will be able to fire your semi-automatic weapons faster as well as properly operate your magazines, safety, etc.

If those aren’t good enough reasons to wear gloves, there is one more that should make you go and get your own pair: being shot in the hand HURTS! Getting hit anywhere in airsoft can leave you stinging, but when you get hit on your fingers it can be agonising!

The weather affects every aspect of playing airsoft and should be prepared for accordingly. Why not visit your nearest Abbey Supply distributor and stock up on everything you need for your winter airsoft needs?