THE CAGE SHELL GARMENTS
THE CAGE:
SHELLING OUT
AS THE AA CREW CONTINUE THEIR QUEST TO BRING YOU THE ULTIMATE CLOTHING AND GEAR SOLUTIONS, THEY TURN THEIR ATTENTION TO “SHELL GARMENTS”; THOSE THAT WILL KEEP YOU PROTECTED FROM THE ELEMENTS WHEN THE WEATHER - AS IT INEVITABLY WILL - TURNS NASTY. BILL SETS THE SCENE…
I
have to say that in my years of playing airsoft around the world I’ve come across many “fair weather airsofters”, those that come out to play only when the weather is good and head back to their workshops and armouries when the sky turns grey, which is fine by me if that’s the way you like your airsoft! There’s nothing wrong with this at all in my mind, as we all love to play a game when the sun is shining, it’s dry and hot and the only things you have to worry about are whether you have enough water and if the heat is going to put your GBB over the site limit... Sadly, I’ve also encountered players that seem to have no respect at all for “Old Ma Nature”; players who will come out to a game in the driving rain or falling snow and then have a problem because they are totally unprepared for the conditions. Games I’ve been to in the winter have been called to a halt as players get wet and chilled and I’ve even been at games where they’ve been called off completely due to players starting to get hypothermic! I’m not saying for one moment that I’m a better player because I have “all the kit” (and have invested over the years in the right pieces) but I will say that I have the utmost respect for other players that do their research and adapt their loadouts appropriately for the conditions they will be facing. I actually LOVE to play in the pouring rain, embracing the conditions to my advantage (rain can be especially “noisy” in a woodland setting or a CQB village… Just sayin’…). I especially love to play when it’s snowing and on a couple of memorable occasions have had the joy of doing so.
42
JULY 2021
We have a couple of mantras at AA, the first of which is that “there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad kit” and the second being “any fool can be uncomfortable”! The crux of this is making sure you have the right clothing, understand it and know how to use it! If you look back in the “AA Archives” you’ll find a number of articles on the technical characteristics of clothing, clothing systems and how they really work, however, when it comes to “shell” garments, fundamentally you have two choices: “Hard” or “Soft” shells. The differences between a “Soft” shell jacket and a “Hard” shell jacket are still somewhat “murky”, even though both technologies have been available for some considerable time now. They both offer a variety of benefits, from comfort to protection - so which is right for you and for what conditions? Simply put, “Hard” shell is a waterproof jacket with a hood and matching trousers. Occasionally insulated, they’re designed to provide lightweight, durable and waterproof, breathable protection in rain or snow whilst allowing you to tailor your insulating and wicking layers beneath. The term “Hard” works here as generally the “face” (outer) fabric isn’t very stretchy, has a solid feel and is very durable. When you compare a hard shell to a soft shell, you can tell the difference by feeling the fabric and listening; a hard shell jacket typically makes A LOT more noise than a soft shell jacket due to the “heavier” face fabrics used to get that durability. A “Soft” shell jacket is usually water-resistant (NOT water-PROOF in the main!) and offers more stretch and movement in the fabric but is still a breathable
