Warm Weather Paintball

[pb-afroman]

Well today at SC Arenas it was well over 100* which made for a generally unpleasant day. It seemed like just standing there was making everyone sweat a ton and tiring everyone out. Is there anything that can be doen to minimalise these effects that heat have on you?

Along the same lines, how much can dehydration affect your play (as far as energy is concerned)? I know after just a couple games I didn't feel like running at all let alone when people were shooting at me. Overall the heat made for a generally miserable day.

 

[TOOLE]

Keep drinking water on days like that, if you have some cash, buy one of those camel backpacks that sotre water and have a little straw that goesto your mouth. Always try to wear a t-shirt under your jersey if you jersey is dark- it stops it burning you back.

 

[L J]

i found playing in hot weather good actually,it means my body is already warmed up etc etc, problem was waiting around was a killer, and your paint started to stick in your pots

 

[Darkwerks]

Originally posted by TOOLE
Keep drinking water on days like that, if you have some cash, buy one of those camel backpacks that sotre water and have a little straw that goesto your mouth. Always try to wear a t-shirt under your jersey if you jersey is dark- it stops it burning you back.

Camelbak hydration systems are excellent. I use a 1.5 litre Pakteen from Camelbak's military range, which fits perfectly into my 4+1 harness. Some systems are designed to cool the blood flowing along your spine. Platypus and Source also make decent systems. You can drink on the move without removing your mask.You drink more often and stay hydrated,which helps avoid fatigue and muscle cramps.

There are also head bands and neck bands that can be chilled or dunked in cold water. Wear a head cover cool your bonce.

You should also use sports drinks to replace lost body minerals.
Wear a wicking base layer instead of cotton against the skin. The North Face's Tec-tee in coolmax alta is my choice, although anything like powerdry or Helly Hansen Lifa works well too.

 

[jahlad]

drink loads and pray the ice cream man shows!

 

[joe bob]

amen!

cammle packs are cool and you can fill em up with just about anything

 

[ices]

Avoid wearing dark clothing as they attract more heat.

Usually i find "not thinking" about the heat can cool you down as this works for me, it takes some gettin used to though.

But the best way of getting used to this is to play in hotter climates mor often so your body doesnt get beaten down by it when u occasionally play in the heat

 

[pb-afroman]

Originally posted by ||Ices||
Avoid wearing dark clothing as they attract more heat.

Usually i find "not thinking" about the heat can cool you down as this works for me, it takes some gettin used to though.

But the best way of getting used to this is to play in hotter climates mor often so your body doesnt get beaten down by it when u occasionally play in the heat

Does that mean I have to stop going to field that's a mile from the beach?

 

[Dazdread]

You should try 32 deg in the UK, so muggy it is a killer.

The problem with dehydration is it creeps up on you sapping your strength... a wise man once said that "if your not pissing you are not drinking enough"

With any exercise (Heat or not) there are situations where you will loose water faster than you can take it on no matter how much you drink. Sports drinks are fine but ask a marathon runner what there back passage is like after drinking too much of it.

For paintball this should not be too much of an issue as you are not doing sustained exercise but it is still important to remain hydrated... tepid water is absorbed faster than cold water apparently.

 

[ThunderCat]

I played a few games in Dubai last week, we played at 9pm after the sun had gone down but it was still about 35-40 celcius!!
I couldn't run from one bunker to the next without taking 5 extra minutes at the end to breath heavily!!