Tips for playing in cold weather?

[Stoli]

I was wondering if anyone had any tips for avoiding paint breaks in cold weather?

My last time out on 10/29 it was in the low 40s and it snowed
at the end of the day. I was shooting RPS AllStars and XBall Bronze and my 98C with a 14" J&J ceramic was barfing up paint and chunks of shell from barrel breaks like 2 out of 5 shots.

I'm going to play at least one other game outdoors this season and would appreciate some advice on how to avoid this mess. Getting an LPK is not an option for me (I'm not upgrading this marker anymore). Different paint? Different barrel? An electric blanket for my marker?

[a5overkill]

you could try winter formula paint its what i use when it gets cold and ima try rigging a thermal blanket/sock to go over my hopper and tubes!

[bigred33]

My experience in cold weather is that you have to use extremely fresh paint. And keep it in a controlled temp as often as possible, I keep mine in the cab of my truck. Also HPA is a must, CO2 just doesn't work to well, it gets too cold, too quick.

[Stoli]

Thanks guys. I have HPA and I will try some Draxxus Arctic Inferno or something similar next time out.

[LilBigMan]

Wrap your hopper and your barrel. If its real cold out, the co2 going through the barrel will freeze up your barrel causing major breaks.

[skateralec]

you know those 8 hour disposable handwamers? Tape some to you hopper and then put a huge sock around the hopper or anything the insulate.

Just my idea!

[Mavro]

Make sure to keep the paint climate controlled as much as possible. Only take as much paint as you need so it's not sitting in your pods and freezing while you play. N2 or compressed air is a must.

[99GenX]

Last time I played in truely cold weather, it was about 19* outside with 4" of snow on the ground - I was able to take one simple method that seemed to make my life ALOT easier.

Release all pressure on the ball -

*I lowered the pressure from my ball detents (I loosened them, doubt you can do this on a 98 unless you just want to remove the detents completely, which wouldn't be to smart)

*Switched from an electronic hopper to a gravity feed hopper (or a sound activated hopper at the least)

*Used a bigger bore barrel (can you say .695?)

I also tried to keep it moderatly slow - None of this 15BPS stuff...

HPA isn't a MUST, but if you want to shoot over 2bps then you need HPA.

Keeping your paint warm will help but it seemed that I was having less problems than the guys leaving it in their cabs or in front of a heater or covering there hoppers with hot-hands.

[deluxestogie]

For the A-5, the Ricochet R-5 hopper can be equipped with the stealth liner, which is a layer of nubby neoprene. The liner will provide significant thermal insulation for the ball in your hopper (though it reduces its capacity).

[Jackson]

I always play with CO2 with no problems. The key I found is to only carry 1 hopper and leave the rest in a pretty normal temp area such as an insulated bag or cooler. Also, easy up on the trigger using CO2. Don't fire long strings, keep it to 3 ball bursts at most. If you see ice on the tank or gun, get it off. I have a flannel bag with a draw string on my tank too. When I'm sitting around, I keep the tank in my arm pit or in my crotch. Sure you look stupid but it keeps the tank warm, which is an absolute must with CO2. After every game, ALWAYS run a pull-through through your barrel to keep it free of water/ice/paint. Let your barrel get cold. A warm barrel will just attract moisture. Keep your gun out of snow.

[SpecialK]

I'm not exactly sure why you folks seem to think CO2 is the bain of winter use.

I switched back to CO2 from HPA, smaller tanks with more potential energy.




It really isn't a big deal but you need to have a marker that can operate at low pressures (sub 500 PSI) and an Anti-syphon tube.





Tips? Don't put any of those "hot hands" on your CO2 tank.
Don't put ANYTHING on your CO2 tank, it will simply insulate it and keep it colder longer. Remember if Ice is forming on the tank and not on you, the tank IS colder than the outside temperature, putting something over it will simply keep the tank colder longer.


Better paint, designed for winter play-I know Hotshotpaintball sells it, not sure what kind though.

Keep warm!


have fun,

and most importantly, play safe-hows that for a cold weather tip?

[Hessian Trooper]

I played this weekend in 45 degrees. I used RPS polar ice and did not have one break. I was pretty impressed.

I also kept my paint in a cooler between games to keep it a little warmer.

[Sabre]

As most of you know I live in Colorado, and play all year long up in the mountains. I have found (my experience only) that, as Hessian mentioned, RPS Polar Ice is the best. I use CO2 and a flatline and had no issues all last winter. Playing in everything from 2 ft of snow to icey sleet.

--Sabre

[Hessian Trooper]

That is another good point Sabre, Polar ice rolls right through the flatline. Perfect for it.

[Sabre]

Oh yeah....one more thing I forgot to mention. Pay attention to what you wear while playing in the snow. People have a tendency to layer on clothing, only to find that once they start playing they are way to hot. They sweat then during break try to "cool" off, this is a fast way to get sick.

What I do:
During Game Play -
Under Armor Cold Gear - top, bottom, beanie and gloves (maybe balclava - depending on how cold)
heavy weight BDU's
gear

During break when I am not running around, I put on my heavy winter coat. This keeps me from getting a chill during rest periods - the list of stuff above keeps me warm enough during game play but not too warm, if I sweat, the UA "wicks" the sweat away from my skin, again...keeping me from getting sick. This is just my personal opinion...but I have found that it works well.