Ok i have a basic question for those here when it hot as heck outside how do you handle the heat..The last match i shot it was just to hot at times when the on the line even under the overhead cover to keep the heat off of us but it was still hot with a t-shirt on under the jacket and shorts
I have kept a 3.l sized bottle of water with Gatorade drink mix in it ..i put into the frig over night to cool down and keep it in a cooler along with extra water and powder to make up the drink as need ..
I was wondering if i could have a camelback 3.lt sized unit beside me on the ground with ice and water and gatorade drink mix for use dureing a match ..
how to handle the heat when shooting outdoors
Moderators: pilkguns, m1963, David Levene, Spencer, Richard H
Re: how to handle the heat when shooting outdoors
Why the physical exercise 'sports supplement' for a non-physical exercise sport such as shooting?henry1 wrote:Ok i have a basic question for those here when it hot as heck outside how do you handle the heat..The last match i shot it was just to hot at times when the on the line even under the overhead cover to keep the heat off of us but it was still hot with a t-shirt on under the jacket and shorts
I have kept a 3.l sized bottle of water with Gatorade drink mix in it ..i put into the frig over night to cool down and keep it in a cooler along with extra water and powder to make up the drink as need ..
I was wondering if i could have a camelback 3.lt sized unit beside me on the ground with ice and water and gatorade drink mix for use dureing a match ..
Water (with additional water as needed) should be enough for the re-hydration.
A wet cloth around the back of the neck works wonders for keeping cool.
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henry1
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Anschutz
The key is simply to keep hydrated. That starts the night before. Make sure the day before the sweat box that you get your 8 glasses of water a day.
You can have water on the line with you, and a camel pack wouldn't be a bad idea, much easier to use in position than a bottle. Also make sure you have enough to eat the day before and day of.
Other than that, everyone else is just as miserable as you. Try buying a few athletic shirts and shorts that breathe a bit better than cotton t-shirts. The cold towel isn't bad either.
After that, it's all mental. Like I said, everyone is just as miserable as you wearing a heavy coat on a 100 degree day. If you can enjoy it more than the other guys, you'll do just fine.
You can have water on the line with you, and a camel pack wouldn't be a bad idea, much easier to use in position than a bottle. Also make sure you have enough to eat the day before and day of.
Other than that, everyone else is just as miserable as you. Try buying a few athletic shirts and shorts that breathe a bit better than cotton t-shirts. The cold towel isn't bad either.
After that, it's all mental. Like I said, everyone is just as miserable as you wearing a heavy coat on a 100 degree day. If you can enjoy it more than the other guys, you'll do just fine.
Dave Johnson recommends diluting the sports drinks to 1/3 or at most 1/2.
I have my shooters bring their water and fruit to the line in a small cooler. (yeah ... another thing for the rifle shooters to haul around...)
A wet towel in the cooler is good too to wipe your face with or go over the back of your neck.
(Fruit, like cantaloupe/watermelon chunks are in a plastic container & if they need to they can get permission to get off the line to nibble a few.)
I like the camelback idea
I have my shooters bring their water and fruit to the line in a small cooler. (yeah ... another thing for the rifle shooters to haul around...)
A wet towel in the cooler is good too to wipe your face with or go over the back of your neck.
(Fruit, like cantaloupe/watermelon chunks are in a plastic container & if they need to they can get permission to get off the line to nibble a few.)
I like the camelback idea
It just gets TOO damn hot here, so we just don't shoot much in the summer.
You can learn much from the Mexicans here. Use every tiny bit of shade, straw cowboy hat, no alcohol, don't get excited, and start and finish your day early.
For water, I freeze a partly filled gallon jug the night before and drink it as it melts...always ice cold. Our pistol range sells cold bottled water a few steps from the firing line. It's so dry here you rarely sweat, but you dehydrate quickly.
Many golfers come here to play and they are frequent heat casualties for not heeding the above.
You can learn much from the Mexicans here. Use every tiny bit of shade, straw cowboy hat, no alcohol, don't get excited, and start and finish your day early.
For water, I freeze a partly filled gallon jug the night before and drink it as it melts...always ice cold. Our pistol range sells cold bottled water a few steps from the firing line. It's so dry here you rarely sweat, but you dehydrate quickly.
Many golfers come here to play and they are frequent heat casualties for not heeding the above.
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henry1
Belive me i used every know trick in the world but sometimes the heat is just to much to shoot in .We do try to shot in the cool of the morning and not let the match go into the afternoon .. But that day it did and we all paid for it ..I use sun screen when out in the sun along with a wide brim hat when off the line to help with the heat of the day
The night before a match i try and drink the 8 glass of water ..eat a lite breakfast the morning of the match ..Pack the cold cooling tubes for useing on the neck along with the extras cut up pieces of fuit for eatting and the frozen water bottle and powder drink mix for useing when the bottle is left out to thraw out dureing the day ..
But belive me when i say this i love when winter time rolls around for it really is nice to shoot outside ..
The guy land who we are shooting on is going to put in a extend overhead cover to make summer matchs a little more easly to deal with for now it just butal when it comes to a southeasten Texas match
The night before a match i try and drink the 8 glass of water ..eat a lite breakfast the morning of the match ..Pack the cold cooling tubes for useing on the neck along with the extras cut up pieces of fuit for eatting and the frozen water bottle and powder drink mix for useing when the bottle is left out to thraw out dureing the day ..
But belive me when i say this i love when winter time rolls around for it really is nice to shoot outside ..
The guy land who we are shooting on is going to put in a extend overhead cover to make summer matchs a little more easly to deal with for now it just butal when it comes to a southeasten Texas match
I keep my sweatshirt on all day. It's a little bit hotter, sure. But I drink gallons of water (really. I'm a big guy, and I probably drink about three during a match) during a high power match (outside, non-covered firing points). Keeping the sweatshirt on lets me get used to the heat of wearing it, instead of suddenly going from a wicking t-shirt to a sweatshirt and shooting coat all at once.
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WesternGrizzly
- Posts: 278
- Joined: Sat Jan 09, 2010 10:43 pm
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henry1
i was laying out in the backyard doing a little pratice this morning for fun and i was just sweating up a storm with the heat this morning. i got to find a way to help me deal with the heat for it getting worse not better now ..for we still have about three more months of high temps in the area ..so it basic trying to get the body to get used to the outdoor heat
I think acclamation is something to try. I know you live out in that heat already, but now you've got to get out in it and practice like you said you just did.
My mom and I worked at a summer camp for a number of summers in Vermont. We lived in cabins with screen windows and canvas cloths to keep the rain out. Being from NC, the heat up there is nothing special (though the camp would close the field events, including tennis where I worked, at about 85-90 degrees to keep everyone safe from the heat). That's hot for them.
Now that we don't work there anymore, we have noticed a change when we go to Perry: it's a little more miserable. Working and living outdoors 24/7 for a month made us more used to heat and humidity.
So while you do live in Texas, you need to find ways to live outside more. The more you can do outside, the better your body will be able to deal with the heat.
My mom and I worked at a summer camp for a number of summers in Vermont. We lived in cabins with screen windows and canvas cloths to keep the rain out. Being from NC, the heat up there is nothing special (though the camp would close the field events, including tennis where I worked, at about 85-90 degrees to keep everyone safe from the heat). That's hot for them.
Now that we don't work there anymore, we have noticed a change when we go to Perry: it's a little more miserable. Working and living outdoors 24/7 for a month made us more used to heat and humidity.
So while you do live in Texas, you need to find ways to live outside more. The more you can do outside, the better your body will be able to deal with the heat.
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WesternGrizzly
- Posts: 278
- Joined: Sat Jan 09, 2010 10:43 pm
I grew up in South Louisiana (below I-10) and I went to college (where I shot) not too far from the LA/TX state line. Over the years, I've come across a couple of things that I use to keep hydrated and relatively cool.
First, avoid shooting between noon and ~4 PM in the summer if you live near or below the 31st Parallel. Once the sun reaches the top ~30% of its daily apex, you really need to be concentrating on protecting your eyes at a minimum of 50% UVA/UVB light transmission or else you're going to start developing real significant vision problems.
Plus, since you are as far south as you are, the sun can be really kind in the evening, between ~6:30 PM and ~8:30 PM.
Second, make your beverage choices wisely. Limit your caffeine intake significantly. This means coffee, tea, so-called energy drinks, etc. If you must have your caffeine, do so with coffee or tea, and try to keep it no more than 10-12 fl oz., finishing it off around 8 AM. Also, avoid fruit juices that have been concentrated, reconstricted, and/or sweetened in any way.
Consider your wardrobe carefully. Fabrics, especially synthetics, have come a very long way. Personally, I'd stay far, far away from natural fibers, cottons, and denim. It's very, very easy for the weaves of these fabrics to become clogged with sweat, dirt, and hairs to make them effective in keeping you cool and dry. When practicing in the heat, I've taken to wearing goalkeeper shirts. The HeatGear line from Under Armour and the Supernova and Adistar lines from Adidas work excellently. These lines are designed to keep you cool by drying the fabric quickly when exposed to air.
Have a food and beverage plan. I learned this from cycling. Know what you're going to consume and when. You need to take in at least 24 to 32 oz. of water before considering isotonics. The isotonic drinks are intended to replenish the body's electrolytes and prevent water intoxication. Depending on your height, weight, and overall health, I wouldn't start using isotonics before you have gone through around 48 oz. of water. When you do start using them, do so at a diluted rate (I use a 50/50) and for a limited period, like a 50/50 mix for 32 oz, then back to the water. Instead of buying the large ~1 Liter bottles, it's probably better to use either a mix (Gatorade) or opt for the small bottle packs. An easy rule of thumb about hydration: if you can still identify the flavor, you're still in good shape.
As for hydration at the range itself, if you're using a 3P stand, use bottle cages. They come in metal and plastic/carbon fiber-the metal cages are considerably cheaper and malleable. If you're close to a co-op like REI, cages and a proper bracket can cost you about $5 to $10 a piece. If you buy off of Ebay (I can recommend some sellers if needed), you can get a couple for $2 or less. Instead of something like a Camelbak, I use Sigg bottles. I use .75 and 1.0 liter bottles for water and 0.6 liter bottles for isotonic mixes.
I hope this helps you out. It's always worked for me and once you get it down, it becomes second nature.
First, avoid shooting between noon and ~4 PM in the summer if you live near or below the 31st Parallel. Once the sun reaches the top ~30% of its daily apex, you really need to be concentrating on protecting your eyes at a minimum of 50% UVA/UVB light transmission or else you're going to start developing real significant vision problems.
Plus, since you are as far south as you are, the sun can be really kind in the evening, between ~6:30 PM and ~8:30 PM.
Second, make your beverage choices wisely. Limit your caffeine intake significantly. This means coffee, tea, so-called energy drinks, etc. If you must have your caffeine, do so with coffee or tea, and try to keep it no more than 10-12 fl oz., finishing it off around 8 AM. Also, avoid fruit juices that have been concentrated, reconstricted, and/or sweetened in any way.
Consider your wardrobe carefully. Fabrics, especially synthetics, have come a very long way. Personally, I'd stay far, far away from natural fibers, cottons, and denim. It's very, very easy for the weaves of these fabrics to become clogged with sweat, dirt, and hairs to make them effective in keeping you cool and dry. When practicing in the heat, I've taken to wearing goalkeeper shirts. The HeatGear line from Under Armour and the Supernova and Adistar lines from Adidas work excellently. These lines are designed to keep you cool by drying the fabric quickly when exposed to air.
Have a food and beverage plan. I learned this from cycling. Know what you're going to consume and when. You need to take in at least 24 to 32 oz. of water before considering isotonics. The isotonic drinks are intended to replenish the body's electrolytes and prevent water intoxication. Depending on your height, weight, and overall health, I wouldn't start using isotonics before you have gone through around 48 oz. of water. When you do start using them, do so at a diluted rate (I use a 50/50) and for a limited period, like a 50/50 mix for 32 oz, then back to the water. Instead of buying the large ~1 Liter bottles, it's probably better to use either a mix (Gatorade) or opt for the small bottle packs. An easy rule of thumb about hydration: if you can still identify the flavor, you're still in good shape.
As for hydration at the range itself, if you're using a 3P stand, use bottle cages. They come in metal and plastic/carbon fiber-the metal cages are considerably cheaper and malleable. If you're close to a co-op like REI, cages and a proper bracket can cost you about $5 to $10 a piece. If you buy off of Ebay (I can recommend some sellers if needed), you can get a couple for $2 or less. Instead of something like a Camelbak, I use Sigg bottles. I use .75 and 1.0 liter bottles for water and 0.6 liter bottles for isotonic mixes.
I hope this helps you out. It's always worked for me and once you get it down, it becomes second nature.
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henry1
Re: how to handle the heat when shooting outdoors
Why not, if that's his favoured beverage? Of course, he'll be losing salts in the sweat as well, so an isotonic isn't a bad idea.Spencer wrote:Why the physical exercise 'sports supplement' for a non-physical exercise sport such as shooting?
Main thing is hydration though as you say.
One of the first things to suffer from lack of body water is the fluid in the eye...
The other obvious one is to avoid the problem all together. If you can get on an early morning detail it'll be cooler, with less mirage and quite often less wind. Prevention is better than cure if you can wangle it.
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henry1
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Jimmmy
Surprised you didn't get an appeal for running around with no togs on ;) Clearly that appropriate dress code doohicky only applies to the shooters :DSpencer wrote:for comparison...
we have just finished three days of ISSF 'Australian 'Internatonal Grand Prix' competition. Today, even I (known to go outside into frost with bare feet to have a cigarette) had on a flanelette shirt, polar fleece vest and leather jacket