The Hottest Archer in Scotland

I'll go shoot when the gas runs out!

We are well into the winter/indoor season for 2025/26 .. happily shooting indoors in the warm and dry and on ground that is in no way a swamp. However, there will be chances to shoot outside at our field in December. Whitecraigs have some match free weekends and on those weekends we will be shooting .. in the great outdoors .. in a Scottish winter.

CALM DOWN! Its not that scary. Yes, we know this is Scotland and doing something outdoors in December is in the same ballpark as Captain Oats saying "I am just going outside and may be some time". We have thought of this. We already have an article on what to wear if you feel you'd like to shoot outdoors in winter. Sensible clothing that will keep you warm and comfortable while you have fun shootie with no "desperately struggling to survive" undertones. You can read that article here. However, today we'd like to take this to the next level guest starring the hottest archer in Scotland* - John.

Yes, our own Captain Sausage is well versed shooting in harsh conditions .. he does shoot with Geo a lot and trust us, that's pretty harsh. However, in respect for weather, he preps for worst case scenario and comes fully equipped .. Bit like Bad Weather Barbie™ with accessory pack but not as slim in the hips and with less hair. So how does he stay warm in winter? .. Here are some of his tricks:

John pretty much follows our advice with multiple layers acting as heat traps. Fleece lined trousers, lambs wool sweater, waterproof gilet, neck buff and sensible Gore-tex hiking boots are all in the mix but its the extras that makes John special.

Hand warmers: Here we have a pair of USB hand warmers. If you haven't come across these things before, they are roughly the size of a large lemon but slightly flattened for better ergonomics. They are charged via USB port (wall plug or computer) and when you turn them on, they heat up. One in each pocket is a god send after you put your bow down and stick hands in pockets. This means by the time the next end rolls around and you take your hands out your pockets, you have feeling in your finger tips. Several brands come as a two piece so they can be split up for this very purpose and you are pretty much guaranteed to get 4-5 hours of warmth on a single charge. Some even do double duty as an energy bank. Ideal for a chilly Sunday morning down the field where being able to feel the string, or indeed the tab, is a definite advantage. There are quite a few of these knocking around the club.

Electric jacket: Stepping up a medal in the warmth Olympics is the heated jacket. Usually a gilet (waistcoat), this puppy has heating elements sewn into the material and a small pocket for the battery. Rechargeable like the hand warmers, this will keep your core temperature up and snow off your shoulders. The fact its a gilet, with no sleeves, means it won't interfere with your shot and they tend not to be bulky meaning it wont interfere with your shot. Win Win or is that Win&Win? They are definitely the gold standard of cold weather clothing .. at least till the battery runs out but even then they are still an extra layer. At last check we have two of these in the club .. just look for an archer with a smug grin while standing in a stiff winter wind and you'll have found a likely suspect for jacket owner.

Electric socks: Here we reach S tier. Standing on damp or frozen ground sucks heat out through your feet like you wont believe. Even thick socks wont stop the continual leeching of warmth. If the ground is very wet and you are wearing wellies, this is made so much worse given wellies poor heat retention. The solution, an electric cloth tube worn on the foot - the heated sock. The battery-powered sock that has built-in heating elements to provide warmth is the most fun your feet can have outside of playing footsie with your fav movie star. Each sock has a small pocket for the battery, the output of which can be adjusted for preference or to extend the charge. Some can even be blue tooth controlled from your smart phone. Hopefully this won't turn nasty with other archers hacking into people's footwear to turn their heating up or down. Surely not something any reputable archer would do?** ....... :oD

So there you have it. Three electric items to make chilly Sunday mornings feel like an summers afternoon in the Caribbean ... assuming they got freezing rain, hail, snow, gales and Passchendaele like mud.

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* Obviously here we mean by temperature and not anything else!
** Reputable archer .. Riiiiiiiiiight! .. and dont call me Shirley!