This article has been adapted from a post made by an experienced larper, originally written after an event that had a sharp temperature drop from day to night.
Warning – old LARPer giving unsolicited advice.
This last event was a good example of awkward LRP weather. Blisteringly warm days followed by cold nights is a real pain for LARP, particularly when you are trying to adapt your costume for conditions. These are a few ideas that I’ve picked up over the years for such things.
You can add layers either under or over. Obviously, if your tent is a distance away, or if your costume is a bit of a pain to put on, adding underlayers in the evening can be awkward (who doesn’t hate taking off greaves or boot uppers, only to put them back on in five minutes’ time?). It is, however, possibly the best option. A good set of thermals under your clothes works wonders.
If you want to hedge your bets by having a layer underneath that won’t bake you during the day, sports base layers are really good for that. Of course, you may or may not have the disposable income to buy them.
A pair of shorts under your trousers (assuming you are wearing something reasonably loose) can also work well. They’ll trap a bit of warm air against you at night, but allow your legs to breath. It’s actually amazing how uncomfortable sweaty legs can be.
Moving out a few layers, the next question is whether you are wearing metal armour. If you are, for example, wearing chainmail, it will leech the heat out of you at night. I remember someone once telling me that chainmail would keep you warm, because it’s like a radiator. Yeah, radiate… Anyway, if you are wearing chainmail, look into a decent insulating layer you can put between it and your skin. This last event, I was wearing one of the Mytholon leather tabards (they cost about €50) for this. Cheaper options include making a gambeson (it’s effectively just a lagging jacket for your body), or just putting some thick normal clothing underneath. It’s not going to be on display, so I wouldn’t go worrying about it not looking really authentic.
Next up – hoods. Do you have any idea how much heat you save by having a hood covering the bit at your neck where your kit ends? Quite a lot, it would seem. Certainly, I found myself overheating when I wore my hood during the day. I’m not a sewing person, but hoods should be reasonably easy to make.
Cloaks are, undoubtedly, very warm, but not something you are going to find outside of a speciality shop, making them a bit expensive. Also, they are a bit of a pain to fight in. More useful, in my experience, are glorified blankets. What do I mean by that? Something like a ruana (similar to a poncho, but with a slit down the middle) can be got at some high street stores. Failing that, you can make one reasonably easily out of an old blanket. I have a few of this ilk and they are desperately handy. If it’s very cold, you can belt them tight to you. If it’s only a little bit cold, you can drape it over you. Make or get this in a reasonably neutral design and you have an extra layer that you can shuck on and off at will and tends to go pretty well with most costumes. Garments like this (er, I think I have four at this stage) have kept me from freezing several times. Hell, they can even then double as a blanket when you go to bed later.
You also lose quite a bit of heat through your feet, if you aren’t careful. Get thicker socks, or wear two pairs.
Finally, consider picking up some little reusable chemical hand warmers to drop down the front of your kit. That little bit of extra warmth can make all the difference.
All things considered, the weekend wasn’t that cold. It was just the drop from about 17 to 7 (if various internet records are to be believed) that made it a pain in the ass to stay at a comfortable temperature. You get better at being prepared for such things. Just remember, when you are looking for kit/material/old cast offs that this isn’t re-enactment. Nobody is going to tell you off for having synthetic materials in your clothing, or mixing up two different periods. That’s not what this particular hobby is about. Make a reasonable effort to look fantasy (whatever the hell that is) and it will all be fine.