I just took my BB course with Joey at the Spruce grove range in April, and despite snowing in the morning and getting a sunburn that afternoon, it was amazing!
Being bundled up didn't really hamper me, as I was lucky to have a tight windbreaker that fit over my hoodie and shirt and kept everything out of the way. My biggest PITA was a belt, I wish I had the double alpha belt before the course and not after.
I used a Allen range bag as it was what I really wanted, a knock off of the 5.11 tactical with fold down work station.
I also made the mistake of not having my pistol in a separate locked container, just trigger locked in a locked compartment, which meant dragging my whole range bag to the safety table to get it out and put it away. Now I have a mini pelican hardcase that fits just the pistol for this reason.
The downside of the backpack is having to stack what you need vertically, and with the amount of times you'll need to go in and get more ammo, that might be a pain, but depends on the type of pack you use and how good you are at tetris!
For pants I used a set of carhart cargo work pants from marks work warehouse ( $50? I think), as they were less stiff than jeans, had wider belt loops, tons of pockets and if it had rained I would have been okay in them.
Make sure you bring a set of gloves, you won't shoot in them, but if its frosty on the ground and you have to go over the exam outside first thing in the morning, you will be glad you have them!
amazon.ca/Allen-Company-Master-Tactical-Range/dp/B001TKEU60/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402674300&sr=8-1&keywords=allen+range
That is the range bag I use, it has free shipping, and has held up really well for me.
I used Howard Leight electronic hearing protection, as did a few other students, no complaints at all.
After the course I ended up spending the extra $ to get a actual double alpha academt belt, $60, and bladetech holster and mag holders ($110), but I took my course with a cheap fobus paddle holster ($24) and 4 tazmanian tiger soft pistol mag holders($11 each).
I still prefer the soft mag holders, as I am a bit more..ahem round, and the firm holders dug the mags into my roll a bit when moving, where as the soft ones had a bit more give but still fit the mags great. The belt I took with me was a duty belt from the surplus store in edmonton, was a waste of $35, the velcro was crappy and weak so my inner and outer kept seperating, so day 2 I went to walmart and bough the sturdiest belt they had, which was another 25. for the 60 I spent on 2 crappy belts, I should have just gone with the DAA one in the first place, but learned from it.
Also, make sure you have a upla mag loader, will save your fingers big time, and the quicker you reload your mags the fast you can shoot!
I've totally rambled, sorry! lol talking about the course still gets me all giddy from how much fun it was!
