Chasing Steel 12: The Cutting Edge with Chase – Winter-Carry Tune Up

Chasing Steel 12:
The Cutting Edge with Chase
Winter-Carry Tune Up

The calendar flips, the sugar fog lifts, and suddenly we’re all standing in January holding the bill for December. Cold weather has a way of collecting on past decisions — quietly and without mercy. What worked fine a month ago now feels sluggish, awkward, or just off, and winter is very good at pointing that out.

If your everyday carry worked overtime in December, it probably wasn’t because you were stopping crimes or surviving the elements. More likely, it was drafted into service opening Amazon boxes, wrestling plastic clamshell packaging, and freeing toys from zip ties engineered by people who hate joy. If you used your carry blade to open gifts, break down cardboard, or “just real quick” pry something that definitely wasn’t meant to be pried, congratulations — you’re normal. You’re also probably carrying a dull knife into January.

Winter has a way of revealing the consequences of that kind of honest work. Cold weather doesn’t care about your intentions, only results. Lubricants thicken. Springs slow. Edges dull. And the shortcuts we all take during the holidays start asking to be repaid right about the time patience is in short supply. That’s why a winter carry tune-up matters. Not a shopping spree. Not a reinvention. Just maintenance, validation, and a reset after a month of excess — mechanical and otherwise.

Winter Carry Tune-Up Checklist

• Maintenance: Clean, lubricate, and inspect all EDC components
• Gear Assessment: Test holsters, belts, and carriers with winter layers
• Clothing Compatibility: Verify access and concealment with cold-weather attire
• Fitness Evaluation: Assess physical readiness for carrying gear in winter
• Skill Refinement: Practice drills with gloves and bulky clothing

1. Maintenance: Restoring Optimal Function

The work starts with maintenance. Cold weather magnifies small problems in tools that usually run just fine. Lubricants that behaved in summer can turn sluggish when temperatures drop, and dirt ignored through the holidays suddenly matters. A simple field strip and cleaning is enough, but winter favors restraint. Excess oil causes more problems than it solves. Wipe things down, lubricate only where required, and take a quiet inventory of wear points. Most failures don’t announce themselves; they show up politely after months of neglect.

Key Maintenance Steps:

• Disassemble and clean all components
• Inspect for wear, corrosion, or damage
• Apply cold-weather appropriate lubricants sparingly
• Function test mechanisms thoroughly
• Sharpen blades to restore optimal cutting performance

2. Gear Assessment: Testing Your Carry System

Once the tool itself is squared away, attention needs to shift to the gear that carries it. Winter is hard on holsters, belts, and magazine carriers. Heavier clothing changes how everything rides, flexes, and retains. Retention that felt perfect in October can become either too loose or uncomfortably tight once layers are added. Belts that passed muster all year can sag under the added bulk. Gloves, in particular, are brutally honest. They reveal weaknesses in access and manipulation that bare hands happily ignore. This is the season to confirm that your setup still works as a system, not just as individual parts.

3. Clothing Compatibility: Optimizing Access and Concealment

Clothing is the piece most people underestimate. Winter carry isn’t just summer carry with a jacket thrown on. Zippers multiply. Drawstrings lurk. Thick hems and stiff fabrics interfere with access in subtle ways. A coat that conceals beautifully can also trap the grip or block a clean draw. This is best discovered in a calm, deliberate dry run at home, not under stress. Taking a few minutes to safely test access with your actual winter clothing—fully zipped, layered, and worn as intended—builds awareness that no amount of reading can replace. Don’t just get dressed—run a drill.

4. Fitness & Training: Maintaining Physical Readiness

But equipment and technique only tell part of the story. Physical fitness is the piece most often ignored, especially in January. The holidays are hard on everyone. Big meals, too many sweets, and a little extra alcohol have a way of adding weight and subtracting endurance. Cold weather then compounds the problem by making movement feel heavier and recovery slower. Carrying gear while out of shape doesn’t just feel uncomfortable—it reduces balance, mobility, and stamina when you need them most.

Staying in shape isn’t about aesthetics or chasing some arbitrary standard. It’s about maintaining the ability to move, breathe, and think clearly under stress. Winter is when that baseline matters. Extra weight, reduced flexibility, and poor conditioning show up fast when climbing stairs in heavy clothing, standing for long periods, or moving with purpose in the cold. January is the time to acknowledge where the holidays left you and start nudging things back in the right direction.

That reset doesn’t require a gym membership or a dramatic plan. It starts with consistency. Walking more. Moving intentionally. Stretching stiff joints that have been negotiating ceasefires since Thanksgiving. Rebuilding basic conditioning so your gear doesn’t feel heavier than it actually is. Just like equipment maintenance, fitness responds best to steady, boring effort done regularly—not heroic bursts followed by long layoffs.

Training Drills for Winter Conditions:

Maintenance and physical fitness alone aren’t enough, though. Skills degrade quietly over the holidays, and winter adds its own complications. A focused 10-minute weekly drill session maintains proficiency despite seasonal challenges:

• Practice access and grip acquisition with gloves
• Execute slow, deliberate presentations from concealment
• Emphasize garment clearance and stable grip over speed
• Pay attention to how your hands interact with clothing and equipment
• Focus on eliminating surprises rather than chasing timed performance

Cold weather is not the season for chasing the timer; it’s the season for eliminating surprises.

The Hoffner Standard: Consistency Over Hype

There’s a simple way to sanity-check all of this: ask yourself what Brian Hoffner would do. Not in theory — in practice. Brian isn’t chasing trends or talking about preparation from the sidelines. He sharpens his tools, maintains his gear, stays physically capable, and trains consistently whether anyone is watching or not. That’s the standard.

The Hoffner approach has never been about shortcuts or hype. It’s about doing the unglamorous work on ordinary days, so nothing feels extraordinary when conditions turn against you. Maintenance isn’t optional. Fitness isn’t seasonal. Training doesn’t wait for motivation. It’s action, repeated often enough that it becomes habit.

If your winter carry tune-up feels boring, you’re probably doing it right. That’s where competence lives — in the quiet discipline of checking, cleaning, moving, and practicing long before you’re forced to rely on any of it.

Looking Ahead: February Focus

Winter doesn’t reward speed or style. It rewards preparation and honesty. January is about taking stock of gear, habits, and physical readiness — after the excess of the holidays. Get things running smoothly again, put yourself back on solid footing, and set the conditions for improvement.

In February, we’ll build on that foundation by talking about practical nutrition, realistic diet adjustments, and simple workout approaches that support carry, movement, and recovery without turning life upside down. January is the reset. February is where the real work begins.

Happy New Year—and Stay Sharp.