What to Wear to an Esports Event: Sweating in the Queue, Shivering in the Stands

The house lights have just dimmed and the two teams are taking the stage. You cheer along, rubbing your arms. The T-shirt you sweated through in the queue is still stuck to your back, and now it's as cold and clammy as a takeaway bag of iced tea.

And the first match hasn't even started yet.

Two hours earlier, it was a different story. You were standing in the sun with an empty water bottle, waiting for the doors to open. Once you got inside, the first blast of air-con felt like a gift. Sadly, that gift only lasted about a quarter of an hour.

Why a Sweaty T-Shirt Makes You Shiver in an Air-Conditioned Venue

Sure, the air-con is cold. But what makes the cold bite is your own sweat. Wet fabric draws heat away from your body much faster than dry fabric does. As long as that T-shirt stays damp, your body heat keeps draining away.

That's why what you wear to an esports event has to cover two situations at once. Outside, you need something cool enough to stand in the blazing sun for ages. Inside, you need something warm enough to sit under the air-con for hours. Only a door separates the two.

Two Layers: A T-Shirt for the Queue, a Hoodie for the Stands

The answer is two layers, each with its own job.

For the inner layer, an ordinary cotton T-shirt will do, as long as it's comfortable when you're hot and sticky. Avoid wearing two tees at once or anything in a heavy fabric. This is the layer that will see you through the long wait in the sun.

The outer layer is a hoodie or a sweater. While you queue, tie it around your waist or stash it in a small bag. When you start to feel cold in your seat, just pull it on. It takes seconds, with no trip to the toilet to change and no rummaging through your bag in the middle of the crowd.

One thing people often forget: that T-shirt will be on show quite a lot. It queues with you, it gets into the photos with your friends, and it reappears every time you take the hoodie off. So pick one you'd be happy for people to see. The free T-shirt from your last fun run is best left at home.

A Mid-Weight Hoodie Is Enough to Hold Off the Air-Con

It's tempting to grab the thickest hoodie in your wardrobe, just to be safe. It might feel right inside the building, but in the queue it turns into dead weight. It fills up your bag, and if you tie it around your waist, it traps the heat against you until the doors open.

Choose something mid-weight, as long as the fabric is tightly knit. It's easy to check: hold it up to a light. The less light that comes through, the tighter the knit. A tight knit blocks the air-con draught and holds on to your body heat for longer. You're not climbing a mountain, so there's no need for a hoodie as thick as a blanket.

If you sweat easily, a zip-up hoodie is simpler to adjust. You can leave it half unzipped as the queue starts moving inside, then zip it all the way up once the air-con starts to reach you in your seat.

There's no need to pack a spare jacket, either. One extra layer is plenty. A small bag to hold your hoodie while you queue is far more useful than a second jacket that just adds to your load.

Roomy Pants for Three Hours in Your Seat

A single tournament day can mean more than three hours of sitting, and it's rarely the restful kind. When the game goes quiet, you lean back. The moment a team fight breaks out, you've slid to the edge of your seat without even noticing.

With all that shifting around, pants that fit fine when you tried them on standing up can become a problem. After an hour, the waistband starts digging into your stomach, and the thighs pull tight every time you lean forward.

So look for pants that are roomy through the thigh, with a waist that isn't a tight squeeze. For thigh room, the Elite Wide pants in dark brown are a good example. They're a wide fit, which means the legs are broad and loose all the way down to the hem. The fabric has some body to it and a decent amount of stretch, so it doesn't feel thin in a cold room and still moves with you when you change position.

If lighter colours are more your thing, there are the Regular Comfort pants in khaki. The fit is regular, not too tight and not too loose. The fabric is light and quick-drying, which makes it pleasant to wear while you queue in the sun. They also look neat, nothing like the pair you'd lounge around the house in.

Long Pants Keep the Air-Con Off Your Knees and Calves

There's another reason to stick with long pants. When you're sitting, your knees and calves barely move, so they're the first to feel the cold. Long pants catch the cold air before it hits your skin.

Shorts aren't off limits. Just be prepared: your knees and calves will be right in the path of the air-con for hours. If you really do prefer shorts, make sure your top layer is warm enough to make up for it.

Dark Colours Hide Spills in the Dimly Lit Stands

The stands at an esports arena are usually dim, and in the middle of all the cheering, it's easy to knock over a drink. Chip seasoning has a habit of landing in your lap, too. On dark fabric, stains like these don't show straight away, so you can keep watching instead of dabbing at your pants.

If you'd like to compare other cuts and colours side by side, browse the rest of the pants range at KASUAL.

Those khaki pants are still a sensible choice. Just grip your cup a little tighter when your team is mounting a comeback.