How to survive three periods on a cold rink bench

A rink is a refrigerator with seats in it. The air sits around a few degrees, the benches are metal or hard plastic, and the cold travels straight up through whatever you are sitting on. After twenty minutes your legs go numb, and by the third period you are watching the clock instead of the game.

Start from the bottom. The seat is where you lose most of your heat, because plastic and metal pull warmth out of you far faster than air does. A cushion between you and the bench is the single biggest upgrade you can make — far more than another jumper.

Layer for sitting still, not for walking. You are not moving, so pick a warm mid-layer and a windproof top layer, and keep a thin hat in your pocket. Thick socks matter more than thick trousers.

Move once per period. Stand up during the ice resurfacing, walk to the end of the stand and back. Two minutes of movement resets your circulation for the next twenty.

Pack light. Everything you bring, you also carry back to the car in the dark. That is the whole reason Seatboss folds to 30 cm and weighs 250 g — it carries by its handle like a bag, so you never decide to leave it at home.