Snowtrooper armor

Snowtrooper armor was a modified variant of stormtrooper armor used by snowtroopers, and to some extent members of the Grenadier troopers, Vader's Special Force Troopers and Darth Vader's Security Force. It was adapted with additional heating and environmental units for use on extremely cold planets.

Characteristics[]

Snowtrooper Chestplate — A close-up of a snowtrooper's chestplate

Although well adapted to the intense cold found on planets such as Hoth, Toola and Rhen Var, the leg armor was less heavily-armored, and thus weaker than standard armor; this was done so a snowtrooper could walk faster in the cold environment. The armor was equipped with more powerful heating and personal environment units. The eighteen-piece outer shell also had an airtight fabric oversuit for more protection from the cold. For breathing in dangerous or cold weather, a breather hood not only enveloped the faceplate, but fed into the suit liner as well. Each trooper had terrain-grip ice boots, in addition to a standard issue utility belt that contained high-tension wire, grappling hooks, ration packs, additional blaster ammunition, ion flares, as well as a survival kit containing a portable heater, a collapsible shelter, spare power packs, a homing beacon, a comm unit, and additional ion flares.^[1]

The helmet featured built-in snow goggles that were polarized,^[2]^[3] and also featured a breather hood. The breather hood served two viable purposes: allowing for the snowtrooper to recirculate air for warmth and preventing ice from forming in the helmet's atmospheric filter.^[1] The chest plate was constructed of a plastoid composite armor, acting as reinforced blast armor, and also possessing adjustable attachment straps. Close to the center was the location of the controls for the entirely self sufficient life support systems. What was included was a power cell monitor, the controls for the heater of the suit, and an external temperature monitor. The manual controls for regulating the suit's internal systems were located on the breastplate.^[1] Aside from the heating controls, there were also controls for communication as well as a built-in identity chip.^[2]^[3] The shoulder plates included ammo magazines instead of a shoulder pauldron used by the Galactic Marine armor. The backpack housed the communications unit, the main power cell (which was heavy duty), a homing beacon, a ration storage compartment, and the main heating unit, which included a heater liquid pump. The backpack had the additional ability as operating as a power source for other equipment. Because of the armor, a snowtrooper could survive for a maximum of two weeks in even the harshest environments on their internal supplies and suit power alone. As such, the backpack also had a surplus power indicator and an accessory power outlet. The armor also included heated white pants with pockets as well as an insulating belt cape and a wrist comlink.^[2]^[3]

The overall armor, including the body glove was given a color of arctic-camouflage white.^[1]

Unlike most other Stormtrooper armor, which generally utilized either distinct markings or pauldrons to indicate command rank positions on the field, Snowtrooper armor was one of the few sets of armor to have rank insignia plaques on the breastplate.