Snowtrooper armor Snowtrooper armor was a modified variant of stormtrooper armor used by snowtroopers , and to some extent members of the Grenadier trooper s , Vader ' s Special Force Trooper s and Darth Vader ' s Security Force . It was adapted with additional heating and environmental units for use on extremely cold planets . Characteristics . 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 . The helmet featured built - in snow goggles that were polarized , 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 . 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 . Aside from the heating controls , there were also controls for communication as well as a built - in identity chip . 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 . The overall armor , including the body glove was given a color of arctic - camouflage white . 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 .