RE: arm gaurds?
I used to wear one all the time. I also used to have the string hit my forearm from time to time and especially didn't want string interference when hunting. In my case, however, I was shooting a draw length that was significantly longer than I needed.
I made the drawlength adjustment, adjusted my shooting style a bit and now shoot better than I ever have and never need or use an arm guard, regardless of the weather.