Paintball Gear
How to choose the best paintball gear?
Clothing is very important piece of paintball gear. While choosing the best clothes for a paintball game you should take into account numerous elements. A lot of people have impression that the best one is woodland camouflage clothing. It may be right, but only if you play woodsball, which requires hiding in bushes and a stealthy approach in the forest. For woodsball, camouflage is extremely useful, so it is not uncommon to see players wearing army surplus military fatigues. However, if you play urban ops in the building and tourneyball, the color of your dress does not really matter. The most important role of clothing is your comfort and protection. As paintball is a dynamic and quick game, your outfit should not cramp your moves. Paintball is a very active sport, involving a lot of running, crawling and sliding. Accordingly, the clothing worn for paintball must be extremely hard-wearing and durable. If you lie on the ground, run through bushes and rub against dingy walls with flaking off plasters, do not expect your clothes to remain spotless. Therefore, choose clothes that are intended to be worn out. A comfortable T-shirt, sweatshirt and trousers are the key to success. Of course we should not forget about sport shoes, which are the best choice, due to their comfort while running and easy cleaning. As it goes for footware, the decision depends on the scenario. In woodsball, the rough terrain and uneven muddy ground makes footware with good grip and plenty of ankle support a necessity. This lends itself to boots, either military style or hiking boots. In speedball, however, the added weight of thick boots is a disadvantage, as is the reduction in mobility. Speedball players therefore tend to wear sneakers or cleats.
What to wear
Players who do not have their own paintball gear can always rent a mask and a marker from paintball operators. Although, I advise you to book your preferable type of gear in advance, because it may happen that they currently may be short of this specific type. If you want to purchase your own kit, don’t, unless you have played paintball several times. First, you should choose the type that really suits you, second, get acquainted with different producers and their offers. It sometimes happens that eager greenhorns come to their first game with already complete equipment and it comes out that the vendors were incapable to know the player’s real needs and advised the wrong kind. I recommend buying paintball gear from independent distributors that frequently are keen players themselves. Not only do such people provide honest advice, but also they offer proven gear and servicing. Of course, it may happen that they will recommend gear that they already have on stocks. In my opinion, the best way to purchase the paintball kit is to try different types during the game in order to make the well-thought-out and the best decision. The parameters important while choosing the marker are its size, weight, paintball velocity, and rate of fire. Like any other sport in which additional gear is required, it is important that the player be comfortable with his or her marker. As I wrote before, it happened many times that a player purchased its own marker before playing paintball, and after some games he realized that now he would have chosen other type. But the decision has been taken before and now there is nothing he can do about it. The beginner needs to gradually develop a feel for paintball markers. This enables a player to make a smart and informed decision when it comes time to spend money.
Gadgets
There is a wide variety of paintball gear. Below you will find some crucial elements of outfit, you should not forget about:
- Gloves – it would be better for you, if you did not to see for yourself how fragile are human fingers and carpal joints. Unfortunately, palm and finger shots are common, as your hands (especially the one that holds the marker) are easily accessible to your opponents’ shots.
- Hat – the mask sufficiently protects face and both sides of your head, however, the back of your head should be covered by the cap worn backwards. It is worth remembering that not all masks cover the forehead, which is a perfect target for opponents’ shots, so covering it with scarf is a smart decision that could relieve the pain if you are hit.
- Neck protection – sometimes a collar is good enough, but the additional protection of a scarf will do the job perfectly.
- Elbow and kneepads – While playing paintball you risk not only being shot in elbows and knees but also you can hit yourself falling to earth or running through the bushes. On tournaments almost all players use kneepads, as it is both, comfortable and safe.
If you have no equipment mentioned above, you can buy them in an ordinary bicycle store or rent some professional stuff at the paintball club.
Misunderstandings
Sometimes there are players that are interested more to feel like a real soldier than to practice paintball in a pleasant atmosphere. Those people often bring to battlefield military gear like mess tins, helmets and even flick-knifes, which, instead of being a highlight of the game, cause only additional danger. Paintball is often being associated with a military game, which is only a myth that has nothing to do with the reality. First and foremost, paintball is a sport, the more, a recreational one. If you want to be effective and successful you do not need to be a born commando, just the opposite, being too serious about the game can bring nothing but trouble. It is only a game, the play that combines the elements of tactics, fitness, teamwork and self-confidence. So remember that the main goal of playing paintball is to have fun and relax.
People who associate paintball with a military game, have to notice that paintball is not about single players and often happens that you have to sacrifice individual players and even groups - even though such thinking is unacceptable for reasonable soldiers. Paintball players do not care too much about being shot, because it is only a game, and in 10 minutes time you enter a battlefield once more with new strengths, while soldiers are not given second chances…
Playthings
When we are already dressed, let’s focus on the basic paintball gear the mask and the marker. As mentioned before, the mask is absolutely crucial part of paintball player gear. It protects your health, so under no circumstances should be taken off during the game, even after being shot, until the player leaves the battlefield. This rule must be obeyed categorically and irrevocably.
Mask/Goggles
Paintball goggles are specifically designed for paintball. No other goggles have been tested to withstand the impact of a paintball. This is the most important piece of paintball gear. Paintball goggles will not only protect your eyes; but your face, ears, and forehead. Paintball goggles also give good field of vision and come in different sizes for kids and adults. The goggles may also be purchased with an anti-fog lens called thermal lens.
Tanks
The marker tank is filled with a compressed gas used to accelerate the paintballs through the marker barrel. Usually it is CO2 or compressed air (High Pressure - HP). Due to the instabilities of CO2, HP tanks are better thanks to their consistent velocity. Therefore CO2 is used especially in cheaper guns. HP tanks are more expensive, as they must be rated for a much higher pressure, and are typically made from more expensive materials.
