Played paintball a couple of times before? Either you borrowed or rented the paintball gear from someone or used one from the paintball arena’s owner.
Now you probably want to start your own paintball zone. You ask yourself, what paintball gear should I get to start playing paintball?
We heard you.
Owning your own paintball gear opens the door to many benefits. By using your own paintball gear, you can avail yourself of higher performance than the one you rent. Moreover, there is an added advantage of going for the equipment that usually comes at lower prices than renting.
Without any worry, you can enter big paintball games carrying your self equipment. Not all equipment is expensive. We will show you how you can get the best ones by spending as little money as you can.
Let’s get right in!
8 Essential Paintball Gear You Need Before Playing Paintball
You will come across many unnecessary items as a beginner. But the following things? These are absolute must-haves to ace your first paintball game.
Paintball Mask
Safety undoubtedly comes first. This is why we would recommend getting your hands on a paintball mask at first. With a paintball mask, no matter where you play paintball, you will be guaranteed to leave with both your eyes.
If you get a hit in your lens, the masks will safeguard you as they are highly rated for safety. Another reason to buy it is that you do not have to rent a paintball mask.
Imagine the sweat from other people getting on your face. Icky! The absorbent foam squeezes in sweat. Just think about it!
Getting a thermal lens mask will heavily reduce any fogging, offering clear vision.
Our recommendation will be the VForce Profiler. It gives a vast range of vision. Available in a ton of lenses, the Profiler gives you the option to customize your paintball look.
Paintball Marker or Gun
The next big decision is to choose which marker or gun to go for when you start playing paintball. Many people jump right into the gun, but we have provided you with the reason to go for a mask first.
Any shape or size you want, the markers come in that. You need to choose the one that best matches your playing style.
For those of you looking for a military simulation gun style, you can go for the Tippmann TPN gun series. If you want to spend a little more, Planet Eclipse ETHA is a fantastic starting gun that holds itself on a Speedball field.
Paintball markers are just the basis for any paintball game. If you rent, you need to pay at least $-$ per day to any paintball shop. At the same time, a new one could be bought for a price less than $.
Air Tank
Paintballs either need high-pressure air (HPA) or Carbon Dioxide (C02) to operate. Mostly they rely on HPA as Carbon Dioxide leads to global warming.
Paintball markers need one of the two available compressed air tanks– large air tanks that enter guns easily or small 12 grams, which are also employed in BB guns. A larger tank consisting of more compressed air or Carbon Dioxide will propel many paintballs.
For the newer players, a 48/3000 high-pressure air is considered the best choice out there. If you want to get the best experience, try using the Ninja 48/3000 Compressed Air tank.
Paintball Hopper
The hopper is basically the container attached to the top of your gun. It holds the paintballs. Generally, they are 2 main types:
- Gravity-fed
- Electronic
Though they shoot paintballs at a 10-12 per second rate, gravity-fed hoppers do not cost much. On the other hand, electronic hoppers take a motorized paddle or any other battery-powered process to shoot paintballs at a rate of 20 per second.
For mechanical and pump paintball guns, gravity-fed hoppers work just fine, but an electronic hopper is worth it to optimize the high-capacity paintball gun.
Barrel Cover
The paintball barrel covers offer two vital jobs:
- They keep debris and dirt out of the paintball barrel so that the gun remains clean and shots consistently
- Ceases any unwanted shooting for safety issues
Some markers, however, arrive with barrel plugs as an alternative to covers, but barrel covers are generally preferred at any paintball venue for the safety they offer.
Paintballs
Now moving on to the pretty essential part of this game– the paintball itself. Containing liquid paint in the inner part, paintballs have an outer shell made of hard material.
Loaded into the guns, they are shot when the compressed gas expands. Many different colors and brands of paintballs exist.
If you are a beginner, you can pick any of them as the performance level does not vary much. However, the perfect paintball is rigid enough to withstand breaking when shot but soft to splatter when hit.
Otherwise, low-quality paintballs often break at unfortunate times, even in the barrel. They can make the expert shooters look like rookies.
Tactical Vest, Tactical Belt, or Harness
You don’t want to run out of paint while playing, right? Unless you are among the hyper-conservative players, you will require refilling that hopper.
Without compromising your mobility, the right harness, belt, or pod pack will contain extra paint, making the process faster. In particular, the tactical vests are excellent options as they provide vast storage, in addition to protection against strikes.
Gear Bag
Where are you going to store all your paintball equipment? You surely need a good place for that. All the items can be placed inside the gear bag.
FAQs (Frequently Ask Questions)
Do you need your own gear for paintball?
For you to play and enjoy paintball, you need the gears. You are going to need the paintball gun, safety gear, and others. Therefore you will need your own gear or get one from the paintball institutions or centers. It’s up to you to decide if you will go in your own gear.
What should a girl wear to paintball?
What you wear at the paintball is very important. There are some clothes made for girls and others for males, but most of the time, these clothes can be worn by both when it comes to paintball.
For a girl, you can wear sweatpants with leggings underneath, a padded bra or chest protector, you can have a high ponytail or low braids, and more.
Your clothes should be dark in color for camouflage. You want to avoid being easily targeted by your competitors due to bright colors. You should also have flexible and padded gloves and comfortable athletic shoes. With all the protective clothes, you can play easily without worrying about getting hurt in sensitive areas.
Final Thoughts
That’s a wrap for now! Now you probably know the answer to your question; What paintball gear should I get to start playing paintball?
Initially, it might be cumbersome to get used to the gear. But the paintball gear will help you set up your own paintball zone.
What are you waiting for? Grab your own paintball gear now!
Hi, This is Leo Roman. I am a paintball enthusiast and love to improve my paintball game skills in the right way. I created this blog out of my passion for helping paintball game lovers improve their paintball games. I am not alone here. We have a bunch of paintball enthusiasts here. Learn more
