Want to have a good paintball playing experience? For that, you first need to know what to wear for paintball!
It is an undeniable fact that the game of paintball can be quite addicting. After getting the hang of it and winning some games, you will be all hooked up.
However, to ensure that the first experience is pleasant, you must make sure that you are well-prepared and well-geared for the game.
On that note, without knowing what to wear for a paintball game, it would be impossible to find yourself well-prepared for the game.
And without being well-geared for the game, you will not only be the most vulnerable, but you might even end up having some injuries on different parts of the body.
Nevertheless, as you have found this article, there is nothing left to worry about. We will go through each of the equipment and gear you should wear for a paintball game.
And after going through the entire article, we believe you will have a proper idea regarding what to wear and what not to wear.
What You Should Not Wear for a Game of Paintball
Before we get into stating the gears you should wear for the game, let us start by describing what you should not wear. And they are:
Heavy Clothing
Moving swiftly through the fields is quite important in a game of paintball. And do you know what is going to slow you down? Heavy clothing.
You will find them limiting your speed substantially. That is why it is highly recommended to avoid wearing heavy clothing.
Jewelry
One of the things that you must ensure before getting into a game is that you are not wearing any jewelry.
While moving through the field at a fast speed, there is a chance of losing them. Also, they might slow you down by adding extra weight to your body, which would not be that ideal.
Additionally, there is a chance of you getting injured by that jewelry. Yes, what if the glasses of your watch break during the match? Well, even though the possibility of that happening is low, it is not zero.
For that reason, most of the organizers recommend not to wear any valuables or jewelry during the match.
Clothes You Do Not Want to Ruin
A game of paintball is sure to get you drenched in paint. Even if you are a pro and can tackle the paintballs swiftly, there is a high chance of you getting shot at least once.
And the paint from that shot can get embedded in the cloth. For that reason, you would not want to wear something that you do not want to ruin.
Equipment That Is Generally Provided
Some of the organizers are going to provide some of the equipment to the players. However, that will highly depend on the organizer.
Some might not even include more than the bare essentials, while many will provide almost everything. Nevertheless, the things that are usually provided are:
Camouflage Overalls
This is a piece of clothing that will maximize your ability to hide from the enemy. However, the effectiveness of the clothing will depend on the type of environment you are in.
For example, if you are wearing a forest camo overall and are in a barren setting, you will be easy to spot.
On the other hand, you would be harder to spot if you were wearing a desert camo in that setting. And these overalls do not only make you less easy to spot, but it also offers protection from the splats. It will basically provide an extra layer of cover to protect the clothing that is underneath.
So, the paints will have less chance of getting all over your clothing. For that reason, we would highly recommend wearing this if the organizer is offering it.
Protective Visor
Another thing that most of the organizer is going to provide is a protective visor. This is one of the important things you should look for even if the organizer does not give it to you. And it is a well-known fact that the paintballs have the ability to travel at an insane speed of 200 mph.
And if something traveling at that velocity gets into your eye, severe damage is pretty much evident. Considering that, you should always protect your eyes with the visors.
What Things Should You Wear before a Game of Paintball
Apart from the things offered by the organizer, you need to buy a couple of things and wear them before getting into a match. As always, a brief description of them is as follows:
Face
Two of the most vulnerable locations of your body are the head and your face. For the eyes, you need to get protective goggles. This will go on top of the protective visor that most of the organizers are going to provide.
However, opt for a high-quality goggle if you do not find any luck with the protective visor. That should be enough to protect your eyes from severe injuries. On that note, consider the field of view and the clarity of the material when purchasing these Google.
If you happen to get something that can not offer a clear and bright image, you would have a major disadvantage in the field. Also, consider if the goggle is large enough to protect your eyes properly or not. The small ones might let some paint in from the side, which can end up in your eyeball.
Head
For the head, our recommendation would be to use masks that are specifically for the game. These would generally have a good amount of opening left for the goggles to sit on your eyes properly. Also, they can offer a good amount of coverage to your chin and the other regions.
On that note, some of the masks might come with a built-in lens. The lens will be made of clear polycarbonate, which would have the ability to stop the paintball. However, do check if it has the ASTM standards to provide the required amount of eye protection for the game.
Additionally, there will be some that will offer protection to your ears and the back of your head. You will also find some that will cover the entire head. But those are not that common because, realistically speaking, the chances of you getting hit on the top of your head is pretty low.
But you will still feel a slight sting upon getting hit on the back of the head, even with the helmets on. However, those would do a proper job of protecting your hair from getting soaked with paint.
Nevertheless, if you are still worried about your hair getting ruined, wear a baseball cap under the helmet.
Upper Body
The sting of the paintball varies a lot. It will highly depend on the diameter of the paintball. Usually, the higher the diameter, the less the amount of sting. No matter how low the level of sting might be, you should always wear some protective gear on your upper body.
Heading into the field with nothing on your upper body will increase the level of the sting because the clothing does hold the ability to tune down the sting a bit. Most of the organizers are going to make sure that the players wear long sleeve t-shirts when playing.
And even if the organizer is not forcing you to wear full sleeve clothing, you should wear them yourself. This would protect most parts of your arms, which would have been vulnerable. The main idea here would be to leave as little skin exposed as possible.
Considering that, we would recommend against wearing vests and anything that has short sleeves.
Lower Body
Apart from taking care of the upper body, you also need to consider the lower half of your body. Here, make sure that you are wearing something that has long legs. The long pants will not only offer protection from the paintballs, but they will also offer protection from environmental debris.
Usually, the paintball fields are going to be muddy. And getting mud all over your legs might not be something you would want to do if you have allergies. Also, exposed legs are a target for insects, tics, and other small things that have a tendency to bite humans.
For that reason, instead of wearing something that is short and leaves your legs exposed, you should wear long pants.
Hands
While the long-sleeved t-shirts might do a proper job in protecting most parts of your arm, your hands are still going to be exposed. And many of the paintballs might land right on the hands. Also, we believe that you already know how much paintballs sting on bare skin.
Now, you might be wondering why anyone would shoot your hands. Well, most of the players aim for the head. And while the bullet is in the air, it will lose some velocity and might land right below your head, which would be your hands that are holding the paintball gun.
Consider that it is highly advisable to wear some gloves. The weightlifter’s gloves are going to work like a charm in this case.
However, there are special gloves available for the game. Those would have an extra layer of padding, which will provide the right amount of protection.
But do make sure that you are not getting something that is heavy. Those would make it hard for you to move the gun around, which would not be ideal in a tricky situation.
Footwear
Like the hands, the foot will also stay exposed without any covering. And this is something that most of the players skimps on, but it is pretty important.
Many players opt for trainers, flip-flops, and heels. Well, even if those are a bit light in weight, they leave most of your feet exposed.
So, instead of wearing those, our recommendation would stand with the boots. But not just any boots.
We would recommend getting the ones with a good amount of ankle support. The higher the amount of ankle support, the higher the level of balance you will have.
Additionally, do make sure that the soles are made of rubber, or the treads are pretty deep. Those would allow you to easily tread the muddy terrains that most of the paintball settings have. Also, you will find it easier to climb higher places with those on your feet.
Apart from making it easier to move around and providing the right balance, the most important thing these boots will offer is protection.
They will not leave any part of your feet exposed for the paintballs to come and splat. But do make sure that you are not opting for a heavy-weight boot.
Are Protective Gears for the Kids Provided in a Paintball Game?
Before we start to describe the additional gears that the organizer might provide, let us first talk about the age players should have to play the game.
This is something that will highly depend on the field and the type of guns that they allow. Some of the low-impact fields might allow kids as young as six years old.
Nevertheless, the common age that most of the organizers will allow is 12 years or the kid in seventh grade in the school. But if you are taking your kid to the game, make sure that he/she knows the basics of the gun, or else he/she might end up getting injured.
On that note, many of the organizers are going to provide protective chest equipment for the kids. This chest equipment would also be available for the female players. However, this might not be available in all of the venues. Some might not offer them.
What Should I Wear while Paintballing in Summer?
In the summer, the heat level usually remains at an all-time high. And with thick clothing on your body and a good level of protective gear all over your body, you will be exhausted after running for five minutes. But what should you do? Should you not wear any of the protective gear and clothing?
Well, you should never get into a game without wearing the proper clothing and the right gear. But for summer, we would recommend wearing relatively thinner clothes. Those would still offer some level of protection while keeping you a bit cool through the match.
On the other hand, specialized clothing items are available in the market. Those would have a thick foam but would be breathable. With those on, you will not sacrifice one bit on the overall protection yet will not be sweating excessively during the summer.
For the lower body, you might want to wear shorts. But the moment a paintball splats on your legs, you will regret the entire decision. For that reason, it is always advisable to wear something thin even if it is too hot outside.
Is It Possible to Wash Out Paintball Stains from Clothes?
After an intense match, you might find yourself fully drenched with paintball colors. And wearing an overall on the top, your clothes might also absorb some of the colors from the surface. Now, even if you do not care that much if that specific cloth is full of colors, you might want to clean it at some point.
But can you actually clean the paintball colors from the clothes? Well, yes, you can absolutely take the paintball colors off your clothes.
Unlike the other paints, these balls will contain non-toxic paints. Many of them might even have fully organic colors. And both the non-toxic and fully organic paint washes out pretty easily.
On that note, you will not even have to use harsh detergents. Medium to low cycle on the washing machine with the regular detergents will work like wonders in case of taking the paint colors off the clothes.
The same thing goes for the paint that might be on your skin and hair. Those are going to come off right after a shower. So, even if your hair is full of colors, there will be nothing to worry about. A simple shower will get your hair back to its original form.
However, if you wear a good amount of protection, the mayhem will be considerably lower than without proper protection. The thick overalls can protect the clothing below from getting soaked with paint. Also, a good helmet can save your hair from getting all colorful.
Final Words
Without knowing what to wear for paintball, your experience throughout the game will not be that pleasurable. Also, without the proper protective gear, you can get seriously injured as well.
Considering that, before getting into a protective match, know what to wear and wear them properly.
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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
