Basic Paintball Equipment and Gear For Beginners
It is no longer news that paintball is a fun, exciting, and interesting game among different people. If not paintball, which other game would allow you to shoot your best friend in the butt without committing a crime? If you still doubt this game, now is the time for you to develop confidence and hit a paintball field.
But before you start playing paintball, there is a long list of paintball equipment you need to be familiar with. Thankfully, in this guide, we have done the hard work job. Your job is to skim through this article to know the major paintball equipment required to safely play the game. You will also learn paintball equipment costs to enable you to set your budget.
Are you wondering about the paintball equipment to enable you to get started? Then let’s dive in!
What Paintball Equipment Do I Need?
Before we explain each of this equipment, let’s give you an overview of what to expect:
- Paintball marker or gun
- Paintball mask
- Hooper
- CO2 or Compressed Air Tank
- Paintball Headband
- Paintball
- Tactical clothing
- Extra O-Rings
In no particular order, let’s explain each of this equipment.
Paintball Gun or Marker
The first and major equipment required to play paintball is a paintball marker or gun. Without a paintball gun, the game itself wouldn’t be fun or interesting. Would you rather throw beanbags at your friends? So, you see how important a paintball gun is to the game. If you are a paintball enthusiast that wants to play the game for the fun of it, you may consider renting a paintball gun when you get to the paintball field. But if you want to play the game as a career, we suggest you purchase your paintball marker or gun – this will not only help you save cost, but you will also master your model or type of gun.
When you hit the market to make a buying decision, there are many models to choose from. What you should look out for is a model that is handy, sturdy, and fits your hand. As for the cost, you can get a quality paintball gun for as low as $40. If you consider renting one, then expect to shell out between $10 to $20 at a paintball store.
Paintball Mask
The next important piece of paintball equipment you need to add to your paintball to-do list is a Good paintball mask. We understand the excitement that comes with handling a paintball marker, but before you blow your budget on a paintball gun, expect to shell out around $25 to $30 to purchase a paintball mask.
A paintball mask will protect your face from paintballs. We know you must have heard different stories of how paintball can mess up a player’s face. You don’t want that to happen to you. When you next hit the market, get a paintball mask before you hit the playing field.
Tactical clothing
Tactical clothing is not required to play paintball but can help you to blend in with your surroundings and move more easily. Clothing such as camouflage pants and shirts, knee pads, and elbow pads are all common pieces of tactical paintball clothing.
Paintball Jersey and Pants
Paintball jerseys and pants are made from a breathable material that will protect you from paintballs while also allowing you to move freely. They often have padding on the knees and elbows to further protect you from being hit by a paintball.
Knee and Elbow Pads
Padding your knees and elbows will help protect you if you fall on the paintball field, and can also help prevent paintballs from injuring you in these areas.
Cleats or Athletic Shoes
Wearing cleats or athletic shoes will help you maintain your footing on the paintball field, and can prevent you from slipping and falling.
Paintball gloves
Paintball gloves help you grip your paintball marker and also protect your hands from being hit by paintballs.
Paintball Neck Protectors
Paintball neck protectors provide an extra layer of protection for your neck and can help prevent paintballs from hitting you in this sensitive area.
Headbands
Paintball headbands or headwraps are also important, especially when you are playing on a hot sunny day. Sweating is annoying, and it might distract you from the gameplay. Headbands will help to deal with this. Besides, if you got long hair, you can tie it with a headwrap. It will absorb the sweat and make your scalp dry. So, choosing the best paintball headband is crucial and you can get it within a small budget.
Hopper
A hopper stores your ammo, just like magazine stores the ammo of a real gun. A paintball hopper comes in two types – gravity-fed and electronic hopper. The former uses electronic circuitry to power a motor that feeds paintballs to the gun or marker for firing.
On the other hand, the latter has no moving parts; thus, it is a less expensive option and takes time for paintballs to get into the gun for firing. At times, you may have to shake the hopper to dislodge balls into the gun.
From our experience, an electronic-fed hopper is more reliable and flexible, as it can enable you to fire more than 15 paintballs in a second. With a minimum of $99, you can get a quality paintball hopper from paintball stores.
Paintballs
The next paintball equipment is the paintballs. At its very core, paintballs are compressed paint into a ball-like shape. Paintballs come in varying calibers and sizes, just like bullets. Before you purchase any paintballs, look out for those whose calibers will match your paintball marker or gun.
The most common size is .68 caliber, which is what most paintball fields require. Paintballs are also available in biodegradable varieties, which are gentle on the environment.
The smaller .50 caliber paintballs are sometimes used in paintball markers that are designed for close-range shooting. These paintballs are about the size of a small marble.
Besides, select different colors from your opponent’s so that you can easily identify who hits.
Air Tank
A paintball tank is an important piece of equipment as it provides the necessary propulsion to shoot paintballs. On the market, there are two types of paintball tanks – compressed air and CO2. Most paintball guns on the market are compatible with CO2. The reason for this is not far-fetched, CO2 is more cost-efficient; plus, it is easy to refill compared to compressed air tanks. However, the drawback of using CO2 is that you will start to experience pressure fluctuations once the liquid changes state to a gas.
On the other hand, compressed air tanks are not affected by elevation or weather, and they offer more reliable performance than their CO2 counterparts. However, the major issue with using compressed air tanks is that you will require a specialist to refill the tank. Plus, they cost a lot more than CO2 tanks.
Extra O-rings
Lastly, it would help if you had a small screwdriver to help you assemble or disassemble your paintball marker or gun when the need arises. It would be best if you also had extra O-rings should, in case your O-rings wear out. O-rings help to prevent air leakage in your marker.
Additional Gears and Protection
You may want to consider wearing extra protection, such as a paintball chest protector or paintball body armor if you are playing paintball for the first time. Wearing extra protection can help prevent bruises and welts from paintballs.
Paintball Barrel Sock:
A paintball barrel sock is a piece of cloth that covers the barrel of your paintball marker. It is required at most paintball fields and helps to prevent paintballs from being fired when you are not playing.
Paintball Pod Pack:
A paintball pod pack is a bag that holds paintballs in pods (small plastic or paper cups). Paintball pod packs usually hold between 4 and 10 pods and can be worn around your waist or attached to your paintball marker.
Paintball belt:
A paintball belt is a piece of cloth or webbing that goes around your waist and can be used to hold your paintball marker, paintballs, CO2 or compressed air tank, and/or paintball pod pack.
Squeegee or Swab:
A squeegee or swab is used to clean paintballs out of your paintball marker’s barrel. It is a good idea to bring a squeegee or swab with you to the paintball field, in case your marker’s barrel gets clogged with paint.
What’s Included in the Rental Package?
When you rent paintball equipment, it usually includes a paintball marker, mask, CO2 or compressed air tank, and paintballs. Some places may also include a barrel cover, paintball gloves, and/or paintball headwraps.
When you are renting your paintball equipment, the rental company will usually include all the basic equipment that you need to get started. If you are buying your own paintball equipment, make sure to get everything on this list so that you are fully prepared for your paintball game.
Optional paintball equipment can be added later on as you become more experienced and start playing paintball more often. For example, paintball gun accessories, paintball gun upgrades, paintball grenades, paintball barrel upgrades, and paintballs of different colors can be fun to add to your paintball game,
Wrapping It Up….
It is one thing to play paintball and another thing to know paintball equipment costs. Knowing the cost will enable you to set your budget. Ensure you purchase this important equipment to enable you to catch the fun.
With this paintball equipment list, you will have everything you need to get started in the sport of paintball. Most paintball fields will require that you rent or purchase your own paintball marker and mask but will provide other paintball equipment for you to use. Be sure to ask about rental rates and paintball equipment packages before you head to the paintball field. Happy paintballing!
Lest we forget, go to the paintball field with water and snacks to keep hydrated!
