Gun or Marker
The first and most obvious piece of equipment you need for paintball is the paintball gun itself. Also known as markers, they are the main tool for the game itself. Paintball guns come in all shapes, sizes, and prices. How much money you want to spend on it is on you. All you need to make sure is that your paintball gun shoots true. You can buy one for yourself or rent one out from a paintball shop as well. If you decide to take up the sport, get yourself the best paintball gun your budget can handle.
Mask
Perhaps, the most important piece of equipment you need for paintball, after the paintball gun itself, is a decent paintball mask. The purpose is very simple: Protect your face. While paintballs are just paintballs, one flying through the air and hitting you on any bare skin can leave a pretty bad bruise. If one hits you in the eye, you actually can lose it. Make sure you get a mask designed for the sport itself.
Hopper
The next thing you need to look at is the hopper. You need a place for all the paintballs to go so your paintball gun can fire them, right? A hopper is a small container which stores the paintballs and sends them through to the chamber of the paintball gun.
Air Tank
How will your paintball gun fire the paintballs without something to propel it? You need a propellant. That is where your air tank comes in. Air tanks for paintball guns are the next piece of equipment you need for paintball. Either consisting of compressed CO2 or compressed air, paintball guns use the compressed gas to shoot the paintballs through the air.
Paintballs
Another vital piece of equipment you need for paintball is of course, the paintball itself. A paintball is a tiny ball consisting of paint which you load into the gun’s chamber through the hopper. The gas from the air tank expands when you press the trigger and the gas pushes the paintball through the chamber and on to the target. Bring as many as you need to enjoy the whole session. Like most things in life, there are good and bad ones, so make sure you get the best paintballs for your budget.
Clothes for the Occasion
Typically when you go for a game of paintball, you find yourself in a large area with two sizable teams going head to head. Get the kind of clothes which help you match the surroundings better. It is highly recommended that you wear clothes that fully cover your skin so there is little to no chance that a paintball hits your skin directly. It can get pretty painful if the shooter is not too far away or if someone just gets carried away and fires at you on full-auto. It essentially adds more protection for you.
Additional Equipment
These were all the essential pieces of equipment you need for paintball. Now for a few optional items you should consider getting to make your life easier while you play the game.
- Extra O-Rings: Having extra O-rings can be a blessing because they tend to blow out at the most unfortunate times. You need to have replacements on the ready.
- Allen Wrench: A lot of the issues your paintball gun has can be resolved using a proper sized Allen wrench on hand.
- Food and Water: Last but not least, you need to have some water and a few snacks with you. You need to keep yourself hydrated and your energy up by snacking and drinking up between games, right?
As you play the game more and more, you will figure out more things you might want to get but these are all the items which are pretty basic requirements for a good game of paintball. Do stay safe and have a lot of fun!
