What to Wear for Paintball (10 Must-Have Items)
Paintball is an entertaining, action-packed sport, but there is a chance you can get seriously injured if you are not prepared and don’t know what to wear while playing it.
Though most paintball venues provide you with all the gear required to play the game, it’s important to know the benefits of those gears as well as what to wear beneath the gear.
If you are a rookie, you probably wonder what to wear for your first paintball match. In this article, I will guide you on exactly what to wear for a paintball match and how to avoid getting injured.
Let’s get started!
What Should I Wear For Paintball?
Paintball Mask
While playing paintball, you must wear a protective mask in order to protect your eyes and face. A protective mask must be your NUMBER 1 priority while playing this game. If you are in the arena without it, you can damage your eyes and cause injuries to your face.
And while buying a mask, there are a few things you need to consider:
- Comfortable to wear
- Wide field of vision
- Anti Glare
- Anti Fog
- Right Airflow
If you consider these factors while buying the mask, then not only it ensures your safety, but it also provides a better gameplay experience.
Camouflage Clothing
When you are in the field, it’s essential to use camouflage clothing to blend with your surroundings correctly. In fact, one of the strategies to play the game is to stay hidden from opposing groups.
So, you have to avoid wearing clothes with shiny clothes to attract less attention. Using camouflage clothes, you can play with stealth tactics and increase your chances of not getting shot by the opponent team.
Long-sleeved Shirt
Wearing a long-sleeved shirt is highly recommended for paintball games. The #1 rule if you do not want to get injured or bruised while playing the game is to cover all your skin. And wearing a long sleeve shirt does the work!
It provides an extra layer of protection against the impact of paintballs, reducing the chances of bruises and injuries on your skin. Moreover, you have to choose a lightweight shirt made from moisture-wicking fabric. This will keep you comfortable while playing the game.
Moisture-wicking shirts also help regulate your body temperature and prevent excessive sweating, which can be uncomfortable and potentially affect your performance.
Tactical Vest
A tactical vest serves a dual purpose by providing both protection and defense against short-distance shots in your body. It provides additional safeguarding at some point of gameplay and allows gamers to easily carry a larger quantity of paintballs, CO2 tanks, and other necessary accessories. This advanced storage capability drastically enhances gamers’ overall performance and effectiveness in the sector.
Padded Gloves
Padded gloves are generally used for protecting your palms from direct impacts and capacity abrasions. These gloves most effectively provide a steady grip and preserve flexibility in holding items. By choosing padded gloves, you could experience an additional layer of protection that safeguards your arms throughout the game.
It is important to pick gloves that prioritize each grip and flexibility, ensuring they are comfortable to wear and that you can move your hand by holding anything. With padded gloves, you can easily hold your paintball, shoot your opposition, and claim victory without risking any injury.
Knee Pads
Knee pads are another essential piece of protective gear that you must wear to guard your knees. They cushion any blows from the paintball and stop injuries while navigating through rugged terrain or carrying out activities that contain crawling or kneeling.
By wearing knee pads, you can efficiently minimize the threat of soreness and glide your way past your opponent without risking any detectability.
Ankle Support
Paintball is a game that requires strenuous physical activities like jumping and running. And playing the game for a long time puts tremendous stress on your ankle joints.
To have a safe and injury-free experience when playing paintball, it’s really important to have good support for your ankles. Wearing high or mid-top athletic footwear could effectively enhance balance and defend your ankles from twisting or falling off.
I recommend you wear heavy hiking boots or any other footwear made for tactical purposes. Another thing to note while selecting footwear is to choose one that is waterproof.
Neck Protector
A neck protector, also called a collar, is a gear designed to protect your neck from directly getting hit and causing injury. However, neck protectors are optional as the chances of getting hit directly into your throat are rare. And if you want to play safe, you can simply use a scarf to cover your throat.
Paintball Pants
Pants designed especially for the paintball game have carefully placed padding and offer comfortable movement. The pants help to guard your legs against the impact of paintballs. As the game demands you to constantly move, crouch and jump, you also need flexible and comfortable pants.
So, I strongly recommend you wear paintball pants. Moreover, paintball pants are also usually made from durable substances that can withstand the game’s stress.
Helmet
Wearing a helmet is essential while playing paintball as it gives your head a further layer of safety. This layer can significantly reduce the effect of paintballs hitting your head, which can cause colossal injury and even fatal damage if it hits any critical part of your head.
Since safety must be considered the first priority while playing paintball, you must always wear a helmet while playing.
Conclusion
These are some of the essential gear and clothing you need to wear when preparing to play paintball. The ten must-have items we discussed will help you move, crawl, and enjoy your experience and protect you from a vital injury that can happen at any time if you are not careful.
As the old saying goes, “Prevention is Better than Cure,” so you must prepare to gain the best possible experience while enjoying the game with your friends.
