by Austin Hale

Created on: July 05, 2009

Any and all paintball players have an array of equipment that they use to play. Whether this is the very basic eye ware plus a gun or full tactical gear complete with paint grenades and night vision goggles that others use.

Whatever form of paintball that is played the basic strategy stays the same. Shoot the enemy players. Because this goal stays constant the most important piece of equipment for any person playing paintball is their gun, more commonly referred to as a marker.

Markers come in many different varieties and serve different purposes, but they largely function in the same way. A propellant, usually compressed Co2, is released through the barrel shooting a plastic ball filled with paint at a high velocity. However there are a few different categories of markers: speed ballers, pump, and shotguns.

Speed baller guns shoot at high rates of fire similar to a submachine gun. In contrast snipers are long barreled paintball guns that shoot single shots but are accurate a long ranges. Pump guns are completely different because they shoot from air compressed by the user. No separate Co2 is carried. The propellant is created by the "pump" action.

After figuring out what type of gun you want to carry the next step in gearing up for a paintball battle is clothing. Paintball clothing is really dependent on the setting of the battle. If you are going to play in an abandoned building or a parking lot you aren't going to dress the same way if you are in the middle of a forest.

The main concern to consider when choosing clothing for paintball is to think about what role you play as a paintball player. If you are a sniper then form-fitting clothing that will be comfortable while also blending in with the area you will be hiding in is important. If you are a speed baller try to wear more layers as you will more probably be getting hit with the most paintballs.

Another thing to consider is if the game will go on into the night. If so putting on clothing that is a dark shade of blue will really give you an edge on sneaking around in comparison to the person in bright yellow.

One universal piece of equipment that 99% of all people who play paintball have is a paintball mask. Paintball masks consist of a large pair of goggles that are surrounded by a plastic mask that covers the face. This prevents eye damage as well as painful shots that would be taken in the more sensitive areas of your face.

After you have the basic paintball mask, marker, and some appropriate clothing you are ready to have a paintball battle. However if you want to make the games more interesting you can start to investigate aftermarket upgrades, paint explosives, and even some military gear.

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