Protect Yourself With the Proper Paintball Gear

The face that is the most vulnerable part of the body needs to be protected. A mask is to paintball what a helmet is to motorcycling. The masks or goggles are headgears that completely cover not only the eyes but also the ears, mouth, nostrils and a few even extend to the neck. The glass area is designed to prevent paintballs even as fast as 300ft/sec from hitting the face.

The biggest problem faced by the goggle area is that glass tends to get fogged, which hampers the player’s vision. Double layered lenses are used more often than plain glass since they fog lesser. The lenses are made of polycarbonate and are coated with anti scratch materials to prevent the soft lenses from damage. Small and less cumbersome masks are an advantage since they do not make the wearer an easy target. The masks should be a color that is easily camouflaged.

The other paintball gear needed is the clothes worn during the game. The clothing worn for paintball needs to be of a certain kind. Since the main idea of the game is to hide, it becomes of utmost importance that the clothing is not of bright colors that can be spotted easily. The clothes should be blending in their environment.

For a round of woodsball; green-based clothes or army camouflage is best suited. But this will not work if playing on a field of snow. So the venue decides what color clothing to wear. Paintball is a high activity game and so comfort is of great importance while dressing. The clothes should be easy to get into and comfortable to keep on. Since the game can last a long time the fabric should breathe and not make the player too hot.

The idea of paintball is to have the ball break on contact with the opponent so over padded clothes that prevent the paintball from bursting are not in very good sportsman spirit. But the vulnerable body parts such as the various joints can and should be protected by padding. Though boots give ample protection, they do hamper swift movement, so most paintball players choose light shoes over cumbersome boots.

Maintenance of paintball gear increases its life. Since the game involves a lot of paint being splashed around, it is necessary to clean the gear after every game. Clothing should be of a material that washes easily and is not prone to stains. The mask should be cleaned well and paint should never be wiped off the glass. A wet towel or soaked sponge would be the ideal way to clean the lense.

Always keep in mind that the goggles are not made of glass but of polycarbonate so steer clear of glass-cleaning solutions. Try and change the goggles lenses every twelve months or so too keep visibility clear.

A lot of thought goes into not only the purchase but also the upkeep of paintball gear.