Paintball Gear Used to Play the Game Safely
In the three decades that paintball has been played, paintball gear has evolved to make the game quicker and more precise. Many players have learned the hard way that being hit by a paintball can be painful without the proper safety gear. For this reason, safety gear has evolved alongside such paintball essentials as markers and the paintballs themselves. Safety gear is constantly being improved upon to be more streamlined and lightweight while, at the same time, providing greater protection.
Knowing what safety paintball gear is available and purchasing supplies for full protection will keep you in the game longer. You can easily avoid an early end to a game due to injuries from a paintball by making sure that you wear the right gear.
The first piece of safety equipment that you should consider is a facemask. All paintball facilities require players to wear a facemask. Wearing one will help you to protect your eyes, ears, mouth, and other sensitive parts of your face. These days, there are a wide variety of face masks to choose from. The most basic ones will simply protect your head from being hit directly by an oncoming paintball. More advanced masks include an interior fan, which keeps the mask from steaming up. While these are more expensive, they can be well worth the extra cost. You can use an antifogging solution on the more basic masks, but ones that include interior fans are more effective.
Purchasing a barrel plug for your paintball marker is important. This prevents accidental discharge of a paintball when the marker isn’t intended to be in use. You can purchase a simple plug that is inserted into the end of a barrel. The other type of barrel plug is a bag that is pulled over the end of the barrel and tightened with elastic. Many paintball arenas require one or the other type of barrel plug to be used in areas not in the field of play.
While paintball arenas do not require full protection, it is a good idea to wear neck, chest, knee, and shin protectors. These will deflect a paintball and eliminate chances of injuries in those areas. The knee protectors are especially useful for those who often take aim while on their knees. Doing this repeatedly without knee protection can cause pain and bruising. As you can see, there is a variety of safety paintball gear for you to choose from in order to play the game with much less risk of injury. |