Paintball Safety Gear
Before we can talk about paintball safety gear we need to first speak a little about paintball in general. Paintball was created in the early 1950’s as a way for the forestry service to mark trees from a distance. From there, it morphed into the first paintball game as two friends in the woods of Henniker, New Hampshire, played the first survival game with paintball guns. The rest is history and today there are an estimated 5 million participants in the United States alone.
Becoming so popular the sport has splintered into many different sub-cultures of paintball enthusiasts, groups, and organizations. With so many user’s you will always find those that will make equipment of their own or tweak bought equipment in efforts to gain an edge. This is important because this experimentation is very unsafe and is the main reason why your safety gear should be top notch.
So let’s talk about safety equipment. Luckily for us, league play has become the most popular way to play paintball in the United States. This means rules. With rules comes safety. Whether you are playing in a sanctioned league play arena, or in your back yard here are some of the more important safety features and equipment.
- The Face Mask:
the number one piece of safety equipment in paintball. It is required safety gear. The intent is to protect your eyes and ears. Many safety masks also offer mouth protection. There is a tremendously wide variety of safety mask available today. We won’t attempt to talk about them all. You should look for gear that is comfortable to you and that meets your personal needs. Masks come soft, semi-soft, and rigid or hard. Some masks cover your whole head while others just provide coverage for your eyes, nose, and ears. The paintball safety mask will usually have the availability of add on equipment. Some add on equipment might be; a visor, or fans to help keep you cool. It is important that with any safety gear you should “try before you buy”. This will ensure you get the mask for you. - Neck and Chest Guard:
a guard that is worn to protect your throat or chest area. Most players due to the sensitivity of the neck and throat area wear this safety gear. Gear for this area can come in one piece or a two-piece configuration. It can be soft, semi, or rigid. It is up to personal choice and should be tried before you buy. - Knee and Sheen Protectors:
to determine whether you need this particular paintball safety gear you need to look at where you will be playing. What type of terrain is it? What type of shooter are you? Do you kneel when you shoot? Important because if you are playing in soft sandy material you may not need this protection. If you were playing on hard or rocky terrain then you would definitely want both pieces of protective gear. - Barrel Plug:
this is a must have for all paintball enthusiasts. It keeps people safe when they are most vulnerable; off the field. If is a simple device put on the barrel of your gun to keep an accidentally discharged paintball from leaving the tube. Also, a barrel condom can be used. They both perform the same function. - Apparel:
we only mention clothing as safety gear because much of the paintball clothing being marketed today has safety features built into them. Some have forearm and elbow protections. Some offer built in knee protection. Some offer chest, back, and shoulder and arm protection. You will find leg and thigh protection, built in cups, the list goes on and on. This maybe one of the fastest growing segments of the paintball market.
Paintball continues to grow in leaps and bounds. It allows us all to fulfill that boyhood dream of being John Wayne storming the beaches and Clint Eastwood killing the Germans. It is good clean fun and provides a hidden benefit; exercise. Which is good for all of us? So go find your local paintball arena and play today.