Paintball Protective Gear - Goggles, Apparel, Vest
One of the most important parts of your paintball setup is your paintball protective gear. You may think you'll be all set wearing some old jackets or maybe one of those old BDU sets you picked up at the surplus store, and while this may be great camouflage for the underbrush, it won't protect you from the various injuries which can come from a good round. Custom protective gear for paintball is also more lightweight and easy to move around in.
Face Mask/Goggles
Perhaps the most important pieces of safety gear are masks or goggles. They should be worn at all times when paintball guns are present, particularly when socks have been removed. While great emphasis is placed on the eyes, receiving paint splatter through the ears, nose and mouth also represent health concerns.
Having and wearing paintball masks is not enough. They must be maintained in order to provide proper protection. Replace goggles or lenses every six months when playing regularly. Should they become cracked or significantly scratched, they must be replaced.
Body Armor
Unless you want to have little intense bruises all over your torso area, than you're going to need to get some body armor. When you get shot you're not going to feel the pain that people normally get when they're shot. It can also help you from falls and tripping. Anything to help protect your chest will help in your movements because you're going to be running around and going at an intense pace. When you're trying not to get shot, you tend to not be as graceful with your movements anymore.
Armored Gloves
Gloves might not seem like the most pivotal type of protective paintball gear, but it really is. Your hands seem like a small area that could end up being shot and the chances of it happening are pretty slim. Think again. Your entire game of paintball can be ruined by something as trivial as getting shot in the hand. It hurts and it is going to make it difficult for you to hold your gun and/or pull the trigger. This is an important part of gear that you're going to need to get and it is protecting you.
If you're still not convinced that you need some high quality Paintball Protective Gear, you may as well go ahead and ask your friends to shoot your bare skin at point blank range, because that's pretty much what you're setting yourself up for. Paintball is a great time, so why not have fun with it? Be safe, and use some protective gear to enjoy the game with no worries of injuries!
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Comments
I really don't think Body Armour is needed unless you play snake and get bunkered a lot, but kneepads and elbow pads are a MUST. You don't want to screw up your knees sliding or kneeling on some rocks or glass.
I would really change my lense more than every six months, though I get shot in the goggles a lot. I usually replace after five mask shots to the direct lense or whenever I get a scratch. Safety forst!
Great article!
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