In order to conduct a safe and fun filled game of paintball there are countless things to take into consideration. One very important element is the paintball equipment.
Winning a game of paintball relies in part on the types of gear that is used; each player is required to have certain equipment necessary to play the game and to enhance their safety.

A paintball gun, otherwise called a paintball marker, is the essential gear needed in this game. The muzzle velocity of a ‘marker’ is approximately 300 feet per second or 90 meters per second, anything below 300 feet is deemed unsafe in most commercial paintball fields because if the velocity is below a certain level the paintballs break upon impact. The paintball marker has four chief components, the gas system, barrel, body and hopper. There are two main types of gas available for the gas system, CO2 and HPA.CO2 was the first propulsive gas used in paintball, it is better described as a liquid as a gas in its natural state, however when it reaches a particular temperature it transforms into a gas.
HPA is the most consistent gas used for paintball because it is unaffected by temperature or climate which in turn creates a better shot to shot consistency, when the consistency is better then the overall accuracy is also better.

Paintballs need to get into the chamber of your gun before you can shoot them and the best way to do this is with a hopper. A hopper is a small container that sits on your gun and feeds paint into your gun.

The mask is an extremely important piece of safety equipment used in paintball; it is to protect the eyes, ears, mouth and nostril, some mask even have the added protection of throat guards but this is not a requirement. The lenses on the mask are designed to stop paintballs traveling around 300 ft, they come in different types. Double layered or ‘thermal lenses’ is a type of mask that works by separating an inside and an outside lens with air chamber, this allows for the difference in temperature between the inside and outside of the mask without condensation forming. If moisture forms inside any of the lenses they will fog and fogging mask can be a significant hazard while playing this sport.

Clothing is another central aspect in playing paintball, because the sport requires a lot of running, diving, crawling and sliding it is best to wear clothes that are tough and durable. Camoufalge clothing is a popular choice for many players, this is because it is more effective for blending in with the environment however if the game is conducted on a small field or an artificial obstacle then this type of clothing would not be best. In these cases players opt for baggy clothes that can be padded to minimize the sting of close-range hits, also depending on the type of game being played paintball shoes can vary from boots to sneakers.

Author Bio: Mike regularly writes for ProlificPaintball.com, they carry such paintball equipment as Paintball Marker and the Tippmann A-5, as well as many other items from a variety of manufacturers.

Category: Advice
Keywords: Paintball Marker, Tippmann A-5