Best Paintball Equipment

If you’re looking to get into paintball as a regular hobby, you have probably tried it out a few times. So, you know that paintball requires a surprising amount of equipment. You can’t just show up with a marker and hope for the best.

This will likely get you injured as paintballing can hurt a lot more than you expect. But it will also lessen your chances of winning. So making sure you have the correct equipment is very important.

To make sure that you have the essentials (which you can then build on as you play more regularly), we’ve put together a list of the best paintball equipment you can buy.

So check out our list of the best of the best products. Plus, keep on reading to find our exhaustive buyers’ guide that will give you everything you need to know about buying paintball equipment.

The Products

There are quite a few different pieces of equipment required for paintballing.

So, rather than provide you with a slew of different options for every piece of equipment, we’re going to give you the best of the best. This will be the best marker, helmet, goggles, tactical vest, pants, and gloves.

Best Paintball Equipment Buying Guide

So, now you know some of the best products, let’s go over exactly what you will absolutely need. The market for paintball equipment is pretty saturated as it’s such a popular hobby.

And, because it includes a lot of technical equipment, there are some brands that will try and sell you a lot of high tech kits that you don’t really need. So, here’s everything you need for paintball, plus what to look for when you’re browsing. 

Safety Equipment

Let’s start with the most important pieces of equipment. Although paintballs of course won’t hurt you too much, they are still powerful and are fired at high speeds with a lot of pressure. This means if you are hit without any safety equipment on, you’re going to become injured.

Injuries can range from bruising to cuts. Or, in severe cases, you might even injure your eye in such a way that can damage your vision. So, what safety equipment will you need?

Helmet

First up is the helmet. This one is incredibly important. Your head is the main body part that you need to protect. And we include your eyes and ears in this too. These are all very sensitive. Being hit in the head with a paintball can have very serious consequences. 

The helmet should come with a full visor and cover your head entirely. This means that it should come down to your chin. It should also cover your chin entirely. There should not be a part of your head exposed.

That said, you will need to be able to see. If you can, it’s easiest to buy a helmet with a built-in visor or goggles. This will be easier in terms of shopping as you won’t have to search for multiple items. But it will also be more practical than buying separate goggles.

Wearing a detached pair of goggles with a helmet can cause problems. They may not be entirely compatible and might not fit well together. This will leave you at risk of injury. So, to be on the safe side, it’s best to invest in a full-coverage helmet.

Goggles

If a full-coverage helmet isn’t an option for you, you absolutely must buy safety goggles. If you get shot in the eye then there is a very high chance that you will lose some vision in that eye, if not go entirely blind. It is definitely not worth the risk.

The best kind of goggles will be flush against your skull. Find goggles with an adjustable strap so you can guarantee that they will fit you properly. This is very important as you don’t want them to move or become dislodged. If they do, they won’t give you the proper protection that you need.

Markers

Now that you know everything you need to know about safety equipment, let’s move on to the main piece of equipment. The marker is also sometimes called a “gun” but this isn’t the preferred term for everyone.

Although paintball can’t be claimed as a non-violent or non-aggressive sport, it is very often played by people who would never touch a gun in real life. As the purpose of a gun is very different to that of a paintball marker. 

Although you can buy markers fully constructed, you can also buy separate parts. This can either be to build one yourself or to alter another marker. But don’t worry, we’ve got it covered and we’ll give you the lowdown on everything you need to know about all parts of a marker.

Fully Constructed Markers

Fully constructed markers are the best option if you’re a beginner. Once you get more into the sport, you will have a better understanding of your style and what you would want to alter. So, when first starting out, you should look for something basic. 

There are two different types of paintball markers. You can choose between a mechanically operated marker or an electro-pneumatically operated marker. There are variations within these two different kinds, although there are many more mechanically operated markers than electro-pneumatic. 

The different types of mechanical markers are the pump of bolt action, the double action, the throwback semi-auto, the blow forward semi-auto, and the pneumatically operated semi-auto. These names are very similar to the names for certain types of guns. And there is no denying that paintball markers are modeled after firearms. But they have quite a few differences, even beyond the obvious. 

Parts of a Marker

Once you have become more experienced, you might find that your paintball marker doesn’t quite do the job anymore.

Or perhaps you have developed your own style and want to adjust your marker to suit this. Here are the different parts of a marker and what to look for when swapping them out.

1. The Barrel. Even if you have never held a gun before, you probably have a fairly good understanding of their parts and how they work. Paintball markers aren’t hugely different but they definitely do vary. 

The barrel is the long thing part that sticks out the front of the marker. This is the part through which the pellet is fired. Due to this, switching out the barrel can make aiming easier. A barrel that specifically suits your style will provide greater accuracy and greater overall control. It will also help the trajectory.

2. Hoppers. The hopper is a less obvious part. The hopper feeds the paintballs into the marker. The hopper usually sits on top of the marker and uses gravity to feed the paintballs down into the chambers of the marker. 

You can change out the hopper for one that better suits your style. It is easy to change as they are removable anyway. This is so you can refill it or replace it with another full hopper when you have run out of paintballs. 

When choosing a new hopper, size is very important. As is the position of the hopper. As it sits on the top of the marker, it can potentially obscure your sight. This will restrict your abilities so that you might not score as well as you usually might. But it can also cause you injury if you can’t see what you’re doing properly. 

Clothing

When paintballing, you can’t simply wear jeans and a t-shirt. So clothing is also important. If you are getting into paintballing as a regular hobby, it’s important to remember that you need quite a bit of equipment. So you will be investing quite a bit of money into it.

There are several pieces of clothing that you will need. This includes specialty pants, a tactical vest, gloves, and footwear. Let’s start from the top and work our way down.

Tactical Vest

This is a piece of clothing but is also a piece of safety equipment. The tactical vest will allow you to carry more paintballs and other items. But it will also protect your ribs and internal organs. This might sound a little extreme but, as we have mentioned before, paintballing is an extreme sport that can potentially cause injury. 

A good tactical vest will have a good balance of strong hard material and padding. It should be comfortable and fit your torso well. But it should also be tough and provide adequate protection. 

Gloves

Gloves are important for both protection and practicality. They will protect you from paintballs and the weather. But will also provide you with a better grip. This means you will be able to hold the marker steady and have a better aim.

So, as with the tactical vest, you need something that is both practical and comfortable. They should be padded enough so that you won’t be too hurt if you are hit in the hand with a paintball. But they shouldn’t be so thick that you have difficulty holding the marker and have reduced freedom of movement. They shouldn’t be so thick that your feeling of the marker is reduced or numbed. 

Try to find a pair of gloves that are tough and durable but also lightweight. This will provide you with both comfort and protection. It might be tempting to buy any pair of gloves. And this is an option. But gloves that have been specifically designed for paintballing will be best. If you wear a pair of simple winter gloves or ski gloves, they won’t provide enough grip and will be too thick. 

Fingerless gloves are also a good option. The chances of you being hit just on the tip of your finger are pretty low. Fingerless gloves will allow you to keep your hands warm and protected while also keeping contact with the marker and staying in control. 

Pants

This might be a surprising addition but it’s an important one. You can’t simply wear a pair of jeans or your workout gear.

Again, you will need something that will provide protection and comfort. But with pants, you also need to consider your movement. If you wear anything too restrictive, then you won’t be able to move as quickly or as swiftly as you otherwise might. 

You also want something that you don’t mind getting dirty. Paintballing will mean you probably get paint on your clothes (this likely won’t be a surprise). But it also means that you will likely get mud and leaves on you too.

You won’t be paintballing in a clean and sterile environment. Nor will you be on your feet all the time. You will be diving and ducking for cover, usually in the undergrowth, in mud, or behind trees. So be ready to get muddy.

A good pair of pants for paintballing will have reinforced knees or knee pads. This will support your knees if you find yourself crawling or diving behind something.

They should also fit well but still allow you to move properly. So pants with an elasticated or drawstring waistband are a good idea. Being able to control the fit is very useful. 

Footwear

Footwear is another very important piece of clothing. You need something sturdy but also comfortable and lightweight. You need to be able to move about easily on uneven terrain. You will also need something that will properly support your feet.

Sneakers aren’t a bad idea. They will allow you the best freedom of movement. But they can also easily slip off and the laces can easily become untied. Boots are what a lot of people choose but they aren’t great for agility. If you want to be able to move quickly, then heavy boots aren’t the answer. 

That said, if you can find boots that are soft and supportive, then we say go for it. So long as they aren’t too thick or heavy, they will properly protect your feet. Sneakers can also have a reduced grip and get caught in sticks or thorns. They also won’t provide the same level of protection as boots. Especially boots with toe caps.

When it comes to footwear, there is no right answer. But so long as you find something that will provide you with protection, comfort, and support then you’re good to go.