Paintball is a sport played by millions across the world every year. A favorite activity for friends and family seeking to blow off some steam. Paintball is massively popular and offers a range of game modes for different abilities and skillsets. However, some people are confused about what to wear when playing paintball.
You should wear clothing with long sleeves and thick layers to play paintball. The aim is to leave as little skin exposed as possible to prevent a painful paintball impact on your skin. You’ll also need to wear protective eyewear or a face mask to shield your face from paintballs.
Keep reading to learn more about what to wear to play paintball. I’ll also explore what to wear when it’s hot and whether you need to wear old clothes to play. By the end of this piece, you’ll know all you need to start your first paintball game.
What Should You Wear To Play Paintball For The First Time?
Going to play paintball for the first time can be an intimidating task. You may be nervous about the pain of getting shot by a paintball or worried about wearing the incorrect gear. Luckily, I have outlined what you need to wear for your first time playing paintball.
Here’s what you should wear to play paintball for the first time:
- Long sleeves
- Thick clothes
- Layers
- Hoodie
- Loose clothes
- Gloves
- Protective wear
- Comfortable shoes
All paintball facilities will supply face masks and eye protection to customers. Protective eyewear is crucial when playing paintball, as a paintball directly to your exposed eye could cause you to go blind. Not to mention, the pain of getting shot in the eye or your exposed face is extreme.
The aim of dressing for paintball is to leave no exposed skin on your body. If a paintball hits exposed skin or through a thin layer of clothing, it’ll likely cause bruises and will hurt. As a result, layers of clothing reduce the pain and allow you to enjoy your time at paintball.
Will Your Clothes Get Ruined From Playing Paintball?
Paintball is a game where players fire capsules of paint at each other at high speeds. When these capsules make an impact, they split open and leave a paint mark on your clothing, indicating a hit. However, this leaves your clothing in a mess every time that you get hit.
Your clothes will not get ruined from playing paintball since the paint inside the paintball is biodegradable and non-staining. It easily washes out of your clothes without leaving a stain. You can remove the paint from your clothing in a regular laundry wash.
The paint inside the ball is also nontoxic. As a result, you don’t have to worry about the paint getting on your skin or in your mouth as it is relatively harmless and shouldn’t cause concern if you accidentally ingest a small amount.
What Should You Wear to Play Paintball in Hot Weather?
The standard attire for playing paintball is layers of thick clothing covering your legs and arms. However, as you may have guessed, these clothes are best for colder weather. So, what are you supposed to wear when playing paintball in warmer weather or climates?
To play paintball in hot weather, you should dress in single layers of light clothing. When it’s 90°F (32°C) or warmer, layering up could put you at risk of overheating, so it’s important to strike a balance between thicker protective and thinner lightweight clothing.
If available, wear knee and elbow pads for added protection. Be sure to pack light during warm weather, as carrying around a heavy backpack will quickly fatigue you.
If the weather is warm, not hot, try to wear long sleeves and thicker clothing. Even if the weather is scorching, avoid wearing shorts and a t-shirt to play paintball. Such clothing will leave too much skin exposed and makes you vulnerable to getting painful hits directly to your skin. Try to use your best judgment and avoid anything too warm or too short when playing paintball in the sun. This is also why wearing multiple layers of clothing works best, if you get too hot you can take a layer off.
What Is The Most Common Paintball Injury?
As I’ve briefly touched on before, paintball poses some risks to your health and safety, just like any physical exercise. Paintballs can cause severe injuries to your eyes and leave marks on your body. However, what’s the most common injury to occur during paintball games?
The most common injury when playing paintball is a painful impact from a paintball. However, unless contact is made to the exposed eye, this is typically a minor injury. That is why wearing your facemask and protective eyewear is so important. The subsequent most common injury is overexertion causing strains and twists to players’ knees and ankles.
To protect yourself against these injuries, you must wear protective eyewear to prevent paintballs from hitting your eyes. On top of this, you should wear shoes with adequate grip and support, like hiking boots. This will substantially mitigate the risk of injury when playing paintball.
You need not worry too much about injuries when playing paintball, as there’s little risk of serious injury. Even if you do get hurt and have to go to the emergency room, the majority of the time, you will be released quickly.
Do You Need To Be Fit To Play Paintball?
Paintball is usually played in an open space with numerous obstacles and objectives that teams or individuals must navigate around. You will cover a lot of ground when playing paintball, and you will need to be able to shoot. However, do you need cardiovascular fitness to play paintball effectively?
You need to be moderately fit to play paintball. You don’t need to be extremely fit to play, but you’ll be moving around constantly throughout the game. As a result, a moderate level of fitness is required to play paintball. However, extra fitness allows you to move faster and be more agile, giving you an advantage when playing.
If you’re extremely unfit, you may struggle to play paintball. You’ll need to move from place to place with speed and agility to avoid incoming projectiles, obstacles, and other players. Unfit and slow players will be more vulnerable to getting hit. However, paintball is a game for everyone and doesn’t require a high fitness level.
Final Thoughts
When you’re first getting started on paintball, it can be challenging to know what to wear. Luckily the answer to this is straightforward enough. You should wear long sleeves, loose clothing, and layers for extra padding to shield you from incoming paintballs.
However, it’s important to switch to more relaxed clothes and single layers when playing in hot weather. Also, don’t worry about the paint hitting your clothes and ruining them, as it can easily be washed away in a washing machine.