The clothes must cover as much as possible. Therefore, I recommend always wearing long pants and sweatshirts or jackets with long sleeves. Also, clothing must be comfortable and must allow you to move without restriction.
It is not worth wearing several layers of clothing at once. Then you are motionless, you sweat unnecessarily a lot, and the game becomes unpleasant for you.
It may even happen that you won’t even feel the ball that hits you through several layers of clothing. And your opponents will immediately guess whether or not there was a hit, how long you had that hit, etc. The game is often interrupted and becomes boring.
I also do not recommend, for example, leather coats or padded jackets and vests, through which you do not always have to know about the intervention. Of course, try to adapt your clothes to the current weather.
In paintball, it doesn’t matter what you look like, if you have designer clothes, it will never help you in the game, and also, such handsome clothes will make you a little ridicule.
Camouflage – yes or no?
Sports paintball generally distances itself from camouflage, mainly because sports players do not want them to look (or be united) as part of the military or any other militant group. Paintball as a sport does not benefit much if the environment (subconsciously or intentionally) connects it with military and paramilitary organizations.
However, camouflage usually has the great advantage of being made of a solid and durable fabric. That is a huge advantage. Also, they are not too expensive, so they become ideal clothing for training somewhere in the woods.
What shoes to wear to paintball?
Wear sturdy ankle boots and a proper sole. Be sure not to go to the playground in new shoes, or only if you have a good supply of patches with you.
Once you’ve invested in new shoes, first wear them at home for a few days to “trample” them before you go to the playground. Be sure also to get proper socks that are designed for sports.
Some wear light trekking shoes, some classic sports shoes and some even prefer football boots. You can also use tall farmer boots. It only depends on you in what you will run comfortably and on what terrain you will play. And you also have to reckon with the fact that the shoes will get quite dirty on paintball. It is good to have one pair of shoes designed only for paintball.
What about the other equipment?
Even if you have suitable clothes for paintball and the right protection for a paintball mask, there are still a few exposed parts on your body, where a possible intervention can be unpleasant or even painful. Above all, it is your hands, resp—fingers and nail of hand.
Therefore, I recommend all players to wear gloves to protect their hands. So finger gloves !! I hope that no one can think of wearing mittens, although it would be possible with a little practice.
If you feel a bit awkward in your finger gloves and the weapon’s trigger is badly squeezed, feel free to cut the ends of the gloves. It is also possible to buy special paintball gloves, which have a reinforced back of the hand, padded palm, or also sewn from neoprene. And some of them are surprisingly not so expensive.
Paintball gloves will definitely last you several years. Alternatively, you can use, gym, cycling, or motocross gloves. Personally, after years spent with fingerless paintball gloves, I switched to full-finger motocross gloves (brand ProGrip) this year, and I can’t praise them. Their price is slightly higher (approx. 40 USD), but they are high quality and comfortable.
Protect your neck and hair
Another relatively unprotected part of the body is the top of the head and neck. I have already mentioned the neck and masks. Any scarf or hat best protects the top of the head. You will also protect your hair from coloring and in summer from the sun.
There is nothing pleasant when you return from the playground in the afternoon, and your hair is greasy and dyed, for example, red. Therefore, always take at least a hat with you. When you have it, you can always take it off, but when you don’t have it with you, you’re unlucky. And interventions in the head area are the most common.
So what should I wear for paintball?
- Long pants
- Sweatshirt or Jacket with long sleeve
- Vest
- Sturdy ankle boots
- Paintball mask
- Scarf
- Paintball gloves