So you want to play paintball?

So, You want to play paintball. Don't worry, I have done all of the research for you and I have been playing paintball for 5 years. 2 common myths about paintball are...
1. Paintball is really expensive
2. You have to have some experience shooting something
Well first of all, paintball is very cheap when you first start. Nobody should go out there and buy a $300 paintball marker and use the best quality paintballs. When I first started playing, I used an old Spyder hand-me-down marker and a box of used paint that I got at a garage sale. In fact, some of the older markers out-perform a lot of these newer, flashier markers. Provided is a detailed list of what you need (You wont see any grocery-lists here!)

#1. The Mask/Goggles

Before you even think about playing paintball, you should get a mask. Even if you are watching paintball, you need a mask. I don't want to remember some of the grisly injuries I saw after someone took off their mask.(I'm not saying paintball will hurt/injure you however, Its just that the face is 2ND worst spot to be shot) You can usually find a decent mask for about $20-30 at a yard sale or at a retail store.(like Walmart)

#2. The Paintball Marker

If you are going to play paintball for the first time, listen carefully. If you have already played a couple of times, scroll down a little bit. In my opinion, the best place to go for a cheap marker is your local Walmart. I have seen markers ranging from $30-80 that are great for first time players. These cheap markers are usually pump-action, but some of them are semi-automatic. The cool thing about buying a cheap marker is that once you want to upgrade, you will have another marker to loan to your buddies. Say you borrowed a friend's marker and you have played a couple of times, your now really excited and you want to get a medium-end marker. These markers include Tippmann 98 customs and Spyder Mr1s. These markers range from $100 to $170. My second paintball marker was a 98 custom and a bunch of my friends have and love them. The marker has decent accuracy and can be upgraded into almost anything you want!

#3. Paintballs

One of the biggest mistakes ever is buying a $60 case of paintballs and then wasting it all because you are new. You can easily buy a case half that much and still get hits and have fun. They usually sell Monster balls for cheap at Walmart. Also you can just buy a pack of 500 or a smaller case of 1000 to save money. I use this rule to see if you get a good deal on some paintballs

Number of paintballs times 1 = Cheap paint that you should use when messing around
# of paintballs times 2 = Med. range paintballs that are good for everything
# of paintballs X 3 = Really good paint, you usually use this paint in tournaments
# of paintballs X 4 = The best paint money can buy!

#4. The Right Clothing

If you are playing in a forest(which you probably are) the best thing to wear is Camouflage. You can probably get some camouflaged clothing from your grandpa or your dad or basically anybody who has served in the military. Camo will do wonders for you and increase your chances of winning. What makes me laugh is when a person shows up in a white shirt/sweatshirt and then gets totally owned. White is the easiest to see and you should never ever wear it. You should also wear some old sneakers or even better some running shoes.

Follow this list and you will find out how much fun paintball is without spending a lot of Money!
(Updates will be added regularly so please tune in, I will also include some links to my other blogs on paintball when I get them done!)