Posted on: 10 September, 2004
Author: Andrea Wilson
... clothing is as varied as the players ... butsome ... and rules apply at most ... ... that, no two players will dress alike. You'll see ... recball Paintball clothing is as varied as the players themselves, butsome recommendations and rules apply at most commercial fields.After that, no two players will dress alike. You'll see theweekend recball players in long sleeved t-shirts, jeans andbaseball caps, sporting rented markers. Then you'll see the prosand die-hards in full camouflage gear, sporting the fanciestsniper rifles on the market.1. Ghillie Suits and Sniper SuitsGhillie suits and sniper suits are similar. They are bothcamouflage suits that consist of headgear, jacket (or poncho) andpants covered with simulated vegetation made from jute or othersimilar material. Basically, you look like a walking heap offorest growth.Ghillie-type headgear is especially useful in that it breaks upthe outline of the human head. The shape of the human head is notfound anywhere else in nature so it is easily recognized by anopposing paintball player... or by a wary deer, for that matter.Since ghillie suits are used by hunters, as well as paintballplayers, you might try your local sporting goods store. Snipersuits can often be found in military supply stores.There are several online stores that sell ghillie suits. The onlyproblem with buying online is that you can't try on the suit tosee how it fits or to see how you like one particular styleversus another. So, make sure any online store has a good returnpolicy. You can get a lot of tactical gear, including ghilliepants, jacket and poncho, here: http://www.ablewebs.com/rap4.htm.2. HeadgearHeadgear other than goggles and masks consists of ghillie hoods,veils, headwraps, baseball caps and knit caps. Ghillie hoods andveils are used for camouflage to disguise the shape of the humanhead. Baseball caps, knit caps and head wraps are used to keepthe paint out of the player's hair. Baseball caps worn backwardsare also useful to cover the back of the neck.3. Regular ClothingPaintball requires a lot of physical energy so players tend toget quite warm when playing. Although sufficient layers ofclothing are needed to prevent paintballs from leaving welts, toomuch clothing can cause overheating of the body. Therefore, aheavy winter jacket should not be worn.As well, most fields won't allow a heavy jacket because itprevents the player from feeling the impact of the paintball whenthey are hit.The rule for clothing is to wear loose-fitting long pants (notfitted jeans) and a long-sleeved shirt or jersey over a t-shirt,with an added light jacket in cool weather. Although some fieldsallow t- shirts and short pants to be worn during play, thisleaves the skin exposed... and since you WILL get hit... ouch!Not recommended!Wear clothing that is earth-toned or olive green in color. Do notwear white unless playing in the snow. Avoid the colors refereesand judges wear (usually red or orange) and avoid bright colorsthat you wouldn't find in nature, like bright yellow, lime green,shocking pink, etc.4. FootwearThere are a lot of recommendations about various kinds offootwear for paintball. Most players wear running shoes, sturdywork shoes, hiking boots or combat-style boots. Cleated paintballshoes are available in some paintball stores.5. GlovesGloves come in various styles: full finger, half finger, andfingerless. Full fingered gloves give the best protection againstimpact. Fingerless gloves obviously provide the most control forrapid fire techniques like walking the trigger, etc. Try onseveral pair before buying as a good fit is very important. Ill-fitting gloves will certainly interfere with your ability to firerapidly and accurately.6. Goggle SystemsGoggle systems are getting more and more sophisticated every day.Some goggle systems have built in fans to prevent fogging. Someeven have built in communication systems! These are especiallyuseful for recball and scenario games.The most important thing to remember when buying goggles is thatthey must meet or exceed ASTM standards. This is for your safetyand should never be compromised. If you have to spend a few moredollars to get ASTM certified goggles, it will be money wellspent!Another important thing to remember when buying goggles is to besure they fit well and feel comfortable. Your goggles have tobecome part of you because you CANNOT take them off or even liftthem even for a second during a game. You have to WANT to wearyour goggles.Never make any modifications to the factory specifications ofyour goggle system. The mask and goggles must be made to worktogether. Do not try to combine parts from different systems!7. VestsVests are generally only used for scenario paintball games wherethey're used to carry a pistol, grenades, tubes (to carry extrapaintballs), etc. They come in many colors and patterns, and areoften theme-based in style, including police, CIA, military,offbeat, etc. You can even get one custom made! You can find somehere: http://www.ablewebs.com/rap4.htm,http://www.cops911.com/category.asp?id=114.8. PatchesPolice and S.W.A.T. patches are popular with paintball players.These are patches you iron on to your combat or police-stylejacket or vest. You can find some here:http://www.ablewebs.com/rap4.htm9. TattoosWhile not technically considered clothing, tattoos amongpaintball players are quite popular. The rule is: If you see atattoo you like, wait 12 months before you get it. If you stilllike it and still like the idea of getting a tattoo after theyear is up, then go for it... always assuming your family issupportive, of course!Most paintball players don't have tattoos specific to paintball,but some do, of course.You can do a search in Google or Yahoo for"paintball tatoos" to see if you can find some examples ofpaintball tattos you might like. Or, get an artist friend ofyours to design one for you.By the way, as we mentioned in the article on paintball safety,paintball sometimes hurts. And so does getting tattooed. Neitherare for the faint of heart!Develop Your Own Style... Within the Rules of PaintballWhat you wear to play paintball doesn't matter once you'vefollowed the basic rules and recommendations. Just develop yourown style over time as you observe others and shop around to addto your paintball wardrobe. Don't forget to shop online, too.There are enough paintball supply stores online to keep you busyfor quite awhile. You can start here:http://www.ablewebs.com/rap4.htm. Article Tags: Ghillie Suits, Baseball Caps Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com