Equipment In Paintball

The paintball equipment used may depend on the game type, for example: woodsball, speedball, or scenarioball; on how much money one is willing to spend on equipment; and personal preference. Almost every player, however, will utilize three basic pieces of equipment:

• Paintball marker: also known as a "paintball gun" or "marker", this is the primary piece of equipment, used to tag an opposing player with paintballs. The paintball marker must have attached a loader or "hopper" to keep the marker fed with paint, and will be either gravity-fed (where balls drop into the loading chamber), or electronically force-fed. A marker will require a compressed air tank or carbon dioxide for propellant.

• Paintballs: The ammunition used in the marker, paintballs are spherical gelatin capsules containing primarily polyethylene glycol, other non-toxic and water-soluble substances, and dye. The quality of paintballs is dependent on the brittleness of the ball's shell, the roundness of the sphere, and the thickness of the fill; higher-quality balls are almost perfectly spherical, with a very thin shell to guarantee breaking upon impact, and a thick, brightly-colored fill that is difficult to hide or wipe off during the game.

• Mask or goggles: Masks are safety devices players are required to wear at all times on the field, to protect them from paintballs. They completely cover the eyes, mouth, ears and nostrils of the wearer, and masks can also feature throat guards. Modern masks have evolved to be less bulky compared with older designs. Some players may remove the mouth and/or ear protection for aesthetic or comfort reasons, but this is not recommended nor often allowed at commercial venues.

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