Paintball 101: Do I need to wear a cup?

[Brain]

No cup.
Shoot a lot of people.
Have fun.

[theben]

when i was a lad, i played for about 4 years and never once wore a cup. if i were you, i would put neck protection>cup

it is unlikely you'll get hit in the pills but neck shots are very common and hurt a lot

honestly, i would still wear a cup for the ultra longshot chance it happens. furthermore, i would 100% wear gloves (i assume that went without saying) because finger hits=very painful and very common. try to wear some type of neck gaurd as well.

lastly, attempt to borrow a friends mask or some decent mask that wont fog up (dual pane thermal lenses). oh yeah . . bring lots of water. you'll get thristy

[jcmoussa]

Paintballing gets expensive because:
Field fee: ranges from $5-20
Air fills: $2-6 per fill depending on the field and tank you use
Case of paintballs: varies on the quality and brand you get, but it adds up.

I wouldnt worry about bringing a cup. Just make sure you buy a quality mask and wear a long sleeve shirt and pants and youll be fine.

[baumer]

I hope you are going to an outdoor paintball field.

I've done both and indoor is just so cramped and aiming is so easy you have no time to run away or move between cover.

In outdoor you need to shoot longer distances and balls follow an unpredictable path until you shoot a few in a row, then you can start leading your target.

It gets really fun when you are in a decent 3v3 or 4v4 firefight and you are running between cover while paintballs are flying around you.

Oh, and always check to see if the paintball that hits you bursts, because if it doesn't, you're still alive. I got my buddy like this once, he hit me point blank and I was ready to head off the field, but checked and I just started blasting him. He got so angry because he thought I was out already.

[New001]

It hurts to get hit in the neck or the hand, so I'd suggest some gloves at the very least. You don't need a cup. It gets expensive because of having to buy the paint.

[theben]

[ QUOTE ]
i read a few old threads about people talking abotu hwo they stopped playing bc it was so expensive....how expensive can it be? Once you buy all the [censored], that seems like a one time cost, the only [censored] you have left to constantly buy is paintballs and time at the field, so wtf am i missing?

[/ QUOTE ]

for an adult who does well financially, its not costly. when i played, i was a kid and it was a fortune. costs are as follows:

Gear:
"nice" marker = $600-1200
mask - $70
gloves, knee pads, jersey, etc - 100-120
harness to hold additional paintballs - 50
"hopper" (paintball loader) - 50
compressed air tank - 300

if you go cheap, you can get a paintball gun for 60-200$ that is half decent, and buy a 20$ CO2 tank insteal of compressed air.


Daily costs:
case of 2000-2500 paintballs: depending on place/quality, $50-100

compressed air or co2 - 5-20$, highly variable costs

plus food, transportation, etc costs

[z28dreams]

You -should- wear a cup, but I wouldn't worry about it. I'd say 90% of shots will hit you in your mask/extremity, since you'll typically get in firefights where you're hiding behind cover.

The most expensive part is the paintballs themselves for sure.... a case of 2000 online can be bought as cheap as $40..but some local fields will charge anywhere from $70 to $120 for that same case.

In short, find fields that let you 'BYOP' - bring your own paint.

If you plan on playing a lot, buying a gun/mask/etc will be a good idea (probably make up the cost in < 10 outings). Right now the Smart Parts ION for $200 is easily the best deal out there for a good gun.

[legendary loser]

[ QUOTE ]
Once you buy all the [censored], that seems like a one time cost, the only [censored] you have left to constantly buy is paintballs and time at the field, so wtf am i missing?

[/ QUOTE ]

If you are not playing at an actual paintball field, the cost is not too bad. The problem is when you play at actual paintball fields/tournaments where you MUST play using the field's paint. Buying paint at a paintball field is usually at least 2x as much as buying it online.

[talentdeficit]

when i used to play (10 years ago?) it was $8 per 100 balls at the only place worth playing at, and you had to buy from them, no outside balls. a day cost $200 easy.

[cardsharkk04]

Dude paintball [censored] kicks ass, and the money it takes to pay the course fees and buy the super high priced balls from the course will not bother someone who has a decent amount of money. My friends won't go because they can't afford to spend $70-$120 in one day unless I'm buying all the paint, but they are missing out.

You will definitely see a lot of hard core paintballers decked out in all their camoflauge, utility belts, super expensive markers, among other things. Try to stay away from them.