Tips for Paintball Sporting Gear Upgrades

So you have your game gear, marker, mask, hopper and air. Now what? There are supplemental upgrades and accessories for players on the field. Here are some listings of items that might be of interest.

Barrel upgrade. You stock barrel is usually mediocre at best. Your first parts upgrade in my opinion should be your barrel. Your barrel significantly affects your accuracy on the field. The longer the barrel the more accurate. Some people the more expensive the more accurate. This is not the case. Do your homework and take a look at the barrel you want.

Pod Pack. This piece of equipment holds your extra ammo in the field. The pod pack is basically a large belt with elastic on the back to hold a number of pods. Pods are giant plastic beakers that hold about 120-150 paintballs per pod. Pod packs come in all kinds of flavors, colors, team insignia and builds. The most standard pod pack is a 3+4 pack. This means you can carry seven pods total. You have three main pouches to carry pods and four smaller pouches to carry the other pods. The pod pack will become a necessity when playing in the woodsball field or long tournaments. Podpacks can range from $20-$90. The most expensive pod packs are so expensive because there is a team name and logo put on the pod pack. A less expensive idea is to buy a pod pack of your choice and put a patch of your favorite team's logo. This will save you lots of money.

Gloves are something I highly suggest for any player. Gloves can be priced from $20-$45 depending on name and brand making the glove. The glove is good to have because the knuckles are protected with plastic injected with Kevlar. So getting hit in the knuckle and finger doesn't hurt at all. Most players cut off the tips of the glove because there is little protection and they have better feel on their trigger. I have done it and my BSP did increase a little. Each player has their own take on gloves.

Jersey and pants. The "cool" players wear all the authentic gear. Well you can too if you want to spend the money. The clothing apparel does have some tactical advantage on the field, but for the price I have passed on them. The jersey has the least ability to do anything to do more than look cool and intimidate new players. The jersey is just a cool looking shirt. The pants do have quite a bit more usefulness on the field. Most pants are expensive as in $75 and higher. But the knee area is padded again with Kevlar and the pockets are built to hold allen wrenches and your squeegee. The pants are comfy and well aired out as well as can hold an emergency pod on the thigh area. These are a better option than jeans, but not completely necessary for play.

Two more things you will want for the field. Barrel bags and barrel plugs are required for players anytime off the field. Your gun purchase will include a really lame barrel plug so I suggest investing the $5 in a cool barrel bag. These come in different colors and some have neat graphics on the bag. The squeegee ranges from $5-7. The squeegee is a cleaner for your barrel before, after and during the games. I recommend a straightshot squeegee. This squeegee is basically a long stick with a feather duster like barrel cleaner at the end of the stick. Push the squeegee in and out of the barrel and you are ready to play again.