Gear Bag Review #5

Welcome back to the final entry in my series detailing my personal beginner’s paintball kit. In this entry, I will be taking a look at some of the “optional” pieces of kit that I have recently purchased to supplement my own gear bag.  I consider these items optional because even though they are items specifically marketed for paintball, they aren’t necessarily going to make or break the way that you play the sport.  Most of the items in the following article can be substituted with every day items you may already have around the house, so don’t feel obligated to purchase these items to be a proficient player.

Paintball Jersey

A good jersey serves multiple functions.  First and foremost, a jersey is typically made of light, breathable material that can be worn as a protective layer in a wide variety of environments.  The material is not typically thick enough to reduce the felt impact of paintballs, but it is still better than being hit one bare, unprotected skin.  The semi rigid shells of paintballs will cut exposed tissues when it breaks if the circumstances are right.  It’s happened to me, and others that I play with, enough said.  Some jerseys are brightly colored, and others are patterned with camouflage. 

I recently bought a Valken V-Tac Jersey, though I have been playing with old, beaten up clothing previously.  I’m not ashamed to say that this was mostly inspired by the look of the jersey, but my decision was also prompted by the fact that most long sleeve shirts are simply too warm to wear during the summer months of play.  I haven’t worn the jersey out on the field yet, but it was very comfortable to wear around the house, and the venting seemed adequate to keep things moderately cool during warmer days.  Again, jerseys are in no way required, but they do add something to the aesthetic appeal of a well complimented paintball uniform.

Head Wrap

I had been wearing a couple of cheap $1.00 bandannas while playing, but I wanted something more subdued that would have a padded band to protect the sides of my head and my forehead while playing.  The Valken V-tac head wrap that I recently bought fits the bill nicely, and it is easy to tie or untie between matches.  Don’t feel the need to shell out $20.00 for a head wrap if you don’t want to.  In fact, I may still alternate this between wearing a backwards facing ball cap depending on how I play and where.

Remote Line/Coil

Whether this is an optional item may be debatable depending on what marker you use, and what variety of paintball that you play.  I purchased my Ninja Remote Coil because I felt that the Tippmann A-5 I will be using is too heavy with a CO2 canister attached directly to the marker’s ASA.  Having a 20 oz. tank screwed onto the grip also makes the marker much longer and more awkward to hold up whereas using a remote line allows the marker to be held closer to your face and body.  Doing so makes peaking corners much easier.  This is another item that I have yet to field test, but using this along with the vest rig I mentioned in my previous post seems like the optimal way to run with a heavier marker when competing with smaller, lighter electro markers.  

This particular coil also has a remote check valve that allows you to cut off the air supply to your marker without needing to disconnect the line from your tank. Having this ability is particularly handy for saving air or CO2 that is normally wasted while screwing and unscrewing a tank directly from the marker itself.  There are many different remote lines available to choose from, but try to avoid buying anything that seems like it might be a better deal than is reasonable.  Price is tied to quality with these items, and I have read many accounts of players getting burned (in the financial sense) by cheap, leaky remote hoses.

That pretty much wraps it up for my personal gear bag review.  Aside from the various tools, cleaning cloths, and other miscellaneous items that I won’t bother to mention, I have listed every item that I currently own and use to play paintball.  There are a few items that I recently ordered that didn’t make the list, but I will talk about those later on when I discuss upgrades, and share my overall views on playing this sport.  I haven’t spent nearly enough time on commercial fields yet to discuss strategy or give gameplay advice, but I will post future entries with links to articles and videos that I find helpful when approaching the game. 

Sorry there aren't any pictures of my gear this time.  I lost the files, and didn't have the time to take more with my phone for upload.

Until next time!

~Krimmit

Gear Bag Review #4

Welcome back for part four of my personal gear bag review series.  Today I’ll be talking about what air tanks and pod carrying options I currently have in my kit, and why I chose those particular items.  We are starting to wind down on the list a bit, and the next couple of posts will likely be shorter than the first three, simply because there is less to talk about with these items.  Still, they are important to my particular kit, and it wouldn’t be fair to leave them out. 

Air Tank:
I’m currently running with two 20 oz. JT brand CO2 tanks that I bought along with my first paintball marker.  If you are playing in the woods privately, it is always a good idea to have a spare tank to switch out if you don’t have a refill station nearby, and that was my thinking when I purchased a second CO2 canister.  The 3 markers mentioned in my previous posts run perfectly well with CO2, and some sources that I found online seem to indicate that the stock Tippmann A-5 seems to prefer CO2 unless you have a high pressure HPA tank.
I won’t get into a debate over which source of propellant is better, but I will say that I plan to get an HPA tank in the future if I upgrade my electronic marker down the road.  The main reason behind this is that I would like to work my way up to a more expensive electro marker like an Eclipse Etek or something similar, and those markers will only take HPA.  

That being said, CO2 tanks are very inexpensive as is filling them.  They are a logical choice for the aspiring paintballer on a budget, so there is no shame in using this propellant source if your marker can run on it.

Pod Packs/Vests:

My very first pod pack was gifted to me by my friend after we had played a few times together.  It was an old Brass Eagle 4 pod pack with a clipping belt and a tank pouch.  The pods sit horizontally which I don’t care for, but it was a functional pack to begin with as I had been running around with pods stuffed into the cargo pockets of my pants prior to using that harness.  My second harness was a Valken Fate 4 + 3, pod carrier meaning that there are 4 Velcro pod carriers with 3 additional elastic bands stitched between them that can potentially carry 3 additional pods.  

Valken Fate 4+3 Pod Pack

My favorite thing about this harness is the adjustable Velcro waistband with its elastic adjustment straps which allow you to make the harness fit snugly.  Rather than constricting your mid section, the harness provides a pleasant amount of back and side support that helps save you some discomfort while kneeling and bending around cover.  Maybe that last part only seems true to me, but it feels better than running around with nothing most of the time. 

GXG Tactical Vest w/tank pouch

I also recently purchased a GXG Tactical paintball vest with a tank pouch to run with my Tippmann A-5 and a remote line/coil.  I haven’t had the chance to use this on the field yet, but I wanted to use a full chest carrier rig to carry my CO2 tank while using a remote line. The vest I’m using has plenty of pockets on the front that could be useful for carrying tools and other supplies during slow paced woodsball games. Furthermore, the pod pouches and tank pouch are removable so that you can change the arrangement and position where they sit on your back.  It will be interesting to see how this works for me on the field with my A-5.  

There are a number of different pod carrying solutions available, but the most important thing is to choose one that suits your particular needs.  If you are very conservative with your shots, you may even be able to get by without one, but I haven’t met a player yet who could get by without at least one refill during more intense games.  Keep it simple to begin with, and then upgrade your carrier as needed.

That’s all I have time for today, but stay tuned as I wrap this series up by listing my optional kit items.  Until next time!

~Krimmit