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Forget the gun for a while. The most important piece of paintball equipment you will ever buy is your GOGGLES. Repeat that 10 times. GOGGLES, GOGGLES, GOGGLES...
Simply put. If you cannot see, you are no help to your team and you are endangering yourself. So, when you buy your goggles, don't skimp. Get the thermal ones with a good field of view (if you already own goggles, go back and buy the thermal lenses for them). If you can, get a fan. You will never regret the purchase.
* Safety tip *
NEVER TAKE OFF YOUR GOGGLES!! Paintball is a very safe sport. The only way to get seriously injured from a paintball is to get hit in the eye. So, only remove your goggles when you are in a designated safe area. Only wear goggles and face protection made for paintball. If you are having a problem on the field (fogging, paint or other stuff obstructing your vision) CALL FOR A REF! They will help you! NEVER TAKE OFF YOUR GOGGLES while you could get shot!! There is NO reason to break this rule.
* Safety tip *
WEAR PROPER FACE/EAR PROTECTION!! All new paintball masks come with adequate face and ear protection (most lack on neck protection though). Don't modify your mask. Add to it if you want (cammo or neck protection), but never cut away at it. This weakens the mask and leaves you exposed. DON'T DO IT!!
One last piece of goggle advise. Don't ever wipe paint off your goggles!! Paint is sticky. More times than not as you walk off the field, stuff will get in the paint. If you wipe it off, you could scratch the lens with the stuff that got stuck in the paint. Remember, you have thermal lenses, you paid good money so you could see, don't blow it now.
TIP Get a spray bottle, fill it with water (just water) and throw it in your paintball gear bag. When you need to clean your goggles, spray all the yuck off and then dry them. You will have clean lenses and they will last a lot longer.
Ok, now about the gun. A semi-auto is highly advisable. They are just a lot easier to play with to start. You pull the trigger and a ball comes out the end. Very nice.
DO NOT purchase a tournament level gun right out of the blocks. Most newbies that do end up spending more time working on it than playing (because they don't know how to care for it and they break it or get it so gooped up that it doesn't work right). Get a decent semi and learn how to clean it. Practice cleaning it. Be able to clean it in your sleep! Then and only then, are you ready to head to the field to shoot it.
Practice, practice, practice. Practice shooting, practice loading and practice cleaning. When you get on the field, you don't want to have to think about these things. Besides, it is fun to practice loading and cleaning your first gun! You get into the paintball mindset and let other worries go.
WHAT SHOULD I WEAR??
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This is really a two part question. The most important thing you will wear is your shoes. Bring something that has traction, ankle support, can get really dirty and won't hurt your feet! Don't get a new pair of boots on the way to the field unless you bring an ample supply of Band-Aids! If you do get new footwear, wear it at home for several days before you bring it to the field. Also, invest in a pair of socks designed (yes, socks are technological wonders, just like paintball gear!) for sports use.
People wear lots of different things while playing. The happy people tend to wear light hiking boots or football cleats. There are some very nice shoes made for paintball. Check with your local store for more info about paintball specific footwear. Alternatives are high top sneakers, but remember, they will get dirty (often very dirty).
Wear gloves if you have them. If you don't, buy a cheap pair of brown cotton gardening gloves. You can cut the gloves to allow you to "handle" things better. I would suggest that you cut the top half off of the glove finger that you use to pull the trigger.
A lot of people wear hats when they play. It keeps the paint splatter out of your hair and keeps you out of the sun when it is out. Bring one.
Remember, you can always take something off, but if you don't bring something, it could lessen your enjoyment.
Now here is a very controversial area, what clothes to wear. Wear cammies if you have them.
PaintBall players do not wear cammies because we want to pretend to play war or pretend to be in the army!! We wear them because we play in the woods. The green and brown of the cammies makes it harder for our opponents to see us (you know, they match the color of the trees and stuff). As a matter of fact, the army only has cammo's because they match the environment that army men and women work in, not because cammo's inherently make someone want to partake in warfare.
The important thing is to cover everything! Long pants and long sleeves. Go for a couple light layers vs one heavy one. This minimizes the impact of a paintball.
If you don't have cammies, wear something that is dark, comfortable to move in and appropriate for the weather you will be playing in.
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