Hi,
I took my 12 year old son and some friends paintballing a few weekends ago for his birthday. They all had a great time and now he would like his own equipment. I’ve been doing some research but am feeling overwhelmed. He’s pretty sold on wanting to play and has some friends who play often, so I’m willing to make a reasonable investment rather than buy a basic gun (as well, one of the “pros” we played with generously let me borrow his gun for a round, and I could not believe the difference in range and accuracy vs. the rental).
Here’s what I think I should get:
Dual lens thermal mask (not just “anti-fog”). The anti-fog mask I rented fogged badly, and made it difficult to play
HPA tank (can always get CO2) later. Related, it seems most guns work with both.
Regarding tanks…a lot of online reviews comment on the quality of the tank. What makes a good HPA tank vs a poorer one?
A marker that can be upgraded later (e-egrip, specifically)
That’s it.
I’m on the fence regarding an e-grip (and understand higher rates of fire would also require a mechanical hopper). I’m looking for any advice on this aspect, any specific equipment/marker packages, or any general advice.
Been a while since I paintballed, and I have sold all of my gear. Most important thing I can offer is that if you are driving the kids to the field, YOU oughta be playing with them!
When my son was about the same age as yours, I started taking him and his friends out. His younger sister soon joined us. Probably consistently the most fun I had with any of my kids growing up.
I did just fine with a basic Spyder with an upgraded barrel. Really bulletproof, and good enough. My son was sniper, and had all kinds of majorly tricked out gear.
What your son wants will be affected by his playing preferences. For example, we preferred woods ball over tourney.
Also depends on your and your son’s interest in maintaining/troubleshooting gear in the field. For example, I don’ t think my son EVER got his auxiliary feeder working right for an entire day. And any autofeed also increase the amount of paint you will be buying!
My suggestion is that you buy something basic with a nicer barrel, with the understanding that as his tastes/skills develop, he hands it down to you.
Be aware that this is an activity that folk spend HUGE amounts of money on. Go into it gradually.
Yeah, we used to rent a rack of pump guns back in high school /college, and play out at a buddy’s land. It was a blast! Now it just seems like a game where the main tactic /goal is “movement suppression via massive amounts of paint.”
Back in high school I had a cheap gun, and we’d play on a friend’s land. We would strictly enforce a cap of ten or twenty balls per game to prevent too much standing around after getting shot - but also because none of us could afford lots of paint and gas.
Nowadays I play laser tag - at some point the technology caught up with the concept and it’s a blast if you’ve access to a company with modern equipment. I can play for two solid hours for twenty bucks. No rentals, no ammo, no gas, no equipment maintenance.
Come to think of it, as our involvement waned, it seemed more folk were using e-feeders, and teams would use radios. Since we played pretty casually, and teams were generally made up on the spot, it didn’t bother us too much. But I can imagine it being a hassle. At our favorite range (CPX, near Joliet - since closed), you had to buy your paint there - I always wondered at the $$$ they were spraying!
That field always had a number of games going one after the other. So if you got killed, you just moved to another field and joined another game. The worst problem was the idiots who goosed their pressure up… :eek:
That range also had day long scenarios. I remember doing The Siege of Stalingrad w/ my son. They had all kinds of scenarios set up, specific missions, and roles assigned, over hours and hours. So cool!
Some of our best times were up at my FIL’s place up in MI. Basically 300 acres of woods. We used to hunt each other through the woods. Or stand back-to-back and pace off for “duels.”
Having grown up playing cowboys and indians and combat as a kid, I couldn’t get over the fun of playing it as an adult with my kids!
The headband sensors seem to emit a little target bubble around your head - I don’t think you can really shield them. The newer model of guns also have a target sensor on the gun itself, too.
