I know I bring it up a lot, but I really can’t emphasis it enough… wear protective gear when you play paintball ! It doesn’t matter where or what style you play, whether you’re a newbie or a tournament player. I’m not necessarily talking about gear that absorbs the impact of a paintball (though everyone should have some of that too). More important is gear to protect you from yourself. Paintball is a physical sport. No matter how careful or graceful you think you are you are going to dive, drop, crawl, fall, slip, trip, crash, somersault and just run into things sooner or later. If you’re like me its a case of more often than not… at 6 foot 210 pounds I’m not what you call “graceful”. I used to brag about my paintball injuries, now I beg people to start taking padding seriously !
Probably the most important protective equipment is knee pads. You beat the heck out of your knees playing paintball anywhere and they can be the most painful and long-lasting of sports injuries. A good set of knee pads run around $40-60 and that is A LOT cheaper than knee surgery. A few brands really stand out for 2008. New to the lineup this the Dye 08 Knee Pad. I’ve owned a couple models of Dye knee pads over the years and they’ve never let me down. The padding is firm enough to absorb impact yet the designed hinges for flexibility. Smart Parts Exoskin Knee Pads feature lots of venting to breathe. Empire Ground Pounders SE continue to be both lightweight, popular and affordable with a slim design that doesn’t bind up under your pants while the Ventz SE Knee Pads protect not just the knee but the whole shin as well! Very nice for woodsball and killing yourself on logs and tree roots.
We are selling more and more slide shorts these days. These are a pair of padded shorts worn under your playing pants and feature hip, thigh, groin and lower back protection. Players are landing on their sides more often, slamming your harness into your lower back does not feel too good and groin padding is, well, self-explanatory! Again, all the big names cater to this product. Smart Parts Exoskin Slide Shorts are probably the most ventilated. Dye Slide Shorts feature a wide elastic waistband and firm padding. Empire Ground Pounders Slide Shorts have a wide and long pad on both sides and are the most economical. Proto Slide Shorts are both lightweight and feature a cuff at the bottom to keep them from riding up your leg while playing.
One standout in this category is the Empire Ground Pounder Pro Slider Pants. They take the concept to the limit with a full stretch pant that protects not just the midsection but also the whole thigh, knee and shin.
More to come…
If you’re reading this, then you’re probably a paintball player. So am I, going on 20 years now. Ever since my first game in 1987, I have been involved in this crazy sport of ours as a player, marker tech, player, referee, player, salesperson, player, store manager, player, buyer for Paintball-Online.com, and a player. Why do I mention being a player so many times? Because that's what makes me qualified for the job that I do in choosing the products that we sell. I love my job and get to see, test and experience all the cool new toys, trends and changes. This paintball blog is to give you a view into the huge and crazy world that is paintball - in all its forms.
