The Ultimate Gear BagBy: Alex Cadalso
Tuesday April 15, 2008
Paintball is a gear-heavy sport: guns, loaders, bolts, goggles, etc. Owning the best gear won't win you the game, but gear malfunction can definitely cost you the game.
Building a fully equipped gear bag will save you time and hassle both on and off the field. Keeping your gear in one place makes it easier to find and harder to forget. Your gear bag should store more than just your clothes and gun; by the end of this article you'll possess the knowledge to create a self-sufficient gear bag, and you'll be ready to tackle anything the field throws at you.
Some players insist on buying paintball-branded gear bags. Paintball bags offer some convenient, paintball-inspired features like barrel and goggle bags, rolling wheels, gun compartments, etc. In general, the bags are just redesigned luggage bags; some aren't even re-designed. Realistically, a paintball gear bag doesn't offer much more than a standard duffel or roller bag. If you can't/don't want to afford a branded gear bag, don't worry. Just make sure your bag is durable enough to withstand abuse from the field.
I personally prefer the backpack-style gear bag. These bags are designed with a purpose; each pouch and pocket fits a specific piece of gear, keeping you organized. Unfortunately, backpack-style gear bags don't offer as much storage as a duffel bag. Essentially, bags are either full of pouches and compartments or wide open. Each style has its advantages.
Bottom line: Find something that works for your situation. Luggage is a personal thing. It doesn't need to be fancy, just durable.
Now that you've got your bag, you'll need to fill it. First and foremost is your marker setup. You need a gun with a barrel, loader and air system to compete. To keep your marker in working condition you'll need a kit with tools and spares. This tool kit should be a light, portable case designed to fit in your gear bag and remedy common problems; it doesn't need to be fully stocked. Instead, you'll need to compromise between necessity and portability. Invest in a small, flat, compartmentalized box available at major retail or hardware stores in the tool or fishing department. Wherever possible, buy smaller or portable items. Your gear bag tool kit should include:
• Set of standard Allen keys (It's always good to have metric sizes, too.)
• Heavy-duty screwdrivers, Phillips and flathead
• Jewelers or fine screwdrivers, Phillips and flathead (for loaders and fine gun parts)
• Electrical tape
• Teflon tape
• Adjustable crescent wrench (best to have 2, one 1/2-inch and one larger)
• Dykes (for cutting macroline/zip ties)
• Gun lubricant or oil (depending on your gun)
• Medium strength Loc-Tite
It's a good idea to keep spares of common Allen keys -- 3/16 and 1/8, the most commonly used wrenches for velocity adjustment.
• Spare O-rings (gun-specific as well as O-rings for CO2 and compressed air bottles)
• Spare macroline (if you use it)
• Common screws
• Batteries: 9-volt (for your gun, if necessary) and AA (for your loader, if necessary)
You'll need to keep spares specific to your gun, air system and regulators. Making a small investment in O-ring and spares sets for your rig is a good idea. You can get spares from the manufacturer or a paintball store. Paintball O-rings are generally standard sizes.
Most companies build their guns with standardized solenoids and parts from China. If you have the time or know how, you can find cheaper O-rings and spares by determining sizes and part numbers to make your own spares kit at a hardware or specialty store. Bring in samples, and make sure everything fits and works properly before buying.
Remember, you'll be keeping this in a bag full of other gear. In other words, leave out the Dremel and circular saw. Think portable and well-organized. Keep your gun manual and any other literature you have on your equipment in your toolbox. When something goes wrong and you don't know how to fix it, consult the manual.
In addition to the kit in your gear bag, you should keep a fully stocked tool kit separate from the one in your gear bag, in the event parts are lost or stolen ("misplaced" by teammates). You can keep the Dremel and circular saw in there if you want. Store your full tool kit at home or in the car, if it's portable.
In addition to your gun setup, your gear bag should hold your apparel and supplies to get you through a day of paintball.
Here's a list of the apparel and gear you'll need on your person:
• Goggles
• Beanie/headband/head gear (optional)
• Jersey/shirt
• Pants
• Harness
• Pads: Elbow, knee, hip (optional but highly recommended)
• Gloves (optional)
I also recommend bringing an old, comfortable change of clothes (you're still at the paintball field, no need for Sunday's best) and bags for your dirty clothes and shoes. If you purchase a nylon (or similar material) laundry bag you can reuse it, and it'll store all your dirty things.
If you bring the right supplies and backups to the field, you'll be ready for (almost) any situation. Here's a general checklist of things that you'll need in addition to your gear and tools:
• Paper towels
• Soft cotton or microfiber cloth (for wiping lenses)
• Rags
• Water and sports drink
• Extra pods
• Squeeges
• Pod squeeges (In a pinch, put paper towels on the ends of squeeges to clean pods.)
Bringing a cooler in addition to your bag gives you a cool place to store drinks and food. If you don't want to bring a cooler, bring at least enough water to hydrate yourself throughout the day (depending on the weather, anywhere from 2 liters to a gallon). A spare loader always helps (they're less reliable than guns), as does a spare lens. You can bring extra paintball apparel, masks -- anything. You'll use it at some point. How much you carry is really limited by what you're carrying it in. If you have a truck, SUV or large car you can bring your gear bag along with a plastic bin containing items from the above list and any spares you may want to include. It's great to have enough gear to help out your unprepared teammates, but they need to fend for themselves sometime. If you can afford it, nothing beats having a spare gun. Even if your gun is a cheap blowback, you'll probably have more fun playing with it than dealing with circuit boards and O-rings in the parking lot.
Keeping a gear bag isn't about throwing everything and the kitchen sink into a bag in case you need it one day. It's about creating a space for your gear to stay organized and together. A well-stocked bag will keep you geared up and ready to go at a moment's notice, so you can spend more time thinking about your game and less time tinkering with your gear.
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