Paintball on a Budget

So, I know its not Thursday, but I haven't done a PoaB in a while, so here goes.

Last time we talked about purchasing a marker, lets talk about probably the most important piece of equipment you can buy.  The mask

If we are talking in terms of buying things in order, a good mask should be the first thing you should purchase.  Not only is a good mask going to last longer, but you can also use it when you play with other rental gear.  Rental masks take a lot of abuse, and get worn out really quick, but if you have your own, quality, mask you will be able to see better.  If you can see better, you will play better.

Now lets talk about which types of masks to get.  There are a few things to consider, again your style of play but also how much protection you want/need.  Budget needs to be considered as well, though let me say this.  You should get the BEST mask you can get, if that means saving up a little than so be it.  You want to get a very good mask.

V-Force, Dye, Empire, Sly all make very good masks, some are more affordable than others.  Some offer better protection in areas than others, all are very good masks.  Go and try some on, try on your friends, see if you can try on some peoples at the field if you cant get into a pro-shop.  Find a mask that you are comfortable with, one that protects the areas you need protected.

Since this is Paintball on a Budget, I personally am going to suggest you look into V-Force Vantage, or even Profiler's  Also look into Proto's masks as they are also around 60 dollars.

Tournament Ready?

So, with the next Blitz tournament coming up, lets talk about things to do to help you get ready.

This wont have anything to do with practicing, because hopefully you have already gotten that part out of the way.

This is more from a personal stand point, a check list of things to do, if you will.

1.  Clean your marker! --  I mean really clean it, take it apart (carefully) and clean the eyes, the breach, the bolt, etc.  A clean gun is an accurate gun, so make sure that thing is clean!  A word of caution though, you don't want to break anything the week before a tournament since it will be tough to get it fixed in time so be careful.

2.  Clean your hopper. --  This can sometimes be over looked, maybe you didn't break any balls in your hopper last time you played.  It doesn't matter, clean it again, take it apart carefully and fully clean it out.  Clean the inside and outside of the shell, clean the feed tray really well.  The cleaner the better.  Again, be careful.

3.  Clean your barrel.  --  I suppose this would go along with cleaning your marker, but I feel it is important enough to get its own spot.  It doesn't matter if you broke paint in it last weekend or not, clean it again.  Take a old toothbrush and clean out all of the porting as well.  This is a huge contributor of accuracy, so don't miss this step!

4.  Wash all of your washable stuff.  --  This includes your jersey, pants, pads, pack (make sure you Velcro all the straps back up as it will help the pack last longer), barrel swabs, barrel bags, any type of head wear that you use.  This will get all of the old paint that was on these items off, making it much easier on the reff's to not pull you for any old hits.

5.  Clean your pods.  --  Pretty simple, if you have a dishwasher just through them in there, don't put dishes in with it though.  If not just fill up a sink with hot soapy water and let them sit in there for a while.  Make sure to get all the old paint out, and any other dirt that might be on them.  Re-label them after your done so you can find your pods easier.

6.  Now that you have cleaned all of your stuff, (make sure it all works again; gas up your gun and dry fire it a few times, turn your hopper on and make sure it works)  Now its time to pack everything into your gear bag.  I like to lay everything out first, so that I can see what I'm bringing before putting it into my bag.  After I'm done, I'll mentally double/triple check that I have everything.

7.  Pack extra of everything.  --  If you have an extra mask, take it, if you have an extra pack, take it.  Murphy's law is in effect.  If something is going to break, it will happen at a tournament, so if you have extra bring it!

8.  Last but not least, get a good nights rest.  Also make sure to eat something before you go play.  Pack food items and water or Gatoraid. 

Paintball on a Budget

I get paid on Thursdays, so as I was putting my check into the bank today, I was reminded on how expensive paintball can be.  Not only are there field fees, but also paint, and gear as well.  It all adds up fast. 

I've decided to do a blog on Thursdays about how to save some money while playing paintball.  I'll add new tips as the weeks go by, along with personal experiences and the like.

So, to start this off, lets talk about Markers.  Markers are the biggest initial  investment into paintball.  Here is the thing though, if your not sure if you are going to like the sport, or maybe you just play casually a few times a year, you don't need your own marker.  Just rent one!  It will save you money, and time, and hassle. 

Now you have decided that your going to be playing on a regular basis, what marker should you get?  Well, there are a ton of great markers out there for you to choose from, so which one is best?  That really depends, there are a few questions to ask yourself first;  What type of paintball am I going to be playing?  Do I want to play tournament style paintball, or just stick to rec/scenario stuff?  How much money do I actually have to invest into a marker, while still being able to afford to actually play the sport?  Do I have any friends that play, and what kind of marker do the have?  (this can help a lot if you get the same type of marker as a friend, that way he/she can help you out if you need to fix it or tech it)

After you answer those questions, now the real choir begins.  There are SO MANY different markers out there right now, how do you sift through them all?   All I can really say to that is, do your research!  There are a ton of resources out there to help you with questions. Shop around, try and see if you can use some at a local field, maybe rent some different types.  Borrow a friends.  And again, do your research!  I'd suggest looking on TechPB's forums, as well as his youtube videos.  He has reviewed a lot of different markers, and his forum's are actually helpful.

From personal experience;  I would say stick with a Poppet as they are easier to maintain, with that said Planet Eclipse is a very very good company with an "entry" level marker;  the Etek, as well as a top of the line marker; the Ego and the Geo.

The Colorado Blitz

Tryouts have finished, the roster is now finalized.  This blog will be updated regularly from now on!

Colorado Blitz PSP Paintball Team Restructuring

Welcome to our first Blog. The Colorado Blitz is proud to announce that the team is under going some major changes. There will be more to follow. Currently the team leadership is preparing for tryouts to be held in mid February. For information please contact thecoloradoblitz@gmail.com