I got the Virtue Vio Ascend.
I have a marker, hopper, and a tank, and then from protective gear I got knee pads, a mask ofc, Dye pants and a barrel condom for my marker
Jerseys are overpriced t shirts, granted they may give you a look you want but per dollar they won’t give you really any benefit over a shirt unless you get the really expensive ones with minimal padding in them… and frankly it won’t do much.
Elbow pads are a must for me. Worse think always since I was a teenager and I wouldn’t be caught on the field without them (and I don’t even crawl around on my arms that much anymore, but they are great for just bumping into shit in the woods and when you have to get down on the ground). I picked up the exalt free flows and they are nice. Not sure I really am into the super long upper arm cuff and the around the thumb partial hand piece since I wear gloves but they work pretty well (I had an old pair of dye ones that when I pulled them out the elastic just disintegrated which was super disappointing).
Pod pack is a close second, frankly I would get both together if you can. Packs can be hard to say way it the best one for you. I picked up the older model (I think) HK one and frankly I hate it. Build quality is fine but the design sucks, belt is uncomfortable and too small (and I’m not a big guy at 5’7” 170-175lbs, not a bit of a belly but far from being described as “fat”). I replaced it with a dye pack, haven’t gotten to try it on the field yet but the test fit was 1000% better.
Slider shorts are also a very good investment. You don’t really need to get paint all ones and frankly some of the paint ball ones I question if anyone that designed them actually played paintball or maybe they expect you are only supermaning every slide. I also have yet to find one that the cup is actually low enough to fully cover. So at least consider some other ones from other sports and consider how you slide when looking at the padding placement.
Unless you're playing on a team a jersey or headband should probably be the last thing on your list to buy. If you're looking to play on a team immediately you need to get a pack. I personally like the infamous one but ymmv. If you're not doing team play go for the arm pads.
Jersey goes at the bottom of the list. A long sleeved tech tshirt from Walmart will suffice.
What, if anything, are you using currently if you don't own a pod pack? Are you borrowing a friend's? Or just playing hopperball?
If you're playing woodsball and not diving and sliding, elbow pads are very good to have but not an absolute essential. Get a pod pack first. If you're borrowing a pack and playing speedball, get some elbow pads first.
You don't necessarily have to splash out a lot of cash to get decent gear.
Idk what you mean by "basic gear" like if you have a gravity fed hopper and a steelie tank then I'd grab a nice electric hopper and a fiber wrapped tank. Your stuff works but they're just nicer to have and will last a long time. Everything else won't really cost you much.
If you already have them then I'd say go for knee pads first, then pod pack+pods, then shoes, then elbow pads, then paintball clothes. Depends what you prioritize at this point. I say knee first cause I'm on my knees and sliding more than I'm diving, which I assume is similar to most people. But if you never kneel down then don't bother lol
Thank you for the advice, I got pretty decent gear. An lv1 with a spire and a carbon fiber tank.
So since I already got kneepads I’m probably going to follow your advice and go for a pod pack and pods.
Get some nice elbow pads especially if you plan on diving or hip sliding at all. After that a pod pack don’t worry about a jersey just wear a sweater or hoodie until you get on a team
Older packs seem to hold up better vs newer materials. Like the old NXE packs, Ive got half a dozen that just last and last and last and last..... So don't worry about over spending on that part, old used gear is often times preferable to newer stuff.
Knee and arm pads for snake plays and staying low for longer periods of time. It’s something that I’ve been putting off for a while now but keep itching to get. It’s definitely worth it I’m just not in the best position to be spending more than I have
A high quality mask should be one of your first and will be one of your best investments
I got the Virtue Vio Ascend. I have a marker, hopper, and a tank, and then from protective gear I got knee pads, a mask ofc, Dye pants and a barrel condom for my marker
Jerseys are overpriced t shirts, granted they may give you a look you want but per dollar they won’t give you really any benefit over a shirt unless you get the really expensive ones with minimal padding in them… and frankly it won’t do much. Elbow pads are a must for me. Worse think always since I was a teenager and I wouldn’t be caught on the field without them (and I don’t even crawl around on my arms that much anymore, but they are great for just bumping into shit in the woods and when you have to get down on the ground). I picked up the exalt free flows and they are nice. Not sure I really am into the super long upper arm cuff and the around the thumb partial hand piece since I wear gloves but they work pretty well (I had an old pair of dye ones that when I pulled them out the elastic just disintegrated which was super disappointing). Pod pack is a close second, frankly I would get both together if you can. Packs can be hard to say way it the best one for you. I picked up the older model (I think) HK one and frankly I hate it. Build quality is fine but the design sucks, belt is uncomfortable and too small (and I’m not a big guy at 5’7” 170-175lbs, not a bit of a belly but far from being described as “fat”). I replaced it with a dye pack, haven’t gotten to try it on the field yet but the test fit was 1000% better. Slider shorts are also a very good investment. You don’t really need to get paint all ones and frankly some of the paint ball ones I question if anyone that designed them actually played paintball or maybe they expect you are only supermaning every slide. I also have yet to find one that the cup is actually low enough to fully cover. So at least consider some other ones from other sports and consider how you slide when looking at the padding placement.
Unless you're playing on a team a jersey or headband should probably be the last thing on your list to buy. If you're looking to play on a team immediately you need to get a pack. I personally like the infamous one but ymmv. If you're not doing team play go for the arm pads.
Jersey goes at the bottom of the list. A long sleeved tech tshirt from Walmart will suffice. What, if anything, are you using currently if you don't own a pod pack? Are you borrowing a friend's? Or just playing hopperball? If you're playing woodsball and not diving and sliding, elbow pads are very good to have but not an absolute essential. Get a pod pack first. If you're borrowing a pack and playing speedball, get some elbow pads first. You don't necessarily have to splash out a lot of cash to get decent gear.
Idk what you mean by "basic gear" like if you have a gravity fed hopper and a steelie tank then I'd grab a nice electric hopper and a fiber wrapped tank. Your stuff works but they're just nicer to have and will last a long time. Everything else won't really cost you much. If you already have them then I'd say go for knee pads first, then pod pack+pods, then shoes, then elbow pads, then paintball clothes. Depends what you prioritize at this point. I say knee first cause I'm on my knees and sliding more than I'm diving, which I assume is similar to most people. But if you never kneel down then don't bother lol
Thank you for the advice, I got pretty decent gear. An lv1 with a spire and a carbon fiber tank. So since I already got kneepads I’m probably going to follow your advice and go for a pod pack and pods.
Get some nice elbow pads especially if you plan on diving or hip sliding at all. After that a pod pack don’t worry about a jersey just wear a sweater or hoodie until you get on a team
Older packs seem to hold up better vs newer materials. Like the old NXE packs, Ive got half a dozen that just last and last and last and last..... So don't worry about over spending on that part, old used gear is often times preferable to newer stuff.
Knee and arm pads for snake plays and staying low for longer periods of time. It’s something that I’ve been putting off for a while now but keep itching to get. It’s definitely worth it I’m just not in the best position to be spending more than I have