Equipment
Equipment can be broken down into 3 basic categories:
Camouflage
Marker
Other(everything else)
Camouflage
Camouflage, or concealment, is the act of hiding something from view using
color and/or texture. The way that the human eye sees things is in lines.
The edge of an arm against a background of leaves will stand out because a
line appears as the color changes from skin to leaves. Now if we make that
arm the same color as the leaves the human eye will begin to blend the two
together. This is what the basic set of camouflage does. It tries to blend
the clothing of the user in with surrounding using just color. This does an
acceptable job at hiding a player in most situations. However, regular
camouflaged colored clothing can not take the dimension of texture into
account. This it is unacceptable for what a paintball sniper will have to do.
The paintball snipers best bet is a ghillie suit of some kind. A ghillie suit is a
base garment of either clothing or netting which has attached thousands of
pieces of jute, burlap, or a synthetic alternative. It will combine both the
camouflage of color and texture and create the best form of concealment.
Ghillie suits come in all sorts of styles, sizes, material, and colors.
The Ghillie Hood - This is a low concealment but high movement piece of
camouflage. It will typically cover only head, shoulders, and upper back.
They are typically easy to put on and take off and can be stored somewhere
on the users when not in use. The advantage to this type of ghillie is that
provides camouflage to most recognizable part of the body while leaving the
lower three quarters of the body uncovered, accessible, and free to move.
This disadvantage is of course that only a small portion of the body is
actually covered.
The Ghillie Poncho - This is a step between the Ghillie Hood and the full
Ghillie Suit. Like a rain poncho it can be an inexpensive way to cover
between half and three quarters of the body. However like a rain poncho
both body movement and access to pockets, pouches, and equipment
underneath can be bothersome.
The Ghillie Suit - This is the top of the line when it comes to camouflage. A
full Ghillie Suit will cover the body from head to toe. It should come in a two
or three piece set of jacket, pants, and hood. It conforms to the body arms
and legs to allow the user to move relatively freely. When built correctly a
person can disappear into the woods, grasslands, or even seemingly open
desert ground.
Marker
A paintball snipers marker is their one tool that they can not do without.
There are a million different marker choice and corresponding accessories
that can be used. Each preference can work better or worse for each
individual. However the one thing that the marker setup does need is to be
consistent. This can be done with various setups such as regulators,
stabilizers, expansion chambers, and valves. This should be blended with
various other desirable aspects such as durability in use and weather,
reparability in the field, accessories available, and simplicity of design. Each
person should choose a setup that is consistent, blends other aspects that
they feel are important, and fits their style of play.
Other Equipment
Boots – Are an important part of the snipers equipment. Without proper
traction the sniper can not maneuver the field and get to their target. They
should provide suitable ankle support, blend in with the terrain, and give be
well broken in. Depending on the situation they may need to be waterproof
as well. However this can greatly affect their ability to breath in hot
weather. Another aspect to wearing boots that is greatly overlooked is the
socks that go underneath. A good tip from backpacking is to wear two pairs
so socks underneath. One tight fitting and thin liner sock against the skin
along with a heavy wool sock for padding. As the wearer moves the wool
sock will move with the boot and rub against the liner sock instead of
against the foot preventing any blisters.
Tactical Load - this can be either carried on a vest or a suspender setup.
This should be mission and temperature oriented. While a vest provides a
stable platform to carry many necessary items it can be big, bulky, and hot.
A suspender setup does not provide nearly as much load capacity but is
smaller, lighter, and will be much cooler when temperatures are high.
Knee Pads – Always a good thing to wear, kneepads keep knees fresh and
soreness low.
Tools – Sometimes gear will break out on the field during the middle of a
game when the sniper is deep into the opposing side’s territory. A scenario
sniper should be able to fix any marker or other gear malfunction while out
on the field. A multifunction tool, duct tape, and an allen wrench set are a
must. Pay special attention to rules regarding tools on the field and be sure
to abide accordingly.
Food and Water – A paintball sniper will be on the field for hours at a time
during a multi day scenario. This means that they need to take care of their
body by giving it the proper nutrition and keeping well hydrated.
Backpacking food that comes in bar form is highly portable and very
nutritious. An easy way to keep hydrated is to have a backpack type water
bladder that has a drinking tube that can be easily accessible..
Gloves – An essential piece of clothing that can easily be overlooked is
gloves. They will provide protection for hands and fingers as well as cover
skin color with terrain specific colors. Maker sure they fit properly and secure
tightly to the hands.
Radio – This is a vital piece of equipment that allows for communication
between the sniper and the general. Make sure that it has many channels
available, is very durable, and waterproof. A hands free microphone and
speaker headset is an important addition as well. Choose a boom
microphone over the larynx pickup style throat microphones. The throat
style can move while playing and become ineffective.
Equipment can be broken down into 3 basic categories:
Camouflage
Marker
Other(everything else)
Camouflage
Camouflage, or concealment, is the act of hiding something from view using
color and/or texture. The way that the human eye sees things is in lines.
The edge of an arm against a background of leaves will stand out because a
line appears as the color changes from skin to leaves. Now if we make that
arm the same color as the leaves the human eye will begin to blend the two
together. This is what the basic set of camouflage does. It tries to blend
the clothing of the user in with surrounding using just color. This does an
acceptable job at hiding a player in most situations. However, regular
camouflaged colored clothing can not take the dimension of texture into
account. This it is unacceptable for what a paintball sniper will have to do.
The paintball snipers best bet is a ghillie suit of some kind. A ghillie suit is a
base garment of either clothing or netting which has attached thousands of
pieces of jute, burlap, or a synthetic alternative. It will combine both the
camouflage of color and texture and create the best form of concealment.
Ghillie suits come in all sorts of styles, sizes, material, and colors.
The Ghillie Hood - This is a low concealment but high movement piece of
camouflage. It will typically cover only head, shoulders, and upper back.
They are typically easy to put on and take off and can be stored somewhere
on the users when not in use. The advantage to this type of ghillie is that
provides camouflage to most recognizable part of the body while leaving the
lower three quarters of the body uncovered, accessible, and free to move.
This disadvantage is of course that only a small portion of the body is
actually covered.
The Ghillie Poncho - This is a step between the Ghillie Hood and the full
Ghillie Suit. Like a rain poncho it can be an inexpensive way to cover
between half and three quarters of the body. However like a rain poncho
both body movement and access to pockets, pouches, and equipment
underneath can be bothersome.
The Ghillie Suit - This is the top of the line when it comes to camouflage. A
full Ghillie Suit will cover the body from head to toe. It should come in a two
or three piece set of jacket, pants, and hood. It conforms to the body arms
and legs to allow the user to move relatively freely. When built correctly a
person can disappear into the woods, grasslands, or even seemingly open
desert ground.
Marker
A paintball snipers marker is their one tool that they can not do without.
There are a million different marker choice and corresponding accessories
that can be used. Each preference can work better or worse for each
individual. However the one thing that the marker setup does need is to be
consistent. This can be done with various setups such as regulators,
stabilizers, expansion chambers, and valves. This should be blended with
various other desirable aspects such as durability in use and weather,
reparability in the field, accessories available, and simplicity of design. Each
person should choose a setup that is consistent, blends other aspects that
they feel are important, and fits their style of play.
Other Equipment
Boots – Are an important part of the snipers equipment. Without proper
traction the sniper can not maneuver the field and get to their target. They
should provide suitable ankle support, blend in with the terrain, and give be
well broken in. Depending on the situation they may need to be waterproof
as well. However this can greatly affect their ability to breath in hot
weather. Another aspect to wearing boots that is greatly overlooked is the
socks that go underneath. A good tip from backpacking is to wear two pairs
so socks underneath. One tight fitting and thin liner sock against the skin
along with a heavy wool sock for padding. As the wearer moves the wool
sock will move with the boot and rub against the liner sock instead of
against the foot preventing any blisters.
Tactical Load - this can be either carried on a vest or a suspender setup.
This should be mission and temperature oriented. While a vest provides a
stable platform to carry many necessary items it can be big, bulky, and hot.
A suspender setup does not provide nearly as much load capacity but is
smaller, lighter, and will be much cooler when temperatures are high.
Knee Pads – Always a good thing to wear, kneepads keep knees fresh and
soreness low.
Tools – Sometimes gear will break out on the field during the middle of a
game when the sniper is deep into the opposing side’s territory. A scenario
sniper should be able to fix any marker or other gear malfunction while out
on the field. A multifunction tool, duct tape, and an allen wrench set are a
must. Pay special attention to rules regarding tools on the field and be sure
to abide accordingly.
Food and Water – A paintball sniper will be on the field for hours at a time
during a multi day scenario. This means that they need to take care of their
body by giving it the proper nutrition and keeping well hydrated.
Backpacking food that comes in bar form is highly portable and very
nutritious. An easy way to keep hydrated is to have a backpack type water
bladder that has a drinking tube that can be easily accessible..
Gloves – An essential piece of clothing that can easily be overlooked is
gloves. They will provide protection for hands and fingers as well as cover
skin color with terrain specific colors. Maker sure they fit properly and secure
tightly to the hands.
Radio – This is a vital piece of equipment that allows for communication
between the sniper and the general. Make sure that it has many channels
available, is very durable, and waterproof. A hands free microphone and
speaker headset is an important addition as well. Choose a boom
microphone over the larynx pickup style throat microphones. The throat
style can move while playing and become ineffective.
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