A Buyer's Guide to Paintball Gloves
Until you've had a welt or two on your hands, paintball gloves may not seem like the most essential piece of equipment. However, their benefits go beyond just protecting your hands from being hit. Suitable gloves will also improve your grip on the marker, which is crucial when playing in adverse conditions, such as extreme heat, rain, or snow. There are many gloves to consider when deciding which to buy. So, we’ve put together a quick guide to help you make the best decision for your next glove purchase.
What to Look for in Paintball Gloves
The main reason people wear paintball gloves is to protect against direct hits from paintballs. Others, however, need gloves to also provide insulation and improved grip during the game. The main things that you should look for in your paintball gloves are quality, fit, material, and style.
Fit
The first thing to look for in paintball gloves is the fit. Your glove should fit snugly around your hand, but it shouldn’t be too tight to restrict movement or blood circulation. The paintball glove shouldn’t be too loose, either. Loose gloves can leave excess material at the end of the fingertips, which may get in the way of firing, opening pod packs, and refilling the hopper. The key is to find a glove that fits snugly without being too tight. Pay special attention to hand mobility and ensure you can still operate your gun effectively. With the right fit, you'll be able to play all day without any discomfort.
Material
When shopping for paintball gloves, the material is one of the most critical factors because it affects both your comfort and durability. Nylon is a popular choice because it's both inexpensive and comfortable. However, if you're considering nylon gloves, it's a good idea to make sure they have a non-slip material on the palms and fingers for those rainy fall or spring games.
Neoprene is another popular choice for paintball gloves. It's thicker than nylon, so it provides more protection in the event that you get hit on the hand. In addition, neoprene offers excellent insulation, so it keeps your hands warm on colder days–if you’ve ever played with numb fingers, you know how important that is. Neoprene is also incredibly durable and has been known to last years without wearing out. Many of these neoprene gloves can be used during other outdoor fall activities.
Style
There's no shortage of options for paintball gloves, and sifting through all the options can be time-consuming. Regular gloves can be used for paintball, and something is better than nothing. However, it’s best to use paintball-specific handwear.
Generic (non-paintball) gloves
These may be lifting gloves, gardening gloves, or even winter glove liners. They're not necessarily designed for paintball, but they’re better than nothing!. These gloves might provide some padding and insulation, but they're not going to offer the same level of protection, durability, and freedom of movement as purpose-built paintball gloves.
Fingerless gloves
Fingerless paintball gloves are a popular choice if you want to maintain excellent grip and trigger control. You can choose between gloves that expose all your fingers or just the first two. We recommend gloves that leave the first two fingers exposed for the best trigger control.
Armored gloves
For maximum protection, you need armored gloves. Paintball can put you into close-quarters combat, and that's when the proper protection really matters. These gloves feature heavy padding or plastic armor on the back of the hand and fingers and usually have reinforced palms. If you're worried they might be too bulky and impede your ability to grip and fire your marker, fingerless armored gloves offer the perfect blend of protection and agility.
Sleeve Gloves
Sleeve gloves are your best option if you're looking for the closest thing to bare-handed shooting. They have a thumb hole but leave your fingers completely free (and exposed) while protecting the back of your hands, palms, and wrists.
Advantages of Using Paintball Gloves
Not all paintball gloves are created equal (or well made). Ensure that you choose a durable, well-designed glove. After all, what is the point of paintball gloves if they lack the right combination of durability, flexibility, and water/weatherproofing to meet and exceed your specific needs? So what are the best gloves for paintball? Our top 4 picks won't disappoint. Check them out below!
Our Top 4 Paintball Gloves
These durable and streamlined padded paintball gloves are a steal at $35. They offer neoprene's lightweight, form-fitting protection with a slip-proof silicone palm grip. In addition, the TPR protective bones design aesthetically protects the back of your hand, while the two-finger-less design allows for split-second firing control.
At only $10, you might want to grab a few pairs of these minimalist, skeleton-squad-style classics. The dipped anti-slip coating and compression fit protect while preserving dexterity and trigger sensitivity so you can fire freely. While these are a minimalist option, they offer an impact-resistant skeleton hand backing to cushion direct hand hits.
The perfect balance of performance, comfort, and durability, these form-fitting neoprene gloves with a two-finger-less design ensure no firing restriction whatsoever. The silicone grip and aero-mesh ventilation give you a cool and steady marker grip all day long. At $35, these gloves are an incredible value.
A performance-engineered player-centric design at just $14.95, these paintball gloves offer complete protection and an abrasion-resistant HK Army logo print exterior. In addition, the perfect combination of durability and finger flexibility allows for rapid firing so you can keep your opponents at bay.