Top 7 Paintball Harnesses
Playing paintball requires different types of equipment, like the paintball gun itself, protective equipment, and other accessories for success on the field. A paintball harness, for example, aids in gameplay by holding pod packs for quick reloading. There are different types of paintball harnesses to choose from, depending on paintball quantity, game style, and other accessories for gameplay.
What is a Paintball Harness?
Most paintball harnesses commonly attach in some way to your midsection or waist for quick access to your ammunition. They’re also called paintball packs, pod packs, or ball haulers. Paintball harnesses carry extra paintball ammunition so you can reload on the go. In some cases, you may even be able to carry other accessories in additional loops and/or pouches as well.
What Are Paintball Pods?
Paintballs store easily in paintball pod packs. Generally speaking, paintball pods hold 140 paintballs. Perfect for hoppers with a 200-round capacity, these paintball pods hold plenty of ammunition for pump and tactical players with lower-capacity hoppers, too.
Paintball pods are plastic tubes with spring-loaded lids. Most lids incorporate a tab or recess to allow you to quickly open the tube to reload. You can purchase paintball pods in several shapes and sizes, depending on your application.
How Does the Paintball Harness Fit?
Paintball harnesses commonly fit around your body with nylon webbing, velcro straps, or an elastic waist belt.
Cheap and affordable, nylon webbing represents the most common method of securing a paintball harness to your body. Features include a quick-release buckle that makes it easy to take the harness off and put it back on, as well as a better fit for larger-built players. While the fit isn’t as snug as other paintball harnesses, most beginners use nylon webbing.
Velcro straps help to fit the paintball harness to your body with better results while remaining low-cost. These harnesses strap to your body with two individual non-stretch belts. This type of paintball harness won’t flop around as much as a nylon webbing harness, but they aren’t necessarily as strong as they could be when it comes to the velcro holding up against heavy objects.
Finally, elastic waist belts remain the popular choice for speedball and tournament paintball players. These paintball harnesses provide both carrying capacity and support for your back. A single velcro strap stretches across your body, while the second one attaches to the first for a snug fit. Rubber and neoprene are common materials used with elastic waist belts, as they provide a no-slip hold that stays snug. Larger players may have trouble with these belts.
What Are the Different Types of Paintball Harnesses?
Paintball harnesses are typically categorized as either horizontal or vertical, depending on the direction from which the paintball pods are held.
For instance, horizontal paintball harnesses typically hold an even number of pods. They are placed perpendicular to your body so that you can reach from either side to retrieve a paintball pod and reload. Depending on your size, these harnesses can stick out easily as quick targets. You may also experience difficulties removing pods from your non-dominant side during gameplay, as well as trouble making any sudden tactical maneuvers on your side or back.
Conversely, vertical paintball harnesses provide access to your paintball pods from either hand. The harness itself is centered on your body and the paintball sleeves are open downwards so that you can extract paintball pods from below. Replacing empty paintball pods can be difficult with this design, but many players prefer it for the low-profile approach.
Our Favorite Paintball Harnesses
Here are some of our favorite paintball harnesses that will not only hold your paintball pods but also give you a certain amount of flair.
For a full review of the best paintball harnesses of 2024, take a look at our helpful YouTube video below:
#1 HK Army Zero G 2.0
This strapless harness can carry up to nine paintball pods, with two configurations to choose from. The Tension Control system allows you to adjust the fit of your HK Army Zero-G 2.0 paintball harness for better results. Choose from a variety of colors to match your existing tactical gear.
#2 Infamous Reflex
Bounce plagues a lot of paintball players, at least those who don’t have the Infamous Reflex paintball harness. This particular harness features a patented strapless pod system, laser-cut MOLLE straps, and the ability to customize your paintball harness with personal patches. Plus the back plate breathes to allow for a non-slip grip.
#3 Virtue Breakout V2
Affordably priced, this paintball harness makes use of two velcro panels that cinch down for a snug fit. The back pad breathes as it supports you during gameplay. You won’t find any straps in this design, which features a pocket for your personal belongings. The Virtue Breakout V2 works with all pod designs, making it a valuable universal paintball harness you’ll enjoy.
#4 HK Army Magtek
Available in 3+2, 4+3, and 5+4 formats, the HK Army Magtek paintball harness holds paintball pods snugly in place. Intermediary loops provide extra capacity for whatever other accessories you may need. The four-magnet system that holds each paintball pod in place remains a popular feature.
#5 Carbon SC Harness
With best-in-class materials and a high-class look, the Carbon SC Harness comes in two available sizes. The ventilated belt with silicone coating keeps you cool, all while minimizing any movement as you play. Due to the material type, this particular paintball harness is lightweight. If you’re a paintball player who values speed and efficiency, this paintball harness fits the bill.
#6 Dye Assault Pack
Don’t be fooled by the simple design of this paintball harness. The Dye Assault Pack’s quick-release handles and cupped neoprene ejector loops allow you to efficiently access your paintball pods in this design. You can also choose from two different configurations to fit your style of play.
#7 HK Army Eject
The Bunkerkings Fly2 Pack just got a performance and style upgrade. New to the Fly2 pack is an integrated zipper pouch on the backside of the pack that you can store anything from your wallet, keys, and phone, ID card, or even an ice pack to chill your paint. With its lightning speed one-handed load and unload, the Fly2 Pack simple enough for anyone to load like a pro. The patented pod holding technology allows you to load any size pod with no adjustments needed. The belt is the is the perfect combination of comfort and stability with a friction foam pad and a four way lock down system. It also has the strongest Velcro available which will hold your harness and pods securely as you slide in to the next bunker.
Conclusion
Having the right paintball harness will make sure you’re equipped with enough ammunition to last for the entire game. When positioned correctly, paintball harnesses and pod packs can also offer additional protection from uncomfortable paintball impacts. For a better selection of paintball harnesses and other paintball equipment, please visit the Lone Wolf Paintball online store. Happy paintballing!