Paintball Protective Gear

Paintball protective gear offers numerous benefits by minimizing the risk of injuries and enhancing player performance. Anyone who’s played more than a few rounds of paintball is aware that paintballs aren’t the only things that can cause injury on the paintball field. All of the movements such as running, jumping, diving, and sliding also represent potential ways to get injured while on the field. Proper protective gear can reduce the impact of paintball hits, and prevent painful bruises, cuts, or scrapes. This protection allows players to confidently engage in crawling, sliding, and diving movements, knowing that their bodies are safeguarded. Ultimately, the use of proper protective gear in paintball not only promotes safety but also enables players to fully immerse themselves in the thrilling and fast-paced gameplay.

Not sure what to wear for your first time playing paintball? No problem! We put together a crash course on protective gear that can help players feel comfortable with their first time on the field. Take a look at our helpful YouTube video explanation below:

For more protection on the extremities, we also recommend that paintball players look at elbow and knee pads. Great elbow pads like the Carbon SC Elbow Sleeves not only have elbow protection but also offer protection for the forearms. Carbon also makes high quality knee pads (The Carbon CC Knee Pads) with impact resistant foam. As with anything that carbon makes, the materials can take a beating while also being lightweight and breathable. 

One of the most important pieces of paintball gear for any player is a padded chest protector. Getting hit with a paintball anywhere can hurt. However, the chest and torso has sensitive areas and players should take extra measures to protect their chests from the impact of a paintball. A good chest protector will have padding that covers the entire abdomen, but with a special focus on the chest area. We recommend the Gen X Global Deluxe Chest Protector since it has the greatest amount of protection and comes with elastic straps to fit as snugly as comfortable. For the best results possible, we also recommend wearing a neck guard or some other neck protection. Many goggles have protection down to the jawline, but lack adequate protection for the neck.

Gloves are another piece of gear that no player will want to miss out on. Not only do gloves provide protection against paintball impact, they’re also great for getting a better grip on your market in cold weather and wet weather. Some paintball gloves, like the HK Army Hardline, have a hard plastic exoskeleton to help protect from paintballs and other impacts. 

Slide pants are a crucial piece of equipment for any player and can help cushion the impact when diving, sliding, and moving from one bunker to the next. Our favorite are the Infamous PRO DNA Slide Shorts which have excellent padding and protection. These shorts not only provide padding from dives, slides, and falls, but they also provide protection from paintball strikes. They’re also very durable, breathable, and stretchy to keep you cool, comfortable, and moving quickly.

We put together a head-to-toe review of the best protective equipment on the market. Take a look at our comprehensive equipment review below for a deep dive into the best protective gear for paintball.