It’s awful when you come to a course and discover that your electronic hopper has broken while traveling. This fiasco has thrown games to many teams that weren’t as hardworking as they should have been when packing. Your paintball gear is too valuable to toss in a giant, disorganized duffel bag. Good players pay thousands of dollars on specialized equipment; The dented barrel on a $1,500 paintball gun is not taken lightly. The traveling paintball athlete must juggle not only packing the right amount of the right supplies, but also packing them in a safe and protected manner. The solution is to choose the right size bag for the length of the trip you’re taking and the equipment you’ll need. Besides the make-your-own-label bag, there are three types/sizes of bags available for sale.
A paintball backpack is comparable in size and shape to school backpacks or a day pack used by hikers, yet it is intended for carrying paintball gear. These bags are best for carrying your essential supplies to the field and back but rarely have enough room for a change of clothes or even a competition uniform. It’s a good idea to own a paintball backpack just to keep your important gear together (but separate from your soft items) when you’re traveling for longer periods of time. Larger duffel bags referred to as paintball gear bags often contain not only your play gear but also changes of clothing, uniforms, and toiletries. These bags are the best choice for multi-day overnight trips and come in different sizes. Some are more equipped than others for air travel, but it’s best to carry everything you need when driving to an event. When traveling by plane, the best bags to use are paintball suit bags. These are similar in size to paintball gear bags but have hard outer shells or a heavier canvas type. Paintball suit bags provide the best protection for your equipment to be safely handled by an airline.
When buying a bag to carry travel supplies, it is best to shop at a paintball store. In fact, you can use any bag to transport your paintball equipment, but not using specialized equipment can leave you ripped off and stranded at your event. The main difference between standard backpacks, travel bags, and paintball bags is that bags designed for paintball have specialized features. Backpacks, gear bags, and suit bags all have Velcro straps inside to attach your supplies and keep them secure during transit. The best paintball gear bags have compartments to help separate clothes and keep dirty or wet supplies out of the way to dry. Paintball travel bags are also comparable in cost to other similar types of standard bags.
It’s also important to realize that some pieces of equipment may have specific requirements that make them safer to travel with. Your paintball mask for example should be carefully packed. Many paintball masks are made of a flexible plastic surrounding the lens that often deforms easily when crammed into a bag with everything else. If this happens or your lenses get scratched, you will be distracted all day with uncomfortable eye protection and the game will not be as enjoyable. The best way to transport a paintball mask can be accomplished with either a soft velvet bag and/or a hard protective case. While this is another piece of luggage to take with you, it is the best way to store and carry your paintball goggles without warping the plastic or scratching the lens.
Moving your paintball air tank is probably the hardest piece of equipment to plan for. In flight, you can only travel with an empty tank of air; You cannot fly with a full tank of compressed air because it will become a bomb and it is against the law. However, you can drive with a full tank of air. The best paintball compressed air tanks cost more than $200, so even the slightest scratch or tiniest pressure can be heartbreaking. The best advice is to always carry the empty air tank inside a sturdy rubber tank cap and then wrap the whole thing in bubble wrap and pack it between changes of clothing or the trouser leg of your paintball uniform. An electronic hopper is an important piece of equipment on which your rifle’s performance will greatly depend. There aren’t many dedicated protective cases for paintball loaders for sale, but some brands come with them. It’s best to find the right size plastic container to securely store and transport the loader, especially if you paid a lot for it. When transporting (and storing), it is best to take out the batteries of electronic hoppers to avoid the potential disaster of leakage.
Transporting your paintball gun in a separate case is the smartest way to go. For the most complete protection, a hard case is the best choice and will keep your marker pen the most secure. Unless you’re using a full-size gun case, most paintball gun cases are fairly compact and fit well inside a duffle bag or larger gear bag. If you don’t have access to a hard-sided bag, you can choose a soft-sided bag, but it should also be wrapped in paintball jerseys and/or pants for as much protection as possible. When loading, always separate the barrel from your rifle, and pack it into a padding and preferably together. Some marker kegs have their own carrying case which is good for safer travel use. If you are traveling to a Woodsball game scenario event, it is not recommended that you carry a realistic military paintball gun either through the airport or on the plane. With the amount of turmoil there is in the world and the extra security at airports, an authentic assault rifle is sure to raise eyebrows and potentially confiscate.
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