Paintball Maverick Header Logo

This Is What Pro Paintball Players Wear!

Paintball Maverick is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More.

Paintball is one of the most enjoyable sports to become an expert in. With all of the tactics and strategy involved, there's always room for improvement. If you want to go pro in this sport, you should know what to wear (and why).

So, what do pro paintballers wear? Pro paintball players wear high-quality versions of the following pieces of gear:

  • Goggles
  • Pants
  • Vests
  • Harness
  • Shoes
  • Paintball Marker

To learn more about each part of a pro paintballer's gear setup, read on.

Goggles

The first thing you’ll need to enter the pro paintball scene is a great set of goggles. Even first-timers are required to wear a headpiece, simply due to the fact that paintball shots could poke your eye out in an instant.

Now, the difference between casual, amateur, and professional paintball goggles is not that obvious. Even the cheapest amateur helmets are sturdy enough to withstand a couple of years of usage, so you shouldn’t worry too much about their durability. However, pro masks and goggles won’t blur out your sight as much as budget models would do.

Virtue VIO Ascend Thermal Paintball Goggle with Dual Pane Lens - Highlander Camo

One of the best pro paintball goggles on the market right now is the Virtue’s VIO Ascend thermal mask (available on Amazon). It offers 100% protection, a large peripheral field of vision, and plenty of breathability.

Dye Special Edition Thermal Lens Paintball Goggles - Black

If the VIO Ascend is too expensive, a great substitute is Dye’s Thermal Lens (available on Amazon). It does have a slightly narrower field of vision (260 degrees of peripheral vision), but it’s made of ultra-comfortable foam material. It also has a patented buckle, which allows you to switch the lens in mere seconds.

Empire Paintball E-Flex Goggle, White

A good compromise between the two is Empire’s E-Flex Goggle system (available on Amazon). It is ultra-breathable, packs an anti-fog lens, and has an interior of hypo-allergenic ProFlex foam.

If you want to gear up like a pro, you shouldn’t go cheap on the goggles. Your eyesight depends on them, and buying the wrong pair will make for an uncomfortable time playing. So when you begin to look for paintball gear, start with the helmet.

Pants

Amateur paintballers usually wear any old pair of masked pants they come across, simply because their bagginess affords them a speck of extra protection. However, as a professional, you will need to balance out your mobility with protection from incoming paintball shots.

In order to do so, you shouldn’t compromise any aspect of performance for another. You’ll need protection and the ability to move freely - which basically means that you need lightweight and durable pants.

HK Army HSTL Line Paintball Pants (Medium)

A great example of paintball pants that possess both of these qualities is KH Army’s Hardline paintball pants (available on Amazon). They’re fully padded, come with convenient zippered vents, and feature a couple of side pockets for utility items.

Exalt Paintball T4 Pants (Black/Grey, XL)

A lighter variant - albeit with a smaller amount of pads and pockets - is Exalt’s Paintball T4 pants (available on Amazon). These pants pack Kevlar knees, zippered dual-swab pockets, a venting mesh located at the very back of the areas of legs and groin, and a dual draw string adjustment.

Essentially, you need adequate pants because baggy, heavy bottoms can decrease your mobility and potentially cost you the game.

Vest/Shirt

If you’ve been elusive enough in your paintball career to dodge opponents with nimble hiding and positioning skills, a lightweight cotton shirt could easily replace the bulky bulwark professionals wear strapped to their chest.

However, if you want to become a proper professional, you need a solid piece of chest gear. Amateurs are usually quite inaccurate. But when professionals shoot, they almost always hit the mark - and even the thickest shirts won't give you adequate protection against a direct paintball shot.

Maddog Tactical Camo Vest w/Pods & Standard Remote Coil Paintball Package
Check Price & Availability

On top of offering protection, these chest vests need to be light and mobile. Fortunately, professional-grade paintball vests are just like professional pants – they're exceptionally light while still offering a fair amount of protection from direct shots.

One of the finest paintball vests on the market right now is the Maddog Sports Lightweight Tactical Paintball Vest (available on Amazon). It weighs just over 1.7 pounds, and features four elastic ejector-pod holders with ripcords that can hold up to 140 rounds. There are also two chest pockets for utility items.

This is one of the lightest and most affordable vests on the market, so you should definitely check it out. To make the cost-effectiveness even better, you won’t need a separate harness if you choose this model.

If you'd like an alternative, The GXG Deluxe Tactical Paintball Vest is another great option. It weighs only 1.9 pounds, and is made from ultra-breathable and comfortable contouring foam. One of the biggest benefits this vest provides is the fact that it molds to your body as you wear it. This breathable and light vest will let you move around freely without encumbered from heavy weight.

Harness

There are several reasons why you won’t see newbies and amateurs wearing a paintball harness – most amateur matches don't last long enough to require a reload. And even if it does, you can always stuff an extra cartridge in your pocket.

Check Price & Availability
Check Price & Availability

On the professional level though, a harness is a crucial part of your paintball gear. It allows you to have your reload tubes neatly tucked away in a place where you can reach them in a split second. As reloading takes time, panicking while searching for the reload tube usually means the difference between getting shot and getting a shot.

There are a couple of things that make a good harness - and as a professional, you shouldn’t make any compromises.

First of all, your harness needs to be stable. If it isn't firmly attached to your vest, your tubes might fall out as you sprint from one location to another. A proper Velcro buckle takes care of this problem, so look for a harness that has one.

It also needs enough storage space for at least four reload cartridges. Professional matches last quite a long time, and a ton of shots are usually exchanged between the two sides.

An excellent example a non-compromising harness is Carbon’s SC Paintball Harness (available on Amazon).

As his particular model is a bit more expensive, a good budget substitute would be Maddog’s Pro Paintball Pod Pack Harness (available on Amazon).

Shoes

Most professional paintballers wear army shoes. Army shoes are durable and breathable, and allow you to traverse any type of terrain.

Beginners don’t need to invest in army shoes as they’re usually hunkered down at one or two locations throughout the entire match. However, professionals tend to move fast and in unpredictable ways. If you want to keep an edge over your opponents, you’ll need to be just as quick on your feet as you are on your trigger.

HK Army Digger X1 Hightop Paintball Cleats - Black/Grey (8)
Check Price & Availability

A great pair of pro paintball shoes are the CQR’s Combat Boot (available on Amazon). These boots are built like a lightweight brick house, and they offer superb ankle protection - making them a safe and effective option for fast-paced matches. 

Paintball Marker

The paintball marker is the most important part of the professional paintballer's gear setup. It's the tool you'll use to

A professional paintball marker needs to be accurate for long-distance shots, but still be lightweight enough that you can also execute close-combat quick-draw shots as well. It also needs to be ergonomically designed so that shooting from it feels natural.

Action Village Azodin KP3 Legendary Paintball Gun Package Kit (Orange/Purple)

One of the most popular professional paintball models is the Kingman Empire Spyder Xtra (available on Amazon). This .68 caliber marker is made out of lightweight aluminum for maximum agility in combat. It also has a firing capacity of 1,600 shots with a 20 ounce CO2 canister attached.

If you're looking for a solid alternative, the Azodin’s Kaos 2 (available on Amazon) is a good choice. It has a 45-degree grip, which offers improved mobility in firefights. It also has a streamlined receiver, which will improve your aim as you look down the sights.

Final Thoughts

Pro paintball gear provides a lot of benefits to players looking to elevate their game.

  • Professional markers are more accurate and rarely jam up.
  • Professional goggles stay in place and don’t blur your vision.
  • Professional clothing provides much-needed mobility and protection.

If you really want to play like a pro, you need to gear up like one.

Paintball Clothing

Recent Content
Empire Paintball Sniper Pump Marker Review
Paintball Maverick is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More. In this article, I will discuss the Empire Sniper Pump Action Paintball Marker. I like this gun and it's very good value. I also asked current owners (see section below the gun's features) of this […]
Azodin KP3.5 KAOS Review
Paintball Maverick is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More. Before getting into the details about this marker, it is essential to understand what a pump-action paintball is. Just as the name connotes, Pump-action requires the player to pump the gun by pulling a pump […]
Tippmann Cronus Review
Paintball Maverick is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More. Introduction Tippmann is one of the most admired brands in the world of paintball today, and this can be attributed to the level of reliability and durability that their products have. The Tippmann Cronus is […]
Empire BT DFender Review
Paintball Maverick is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More. The first thing that popped in my head when I first came across the Empire BT DFender was, "where does the hopper fit?" This high-end paintball gun is utterly unique and quite different from what […]
1 2 3 22
About Us
I'm Steve Crews. I'm the guy behind Paintball Maverick. I've joined with a few other friends who love paintball to answer questions that we hear from novices to experts. Our goal is to be the number one paintball resource on the internet.

Do you enjoy the information that I provide here on this website?

Please, consider a donation to help me to bring the best information to you...
This site is owned and operated by SJACREWS Enterprises and is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. SJACREWS Enterprises also participates in affiliate programs with Clickbank, CJ, ShareASale and other sites. SJACREWS Enterprises is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies.
Do you enjoy the information that I provide here on this website?

Please, consider a donation to help me to bring the best information to you...
© 2021 Copyright Paintball Maverick
Paintball Maverick is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We also participate in other affiliate programs which compensate us for referring traffic.