[sdawg]

If you decide to take up paintball as a regular hobby, the most important piece of personal equipment to buy is a comfortable, safe goggle system with a thermal (non-fogging) lens. You don't have to spend a lot of money. The JT Spectra 7 or JT Spectra Flex 8 are both fine masks that are durable and that have been widely used for a long time.

After that, you probably want to start out with a Tippmann marker (custom pro or A-5) because they are easy to maintain and difficult to break. Use carbon dioxide as your air source. As for the loader, a gravity loader can be fine to start out with, but if you decide that you want an electric agitating loader (a motor-driven paddle spins in the loader to ensure paintballs feed into your marker), the tried-and-true loader is the Viewloader Revolution 12v. However, you will have to buy 9v batteries to use this type of loader, which adds to the expense of an already expensive sport.

In the long run, paint is the most expensive part of the sport, so try to find a field that sells good quality paint at $35-45 per case or that lets you bring your own paint (if you can find another source of paint at a lower price).

Except for the mask, you can find everything you need used on the internet, which is a great way to save money. I recommend buying the mask brand new because it is your most important piece of equipment and you want to be sure that it is in good condition, especially the lens.

Once you've played for a while, you can decide what other equipment you want/need. Really, all you need to have fun on the field is a good, safe, non-fogging goggle system, and a marker with tank and loader.