Paintball is one of the sports gaining tremendous popularity worldwide.
You can engage in it as a fun activity or regularly as your hobby.
However, paintball can be an expensive hobby as it needs specific equipment and location to play on.
So, How Expensive Is Paintball as A Hobby?
How expensive paintball is as a hobby depends on how much money you are willing to invest. This is determined by the type of field you are visiting and what it offers. The total paintball cost includes the equipment charges and entry fees. You can choose to buy your own equipment or rent the gear. The cost of renting paintball equipment also varies depending on the gear quality and the field.
Normally, you will need to pay approximately $30 to $60 for a one-time play with rental gear. Other than the cost of renting equipment, the entry fee to use a paintball field ranges from $15-$30 to play a single round. Keep in mind that you might need to pay more if you want to play in a professional field.
The cost of paintball is broadly categorized into initial and recurrent costs.
1. Initial Cost
Initial paintballing costs refer to the amount of cash you would spend to purchase the needed gear and accessories.
Whether you are getting into paintballing as a career or hobby, purchasing your gear and equipment is recommended instead of borrowing from family members or friends.
The disadvantage of borrowing paintball equipment from friends is you will not be familiar with that specific model.
And the probability is that you might not know how to properly operate the gun during gameplay, making your opponent win over you.
Therefore, investing in your equipment will come in handy for you.
Because you are just starting, consider only investing in high-quality kits to serve you for long without wearing out.
A basic paintball kit includes Paintball Masks, Paintball Marker, and protective equipment and costs between $200 to $400.
You can consider investing in a cheap and durable paintball gun for beginners.
But even with your own paintball gear, you will need to pay the field charges.
2. Recurring Costs
Like any other hobby, paintball also has recurring costs.
You need to regularly pay for the field, paintball, and air every time you want to play.
If you have the money, paying for these resources in bulk would save you some money.
Paintballs are made of biodegradable and non-toxic materials.
Paintballs available in the market mostly come in a package of 2,000 and go for about $30 to $60.
They are also available in different sizes that range from 0.50 to 0.68 caliber.
The cost of paintballs will depend on your style of play.
If you are an attacking player, you will consume more than average players. Therefore, try and control the trigger to save a little more cash.
The air you need for paintballing is available in the form of canisters.
Previously, paintball players used CO2, but air canisters have gained significant popularity today due to their environmental friendliness and stability.
You can buy them in different sizes and serve as fuel during paintball gameplay.
More so, based on your length of play, you might be required to refill your air canisters regularly.
Fortunately, most paintball field operators provide a refilling service for a price. This should hence consider it as a recurring cost.
What Are The Basic Paintball Equipment And Their Prices?
Now that you understand the initial and recurring cost of paintballing, it is also essential to understand the basic equipment you need to get started.
Here is the basic equipment that each beginner must-have.
1. Basic Pump Pack
If you are a newbie in paintball, it is recommendable to go for the Basic Pump Pack as it comes with cheaper paintball equipment.
The pack includes a paintball gun with a hopper, mask, and 12-gram C02 canister, and you can find it from local retailers. The pack normally goes for $30-$60.
2. High-end Equipment Pack
A high-end equipment pack is mostly preferred for advanced players and costs about $70-$100.
The package features a mechanical or semi-automatic gun with all other important gears.
However, you will need to pay for paintball and CO2 separately.
A CO2 tank goes for $12, while hoppers and masks cost between $5 to $20.
Also, you can choose to buy an upgradable gun with drop forwards, improved barrels, and expanded chambers at a cost of about $2000 if you have the cash.
3. Paintball Air
Compressed air and CO2 serve as fuel for the paintball gun.
You will need to pay approximately $3 to $6 to refill the paintball tank.
But the actual cost will depend on the size of your tank.
Going for a bigger tank is advisable because it saves money and prolongs your playing time.
4. Cost Of Paint
Paintball paint is not expensive.
However, you will need to pay a little amount to enjoy the hobby ultimately.
A package with 2000 rounds of paint is available at approximately $30, but smaller packs of 500 rounds are also available.
5. Paintball Field
Another section that you will spend cash on is the paintball field fee.
However, the cost varies in different locations. Most paintball fields charge $10 to $25 for a single game session.
Keep in mind that you might pay more when hiring a professional field.
6. Extra Paintball Gear
There are additional gears needed to enjoy seamless fun in paintballing.
These include;
- safety goggles
- body armor
- armored gloves
- headwraps
- extra O-rings
- and combat suits.
O-rings are situated inside your gun or air tanks and often wear or blow out even during the play. Therefore, keep money aside to purchase extra o-rings as you prepare to get into the paintball field.
7. Rental Package
If you are not planning to play paintball regularly, you may consider going for a rental package.
The cost of rental packages goes for about $30.
You just need to go to the local paintball field and request to rent the gear. You will be given a reliable tank, paintball gun, mask, hopper, and paintballs.
Six Tips For Saving Money on Paintballs
We can all agree that you can’t play paintball if you don’t have the needed resources.
If you have no cash, you cannot buy a paintball gun, compressed hair hopper, and other equipment needed to enjoy paintball.
However, there are ways to reduce costs when shopping for paintball gear on the market. Let’s look at various tips to help you save money on paintball.
- Invest in high-quality equipment, so you don’t often get to purchase new gear or incur rental charges.
- Research for the lowest priced on different e-commerce stores.
- If you don’t play paintball regularly, you can consider investing in second-hand paintball gear or borrowing from your family or friends.
- Also, consider purchasing all your paintball gear online to avoid the extra cost of the middlemen.
- Use online coupon codes to enjoy the discount and free shipping.
- Conduct your paintball shopping with your friends to get a discount.
Bottom Line
If you are a paintball enthusiast or newbie, we hope you now understand how expensive paintball as a hobby is.
Generally, the cost of paintball depends on how much you want to play and pay. we recommend you not to purchase equipment before you have tried it and you are sure you like it.
Although rental equipment might not provide the highest quality, it’s an excellent opportunity to test the water and enjoy the startup.