Camouflage: Your Second Weapon in Paintball

Many people underestimate the importance of camouflage when playing paintball. Players will wear normal t-shirts, sweatshirts or even tournament jerseys into the woods. Typically, they're the first seen walking back to the staging area during a game. They become a quick target because they are easily tracked and zoned in on.

Proper paintball camouflage will do a lot for your game. Camo is used to break up the lines that are formed by our outline against objects of different shape and color. Our eyes are trained to detect both movement and shapes. Proper camouflage from head to toe will blend your outline in with that of the surroundings, giving you a better chance to remain undetected and therefore in the game.

Most people don't realize this but they are two components to a good camouflage. The most common component is choosing a camo pattern that blends in best with the surroundings. Typically in most areas this camo pattern is woodland. Basic woodland camo is the most univeral camouflage pattern available because it tends to blend well with most non-desert or snow-based areas. There a ton of camo patterns available and the better color matched you are to the enviroment you are in, the better off you'll be. Companies like Valken Paintball are making their apparel, vest and accessories in various color patterns instead of the standard woodland or digital camo colors.


The second component to a good camouflage is the shape. It may sound weird because most people think of camo in terms of basic clothing like a shirt and a pair of pants. The most effective camo is that made of the surrounding foliage. Ghillie suits are a great example of how a person's shape can get lost in his surroundings. Paintball Ghillie suits are made from strips of synthetic material or torn-up burlap. They are connected to a mess outfit or glued/sewn to a flight suit or other clothing. Ghillie suits come in a range of configurations including a one-piece design to a four piece kit. Othen kits may include a paintball gun bush rag (ghillie for your gun) to disguise your weapon. Suits are made in varying color patterns similar to camo clothing. Most ghillie suits are designed to allow you to add actual leaves, high grass and branches from your environment. This makes it extremely hard for a person to be detected and therefore offering your best line of protection in the woods.