First game - what MUST be purchased vs what can be rented

[jamex]

Hello,

I've been devouring as much of the forums as possible and was curious what the consensus is on what to bring to a first game? Sounds like guns can be rented no problem. What about protective gear, clothing, etc? I'm assuming you'd want to bring your own boots, but can you get away with just that or are there some additional staples everyone should bring to their first game?

As tempting as it is to jump in feet first and start spending lots of dough on cool gear and big guns, I'd prefer a more disciplined approach at first...at least till the bug sets in and i'm harvesting my own organs for airsoft funds.

cheers.

[Forever_kaos]

The bare minimum nuts and bolts are really a mag (hicap) rifle, goggles and quality BB's. (Bastards, Mabull, King Arms, etc..)
Hydration on you is a big bonus. (Canteen, hydration carrier)

Yeah, sometimes guns can be rented at field, sometimes people have spare goggles as well.

Post up and see who has what.

[Mr. inked]

Originally Posted by jamex

Hello,

I've been devouring as much of the forums as possible and was curious what the consensus is on what to bring to a first game? Sounds like guns can be rented no problem. What about protective gear, clothing, etc? I'm assuming you'd want to bring your own boots, but can you get away with just that or are there some additional staples everyone should bring to their first game?

As tempting as it is to jump in feet first and start spending lots of dough on cool gear and big guns, I'd prefer a more disciplined approach at first...at least till the bug sets in and i'm harvesting my own organs for airsoft funds.

cheers.

water, water and more water. if you cant afford the high end camos just go to a surplus store. they usually have some woodland stuff for not to bad of a price which,will do till you can get some nicer stuff as for protective gear what i did for my first few games was buy a paintball mask then just take the goggles off and use them and threw out the mask part. i have seen however some people cut out the chin of the mask so they can aim better. i would HIGHLY recommend some sort of padded glove a shot to the hand/finger fucking kills haha

[Coresair]

Originally Posted by jamex

Hello,

I've been devouring as much of the forums as possible and was curious what the consensus is on what to bring to a first game? Sounds like guns can be rented no problem. What about protective gear, clothing, etc? I'm assuming you'd want to bring your own boots, but can you get away with just that or are there some additional staples everyone should bring to their first game?

As tempting as it is to jump in feet first and start spending lots of dough on cool gear and big guns, I'd prefer a more disciplined approach at first...at least till the bug sets in and i'm harvesting my own organs for airsoft funds.

cheers.

Eye protection, eye protection, eye protection. Boots are not mandatory, but it's better to have something protecting your ankles if you are going to run around all day, rough terrain or not.

Gear is up to you really, but if you are renting from anther player, they might be able to provide you with (some) matching gear for the gun(s).

[FreelancerInc]

as posted above some people/places have rentals. I myself have enough gear for 3 people. they are not complete load outs but it's enough to get someone playing and hooked on the sport.

I would suggest if ur just trying the sport to get ahold of groups in your area and see if u can rent until u know if the sport is for u.

[Crunchmeister]

I would say to NEVER MAKE AN ASSUMPTION THAT SOMETHING IS AVAILABLE FOR RENT. Same for ammo. Never assume these things will be available at the field unless a game host states it specifically in the game announcement.

If there's a game you want to attend, contact the organizer and ask if they have rental guns / goggles / whatever. Most venues DO NOT have guns available for rent. Gun rentals are usually privately handled by players who have a couple of extra "loaners" that they can rent out at games. It's not like paintball where you can rent everything from the field owner.

At the very least, you'll be expected to show up with a suitable BDU, boots and your own food and water for the day. It's usually a good idea to show up with your own ammo as well unless you know for sure there will be some available on site.

[Jakkal]

I ran into my first game with the following;

Rifle (can be rented of course.)
BBs (Use HQ BBs especially if borrowing a gun)
Mask (Protection for eyes ears and face)
Boots. (Already almost rolled my ankle at least 3-4 times in my first two games)

In my white plaid coat, I just claimed to be from the "Southern US Resistance" as a joke. Camo helps, but isn't manditory. I walked into my second match, and when we were coming out people said my camo didn't work because "We could just see that blue mask staring at us through the brush."

Of course I'm claiming psychological warfare on that one.

[lurkingknight]

for hygiene purposes, I recommend having your own mask or goggles.

boots with supported ankles...

depending on if you are playing milsim or casual skirmish, you may need BDUs, I played my first couple games with just regular old clothes, you can visit army surplus stores to pick up something basic, even thrift stores depending on the uniform requirements of the games.

A method to carry fluids and or snacks. Doesn't have to be a hydration carrier, a backpack is fine if you can retask something you already own. I used a MEC messenger bag for my first game.

If the game you're going to offers rentals (like mentioned above)you can decide to bring your own BBs, or purchase extras at the field if they have some.

[Curo]

Some very confusing info given here

First off!!!!

Before posting in.

Ask for rental of things you need in your case

GOGGLES, GUN w/ battery. hicap.

YOU DO NOT NEED
BDU dark clothing works fine.
BOOTS good running shoes NOT skate shoes ( hiking boots/work boots (steel toe is heavy though) or if playing in chillier weather winter boots are OKAY too)

Again don't rush in to buy everything getting AV'd opens up deals. As for gear its best you start with boots, paintball mask and BDUs then move into vests and the like once you figure out your style of play.

Again boots/bdu are not req. but make life easier.

[jamex]

Originally Posted by Cobalt Caliber

Some very confusing info given here

Again don't rush in to buy everything getting AV'd opens up deals. As for gear its best you start with boots, paintball mask and BDUs then move into vests and the like once you figure out your style of play.

I'm in the AV queue right now, just waiting for the next batch to be processed. Taking my time to do things right the first time after reading all the advice here.

Thanks everyone for the replies.

[Jimski]

Originally Posted by jamex

Hello,

I've been devouring as much of the forums as possible and was curious what the consensus is on what to bring to a first game? Sounds like guns can be rented no problem. What about protective gear, clothing, etc? I'm assuming you'd want to bring your own boots, but can you get away with just that or are there some additional staples everyone should bring to their first game?

As tempting as it is to jump in feet first and start spending lots of dough on cool gear and big guns, I'd prefer a more disciplined approach at first...at least till the bug sets in and i'm harvesting my own organs for airsoft funds.

cheers.

you need to make sure there won't be any FOG in your goggles because it will DESTROY your fun.that means ensuring your lens is treated (fogtech, catcrap or a coat of dish washing liquid) and protecting your goggles from the sweat from your forehead if you sweat a lot (headband).
You need your own boots, and also make sure that your clothes (camo or uni or digi camo) will fit in one of the teams but those you can borrow.

YOU DO NOT NEED
BDU dark clothing works fine.
BOOTS good running shoes

I respectfully disagree with that.
you can try shoes without ankle support but that's a receipe for disaster.Also most venues will dirty your shoes beyond recognition.
dark clothing will make you stand out of any environnement like a pimple on the princess' nose.

[5kull]

I hate it when people give advice like "you dont need boots or camo's" True you don't need them to fire an airsoft but if your going to play Airsoft seriously you need to have 5 things:

1. Quality (certified) airsoft glasses to protect your eyes. They start at around 20$.
2. Quality boots to protect your feet and ankles, new boot start at around 65$
3. A good surplus camo, Flecktarn is great at 35$ for a set, dont go for cheap repro's.
4. A quality Airsoft! Rent if you want to, just dont buy a cheap airsoft and fool yourself into thinking you can upgrade it into a good airsoft. It's going to be a moneypit that never works properly.
5. Something to carry water for those hot summer days. A simple AK pouch will hold 1 bottle of water, buy a set of two or buy a good camel back, you can add it to your futur kit.

150$ + tax to start playing airsoft is not expensive, if it is for you then you should try pingpong instead. Glasses and boots will be with you for a couple of years. The flecktarn will serve you well and is always handy as a secondary camo or a loaner until you change to a team camo. You still need something to carry your mags. Don't buy anything expensive at first, vest are one area where players waste a lot of money by changing their minds all the time or joining a team with a particular vest.

Dont buy camouflage pouches or gear (except for clothing), stick with Coyote Brown or OD. Tan stands out on anything but Tan camo or gear, same with Black, it's simply a bad choice and you will spend twice to replace it.

Airsoft is a sport like any other sports, you need to be geared properly to enjoy it and to fit in and make friends. You would not dream of playing hockey in a team with cheap skates and wearing a basketball jersey! You would feel foolish if you did!

Do yourself a favor and buy something reasonable, it doesn't need to be expensive, your friends will appreciate it, you will feel more confident and other players will accept you more easily then if you show up in sneakers with a t-shirt and a pair of weird goggles that makes you look like some weirdo.

Enjoy your airsoft summer

[MaciekA]

I agree with 5kull above, assess whether this sport is affordable for you and if it isn't, you should probably do try something else. The good news is that airsoft is price-competitive with other sports. The bad news is that "streaming" small amounts of cash at airsoft by going the hand-to-mouther's route and endlessly nickle-diming your way with it (renting guns, buying shitty gear you know you won't stick with, etc) will actually make it cost more than it would have otherwise. Far more.

I play in your area and at some of the bigger games that happen in your area, so I see how things generally go down in your region. People sometimes rent out their guns, but in general, if you show up for a game without having already arranged a rental, you're boned. Nobody will have one for you. This may be different in some of the other provinces represented on this forum where things are run slightly more officially and where retailers have their own fields, like in Alberta, but in the Golden Horseshoe you are not going to just show up at a game and find a rental gun. So don't rent.

There's another reason not to rent. You'll just end up wasting money you could otherwise be saving towards your first rifle. A $20 rental plus whatever else you had to rent that day is going to represent 1/10th of the way towards the cost of your first rifle. Don't nickle and dime this stuff.

The best way to get into this sport is to try a friend's gun for a couple rounds and then decide if you can stomach $300 - 350 on an AEG.

My "Absolute Minimum" List:

0) Friends with guns. Helps you bootstrap until you have the cash for the next step

1) AEG - $350 King Arms M4. Comes with mag. Get it from a retailer in person, and immediately upon buying, arrange to have your spring downgraded by them to a field-legal speed (360fps is a good speed, i.e. M110 spring). If your gun is already firing slower than 400fps, (i.e. you bought a smoked body gun), don't worry about that.

Cost of not doing it this way: You arrive at a game where 400fps is the limit (most if not all games in your area), and get to sit on your ass watching everyone else play while you contemplate the suckage of being AEG-less for a week because you didn't get your spring downgraded. Or, worse, your gun has a failure because of the hot import spring that was in the gun upon purchase.

2) Throw the charger that comes with your AEG in the garbage, it will damage your batteries and make you very sad. Buy a smart charger for your battery. Do not pay more than 50 bucks for it, ideally a lot less. If you don't have a battery, buy one NiMH battery that fits in your gun. The King Arms M4 will take various ones, a 9.6 1200 - 1600 mAh will fit.

Cost of not doing it this way: You sit on your ass watching everyone else play while you wonder what went wrong with your gun, your battery, or your motor.

3) This is your single most important purchase because you need to protect your eyes and also not spend your first 2 months of airsoft blinded by fog. Buy Double pane JT-brand thermal goggles. Get these ones: http://www.badlandspaintball.com/JT-...ive_p_321.html . I promise you will be fogless and happy while everyone else is struggling. People on this forum will fall over each other to try to convince you to get something single pane and just use Fogtech, or go with ESS knockoffs. They'll also try to convince you that mesh goggles are okay and that BB Bastards "don't shatter". This is false, I would be more than happy to meet you at a game (I play in Hamilton all the time) and show you a bag of shattered BBs that will cause permanent loss of vision. Also, while Fogtech works for some people, you are on a budget right now and don't want to pay your way through an expensive goose chase looking for non-fogging goggles. You can do that later. For now, get the JTs -- BONUS is that they work at paintball fields where many Airsoft games happen. You can take off / put back on the mask/shade pieces as needed, it's a modular set. You can keep the mouth area mask on for now and it saves you having to buy a metal mesh mask. You want to protect your teeth, trust me.

Cost of not doing it this way: You can't see anything at games, you end up blinded for life, or you get to pay the dentist thousands of dollars for replacement teeth. Spend the cash on these goggles now, instant certified happiness!

4) Assorted basics: BBs, water, cash for snacks. A safe-keeping pocket to put your cash/wallet/phone into while playing where nothing can fall out.

If you are budgeting, don't worry about buying camo for now, but don't go out there wearing bright white or neon colors either if you can help it. if you are coming into this sport excited about Multicam or A-TACS, definitely *wait* to buy stuff like camo/ACU/vests/pouches etc, because if you are destined to "get into airsoft", then in a few months you'll be more serious and be regretting going the cheap route and having cheesy stuff instead of the stuff you really want by then . If you are cool with wearing less fashionable/trendy/popular camo, like 5kull said, you can get Flecktarn, woodland camo, etc, for real cheap at a surplus store. I recommend you drive over to Port Credit and visit Army Issue.

If you don't want to buy boots, make sure you take it easy at your first game and watch where you're going.

Take it from a guy who made these mistakes.

EDIT: Once you have your AV make sure to check the Ontario sub-forum for games in your area, the Hamilton area is really quite awesome for games.

[Jimski]

I will reiterate the need for anti-fog: 100% of the newbies I see coming at games complain about the fog and blah blah I can't see shit etc.

[jamex]

Thanks guys. Ringing loud and clear. I'm sure you were intending your reply for all who might read, but I'll clarify that I personally have no problem dumping a mint into gear. I wasn't trying to save any coin by going this route, I'm just in no hurry to go and pick up the first items I see without due diligence. That's all. Figured I owe it to myself to get out to a game in conjunction with all the research I can glean on here and then I'd be able to make some well informed purchase decisions.

I've got a few hobbies, and none of them are particularly cheap, and I had no illusions that this would be either