Thinking of a pump tournament over the winter with everyone having the same marker. Plus, 12g CO2 cartridges don't suffer the problems 9/12/16/20/etc oz tanks do since there's no liquid CO2 to travel into the marker.

Last game: Sunday, 2010 July 11

> Does it hurt?
Not much at all! After running around there's adrenalin pumping in the body, making the impacts not bad at all. Plus, the camo one wears provides an extra layer of padding. That being said, wear something thicker than a t-shirt, and eat a large steak before playing to elevate your iron levels to reduce bruising.

> I want one! Where do I start?
I use the Spyder Compact as my workhorse. Bought eight years ago, it's a simple enough marker to take apart after play for proper cleaning. The Spyder Victor is comparable and an excellent place to start for marker/gas/mask package under $100.  Though I highly recommend, for less than $200 marker/mask/gas, the stock Tippmann 98 Custom (ACT = antichop, worth the extra ~$20).  It will love you for years and years of play, and you don't have to take it apart often.  Emily and I have been happiest with this setup with one modification, a rifled barrel.
The main thing to not do is buy a plastic marker, especially a plastic barrel since you can whack into a tree and break it. Plastic used in paintball markers has come a long way in the past ten years, though I still don't trust markers made of plastic, although my *favourite* marker is a Talon pump I own, which is all plastic. It's very accurate, though every time I use it I'm afraid I'm going to break on the ground or a tree.

What You Should Bring
- Clothes in which to get dirty, such as old boots, long sleeved jacket and long pants for protection against stickerbushes, poison ivy, and paintballs. Keep in mind blue jeans + a white shirt will make you quite visible in the undergrowth.
- Money for paintballs, donations, Saturday night Pizza Hut or equivalent, and corrupt dictators.
- Sleeping clothes if spending the night.

Here are a few things I want to say about this: I do not make money doing this. On this hobby of mine I try to break even, though I have lost and will continue to lose money doing this. I do this for fun! I love having people try new things so I offer a safe and supportive environment for first-timers, while making challenges for more experienced players. I try to have a menagerie of markers for people to try different brands and styles. I buy my paint from the store just like anyone else and only upsell a quarter or two per bag to make an even dollar amount to make it easy on purchasing. Bringing your own equipment and paint is not frowned upon! I also take care of some people's equipment who play only occasionally and let me lend it out their equipment for others to play. I don't have a mandatory field fee or rental fees like other fields do. What I do is have a list of Recommended Donations, which are the same as the rental fees Paintball Wholesalers charge, which go towards maintenance (parts, not my own labour), repairs, and buying more equipment to support the menagerie.

Huge thanks to my parents for letting us use their backyard and providing food nearly every time, my sister for refing and taking the occasional paintball to the head, and you all reading this, my friends and friends of friends, who make this possible and quite fun! =)

This paintball site is dedicated to Emily. And her Tippmann 98 Custom. =)