Paintball Field Kits

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This is not a sound you want to hear 5 minutes before a game. For anyone that's been playing paintball a while, a last minute equipment problem is something we all dread. It's at these times that having a well stocked field kit is a very welcome part of your gear bag.

For the last three years I've been hosting regular games at my place and I've seen a lot of players have equipment problems. From air leaks to bad cup seals to cracked hoppers - you name it - it's happened. Of these equipment problems I've been surprised at the number of players that have no tools (not even the ones that came with their marker) and no way of fixing the problem. Luckily I have a well-stocked tool kit on hand so we are usually able to get people back in business quickly, but at another field these players would be out of luck.

Since I believe that having at least a rudimentary field kit in your gear back is one of the most essential items, I thought I'd spend a few minutes and share some thoughts on how to build a decent field kit.

What is a field kit? Simply put, it's the collection of tools and other gear that you'll need to deal with 90% of the equipment problems you're likely to experience on the field. I'm not talking about the hex wrenches that came with your paintball gun. You'll need a little more than that to deal with most equipment problems. And I'm not talking about a monster tool kit. In fact your field kit should be small enough to fit into your gear bag. If it's too big you'll be tempted to leave it behind. However, a properly stocked field kit can also double as your paintball tool box when you're at home as well.

Tools

There are a few tools that you really shouldn't be caught without any time you're playing paintball. Luckily most of these tools are readily available at most hardware stores and none of them are terribly expensive. So they should all be fairly easy to obtain.

Hex Wrenches
In my opinion there's no more important tool in anyones field kit is a complete set of hex wrenches. I know most markers come with one or two of these, but in most cases, the wrenches included with your marker package may be adequate for adjusting your velocity but are not enough for disassembly and repair of the marker. If you're using a Kingman or WDP marker make sure you get a metric set. Most other markers require standard (U.S.) sizes.

Screw Drivers
Screwdrivers are useful for removing grip panels and some of the screws on your marker. They can also be used for a little prying is the situation calls for it. You'll want both phillips and straight screwdrivers. I personally prefer 6-in-1 screwdrivers as this takes up less space in the field kit.

Pliers
I won't attempt to describe all the uses you'll find for a pliers. I personally recommend a long nose pliers (sometimes called needle-nose pliers). They can get into the tighter corners common in paintball guns.

Adjustable Wrench
An adjustable wrench (crescent wrench) is most useful for fixing problems with your air lines and fittings. A 6 inch wrench is usually sufficient for removing the hoses and fittings and is small enough to also work well for some of the smaller nuts & bolts you may run into as well.

Knife
Like a pliers, a knife is another one of those tools that have 101 uses. From cutting macroline and lp tubing to trimming burrs off your hopper neck, I use mine all the time. I personally prefer a hobby knife (x-acto), but a general utility knife or one of those break-off disposable knives work well too. Make sure whatever you use is heavy duty and sharp.

Other Gear

There are also a few other items that I always make sure I have in my field kit. Mainly these are things that make field repairs easier or that help get the marker back in working order when a problem occurs.

Paper Towels
Paper towels are useful for wiping paint splats between games. I find them particularly useful for cleaning up a hopper after a ball break. I also use them to clean my gun prior to working on it. And of course they are useful for cleaning your goggles too.

Towel
A terry cloth towel is also an indespesable part of any field kit. It also can be used for cleanign gear (especially at the end of the day), but its best use is as a make-shift workbench. Small parts won't roll around on it and it won't scuff your marker. I prefer a white towel because parts are easy to locate, but any towel will do. A towel can also be useful to cover your car seat on the trip home too (if you get particualry dirty).

Teflon Tape
Teflon tape is indespensable whenever you have a leak in an air fitting. Granted, an air leak isn't that common, but it you play enough it will happen. In some cases you can fix the leak by tightening the fitting, but you usually have to remove a hose to do this. You'll need the teflon tape for the hose you just removed.

Electrical Tape
Of all the tapes I include in my field kit, electrical tape is the one I use the most. It works particuparly well around your hopper neck for snugging up the fit with your gun. It can also be used as a temporary patch for a craked loaded or a loose grip panel. Duct tape would be a close second for me but I like electrical tape because it streches so well (you can stretch it really thin for use with your loader) and because it doesn't leave a sticky residue (unless you leave it on too long).

Marker Oil/Lube
Ok, oil or lube is something you should NEVER BE WITHOUT. A few drops in your ASA before starting play each day really does wonders for keeping your marker in workign order. And if you have to disassemble anything you'll want to use a little oil when reassembling. The choice of lubricant is up to you - just make sure it's not pretroleum based because petroleum eats o-rings. I usually just use general purpose paintball oil but in a pinch I've been known to use automatic tranmission fluid. (Yes, I said automatic transmission fluid! It's synthetic and $2 of fluid will last a lifetime. I always keep a small bottle as a backup in my field kit. :-) Check with your owner's manual though because some markers have particular requirements for lubrication.

Tank O-rings
Of al lthe o-rings used in your marker, you tank o-rings are by far the ones you replace the most. So make sure you have a few spares in your field kit. Commercial fields will have plenty of these on hand, though, so this is not essential unless you play renegade. They're pretty cheap insurance in any case.

Barrel Squeegee or Swab
If you've got one, you'll find you use your squeegee a lot between games. Even if you don't have any balls break in your barrel it's nice to start each game with a sqeaky clean barrel. Some people even carry them on the field (in a special holster) to use in-game. Whether you use a stick squeegee, a pull-through, or a swab is up to your personal preference.

Dowel
I always keep a dowel. It's useful for cleaning the inside of your receiver or loader neck. Just wrap a towel around it and you have a makeshift cleaning swab. This is not as necessary if you happen to have a barrel swab, but the dowel is useful for clearing stuck paintballs, etc. as well.

Marker-specific items
Most markers come with some basic repair items - usually a cup seal and a couple of o-rings. Be sure you include these in your field kit. There's nothing more frustrating than to have your marker break and then realize the part to fix it is sitting on your dresser at home! If you have a Spyder or Spyder-clone, you might also want to consider investing in a spring kit. This can save the day when you can't seem to get your markers velocity under 300 fps.

Toolbox
The last item you'll need is something to keep your stuff in. How fancy you get is up to you. An old shoe box will work. Or a $2 rubbermaid container. I personally prefer a flat compartment box - the type you can usually find at carft and hobby stores. Some people prefer a small tool box. Again, it's compeltely up to you what you keep everything in.

Optional Items

Ok, now that you've got the basics, there are a few other things you will want to consider adding to your field kit as time goes on. I'll admit that many of these items are more likely used for at-home repairs rather than field repairs, but you may find them useful (I have them in my kit).

Locking Pliers
Also known as Vice-Grips, a set of locking pliers can be useful for holding parts when you're makign repairs. They can also be useful for removing stuck parts - be careful when using them since the jaws can easily mar the softer aluminum on your paintball gun.

Precision Screwdrivers
A set of precision screwdrivers can be very useful if you need to work on an electroinc marker. Most electronics have screws too small for regular screwdrivers so a precision set is essential in these cases. Precision scredrivers are also useful as small probes for fixing stuck parts or extracting small parts that fall into places they don't belong.

Needle Files
Files are not commonly needed for most paintball repairs but they are useful in some cases. I once had a classic Spyder develop a burr on the bolt. I'm not sure how it happened but I suspect a bit of sand got in somehow. The burr kept the marker from cycling. About 30 seconds with a needle file fixed the problem and the marker has worked perfect ever since.

Diagonal cutters
Besides their obvious use, a set of wire cutters can be very useful in making emergency spring adjustments. If you ever have a marker that you just can't get under max velocity, cutting a coil or two off the hammer spring will usually fix your velocity problem.

Strap Wrench
Ok, maybe a strap wrench really isn't needed for use at the field, but it sure does come in handy if you need to make any tank adjustments. (Make sure you know what you're doing before messing with your tank though!)

O-ring repair kit
In addition to the tank o-rings and the o-rings that came originally with your marker, you might want to consider investing in a general purpose o-ring repair kit. These are usually not much more expensive than a marker-specific repair kit and have the advantage of being able to repair most every marker. If you have more than one type of marker this is really the way to go.

No-fog Cloth or Spray
Some people like using no fog on their goggles. If you're one of them, having a no fog cloth or a bottle of no fog spray is a good thing to add to your field kit. Be sure you DO NOT use window cleaner like Windex as this can weaken the polycarbonate lenses.

Zip Ties
Zip ties can be used as temprorary fixes for various parts that become loose. You never really know when one of these will come in handy.

Window Cleaner
Ok, I've already said you shouldn't use this on your goggles, but a bottle of Windex can be useful for cleaning off your marker between games. Especially if you have a marker with a lot of external parts (like an Autococker). I've found that the cheap window works every bit as good an Windex brand for this purpose.

Putting It Together

As you can see, most of the stuff that goes in a basic field kit are readily available items and should not be real expensive. You don't have to get everything at once either. You can easily build a field kit yourself or you can sometime find them prepackaged right here on Ebay -- the choice is yours. Once you have one I think you'll find that you'll become real popular at your local field :-).

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!