The honest answer: not much. Most paintball venues — including ours — provide everything you need to play. The kit, the marker, the paintballs, the marshals. What you bring is what you wear, what you’ll change into after, and the practical bits in between.
Here’s the actual checklist.
The Essentials Checklist
- What you’re wearing — long sleeves, long trousers, sturdy shoes you don’t mind getting muddy. Full clothing guide here.
- A complete change of clothes — for the journey home. Mud and paint don’t mix well with car seats.
- A plastic bag — for the muddy clothes/shoes. Bin liners work; supermarket carrier bags don’t really hold up.
- Water bottle — paintball is more physical than people expect. The Log Lodge has water available too, but having your own saves trips.
- ID — for adult sessions, age verification might be checked. For kids, the parent’s ID is enough.
- Cash or card — for top-up paintballs, food, or anything else not pre-booked.
- Booking confirmation — on your phone is fine.
Optional but Useful
- Snack/energy bar — between games, fuel up. Paintball burns through calories.
- Sunglasses or sunscreen — in summer. Goggles cover your eyes during play but the breaks aren’t shaded.
- Beanie or thin gloves — in winter. Both fit under/with the kit.
- Plasters / blister tape — if you’re prone to blisters and breaking in trainers. Most people don’t need it.
- Camera/phone — for photos in the safe zone, not during play. Lockers available for valuables.
- Hand sanitiser — between games when you’ve handled paint-covered kit.
What NOT to Bring
- Anything you’d be heartbroken to lose or break — expensive watches, irreplaceable jewellery, anything fragile.
- Loose jewellery — necklaces, dangly earrings, bracelets. Body armour straps catch on them.
- Your own paintball gun / kit (unless you’ve checked with the venue) — most public sessions only allow venue-issued markers.
- Alcohol — most venues won’t run paintball with anyone visibly drunk. Save it for after.
- Inappropriate footwear — open-toed shoes, sandals, brand-new white trainers, football boots with metal studs (banned). Old trainers or walking boots only.
For Kids’ Birthday Parties
If you’re sending a child:
- Long sleeves, long trousers, old trainers — same as adults
- Complete change of clothes including socks (kids’ shoes flood with mud)
- Plastic bag for the journey home
- Water bottle
- Snack — energy levels dip after game 3 of 5
- Name labels on coats and bottles if it’s a 10+ kid party — saves 15 minutes of “is this yours?” at pickup
For very young players (8–10), some parents pack a small comfort item (favourite jumper for the journey home). Optional but reasonable.
For Stag / Hen Groups
- Same essentials as anyone else
- Don’t wear stag/hen fancy dress to paintball — bring it for the pub after. Mud + sequined sashes = ruined sashes.
- Cash for top-up paintballs (you’ll burn through them faster than you think)
- Phone camera in the safe zone for the moment-of-shame group photo
For Corporate Days
- Same essentials
- Briefing email to the team 1 week before with the dress code, arrival time, what to bring, what we provide
- Lanyards / badges off — body armour catches on them
- Laptop bag in the locker, not on the field
If You Forget Something
The most-forgotten items: change of clothes, water bottle, plastic bag for muddy gear. We don’t sell change-of-clothes (obviously) but we have water available and bin liners on request. The minor disasters are recoverable. For the full first-time experience including kit fitting and the briefing, see your first time at paintball; for the rules, paintball rules explained.
The really-can’t-forget items: closed shoes, long trousers, ID for over-18 sessions. Without those, you can’t play.
Ready to Pack?
It’s a pretty short list. The main thing is: old clothes, change of clothes, plastic bag, water. Everything else is optional or provided.
