To be very simple, it hurts to get hit with a paintball – particularly in the head. Fortunately, a blow to the skull with a paintball will not cause serious injury, however will leave bruising, extreme pain and a few moments in your game you will want to forget. In games with rough terrain or ones that are extremely active, it’s also important to protect your head from hitting a rock or the ground. Therefore, it’s usually a good idea for the serious player to invest in a quality paintball helmet.
Unlike the paintball mask, the paintball helmet is not generally considered an essential piece of equipment; no rule mandates that a player has to use one. Still, a good helmet will provide extra protection against injury, and a well-made model can be a nice touch when trying to finish out a solid looking uniform. The right paintball helmet can turn a simple set of camouflage into a well-designed tactical uniform.
Most helmets are available in the color black, but some styles also come in olive, grey or tan. Match the color helmet with the color uniform you wear; for example, an olive paintball helmet with a woodland camouflage outfit, or a black helmet to match a black SWAT team uniform. With matching gloves, same color tactical vest and awesome hi-tech looking mask with dark black lenses, you will look exactly like a modern soldier or law enforcement officer.
As an added fashion note, you can also purchase replaceable, re-useable helmet covers. The covers are made of a thick, durable material and come in nearly every camouflage or color used in combat. Helmet covers customize your helmet to match whatever color outfit you’re wearing with the exact material. This accessory is cheap and a great way to get more out of your tactical paintball helmet.
Paintball helmets are typically made of construction helmet quality plastic, lightweight metal, or a combination of both. They are extremely sturdy, will virtually never break, and offer complete protection from paintballs. In almost every instance, you will not even feel the impact.
When choosing a paintball helmet, make sure you choose a model that fits over your existing paintball mask. Masks that provide full or even partial head coverage will generally not fit under a tactical helmet. For a helmet to fit correctly on top of a paintball mask, the mask must be made for face-only protection. Also, make sure the helmet you choose has a quality chin strap or some other method of securing it firmly to your head.
Most helmets are one size fits all with adjustable straps, but if you can it’s best to to try on your helmet before buying it (though, of course, this is impossible when buying from the internet, now the most common way people get paintball helmets). Fortunately, though, most helmets will fit most adults pretty well as sold, and are fairly comfortable to most users with little or no modification.
Another benefit of being able to try on a paintball helmet before purchasing is to check it’s ventilation. Most paintball helmets have adequate air flow and this is never an issue, however cheaper models (often on the lowest end of the price scale) may leave your head hot, sweaty and uncomfortable. Fortunately, most low to mid range paintball helmets have good enough ventilation systems.
You can also purchase helmets with technological accessories, as well. For example, there are tactical paintball helmets which include a small camera attached to their side. With this option, you can record game action with your helmet cam for later download to the internet, as well as as a valuable study tool for developing tactical strategy. Some helmet models feature tracks for attachment of night vision goggles and velcro straps made for sights and binoculars.
The paintball helmet is a great addition to every tactical paintball uniform, whether your covered in camouflage clothing or wearing sneakers and shorts. Besides the way they look, helmets are also great for the protection they provide to your head from active play and flying paintballs. Most helmets for paintball range from $25-$150.
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