Scenario Essentials - Hello Hydration My Old Friend

I've come to talk to you again,

Okay enough of the Simon and Garfunkel reference (if you didn't get it I feel bad for you) and onto the serious topic of today's post... Staying hydrated.

It can be easy to lose yourself in the heat of battle and forget that you're a working machine that needs certain fluids to stay operational. While you're out balling on the field, your body's using up a lot of water to keep you cool, supply your organs, and keep your brain from cooking under that mask. To replenish your lost fluids I've come up with a couple of systems you might want to look into in order to keep yourself hydrated.

The Camel:

This is my personal favourite so I'm letting it take the top spot. If you're puttering around your local Canadian Tire, Sport Chek or really ANY store with an outdoor sporting goods section, you'll want to look into what's called a hydration pack or 'camel pack'.

It's a pretty simple design folks, just a rubber or plastic bladder inside a slim backpack with a long drinking tube allowing you easy access to its contents. All you need to do is fill this puppy up before you hit the field and fix the mouthpiece in a location where you can easily bring it to your lips for a drink. Do this and you're ready to rock.

I should also mention some information compiled by a few of my fellow allied soldiers for the upcoming Invasion of Normandy scenario at Skirmish Paintball, Albrightsville Pennsylvania, USA. Between Matthew Moss, Nathan Ale and Anth Connor the tested and recommended ratio for your camel pack beverage should consist of either alternating 2 units of water for every unit of Gatorade, or simply pre-mix your Gatorade with the same 2:1 H20:Gatorade ratio before hitting the field as this will keep your hydration more consistent and as we all know, consistency is key.

Of course there are other ways to stay hydrated that don't require the purchase of extra gear, and I'm about to get to those, but as I said, for ease of access and the fact that it reduces your time spent in the pits getting drinks etc, this is my personal favourite.

The MacGyver:

This one's for the players who simply don't want to bother with purchasing the  whole hydration pack and who just want to be able to nip a sip while they're out on the field. It takes a little bit of ingenuity (and duct tape) but it will provide you wil satisfactory hydration while out on the field.

Materials:

• Duct tape
• Slim Powerade Bottle (Powerade with the 'nipple valve' bottle tops will be needed)
• Pod Pack (You should have one of these anyway)
• Flexible rubber tubing
• Duct Tape (too important to only list once)
• Large Ziplock bag
• Hot Glue Gun (Optional, but it sure helps)
• Funnel

Essentially you're about to construct your own hydration pack but this one's going to be put in place of a pod of ammunition... I know, I know, how dare I suggest you sacrifice ammunition capacity but let's face it, you can't exactly be painting faces when you're passed out from dehydration and heatstroke right? Right.

Construction Procedure:

1. Drink the beverage... Why waste it right?
2. Use the hot glue gun or duct tape to seal the zippered side of the Ziplock bag.
3. Cut a triangle out of one corner of the Ziplock bag. Any corner that is NOT met by the zipper will do.
4. Glue the cut-out corner to the inside of the bottle top, making sure not to get glue into the threads.
5. Feed one end of the rubber tubing through the nipple valve and into the plastic bag, then glue it in place (applying glue around the valve)
6. Insert plastic bag into the Powerade bottle and screw on the top.
7. Place narrow end of the funnel (obviously) into the drinking end of the rubber tube and pour your beverage into the plastic bag bladder.
8. Fix rubber tubing in place up your back and over your shoulder with duct tape.
9. Sip as required.

Again, this one forces you to construct your own bladder system, but it's cheaper than buying a $30-$50 hydration pack. For the most part this thing's only going to be good for a weekend or so, but if you're only playing one long-engagement event over the summer, this might be all that you need.

Of course there's always room for improvement and innovation, and I encourage people to create their own designs but this is just a little something I constructed back when I was in elementary school as a science project... Figured its time had finally arrived :)

The Sippy Cup:

This one's dead simple but it takes more time to use on-field and therefore is less tactically sound than the other suggested systems.

As I said, it's dead simple. Buy the previously mentioned rubber tubing and powerade bottle, but don't go mucking around "MacGyvering" things. Just keep both the tubing and the filled bottle with you on the field and feed the tube up under your mask and down into the top of the bottle whenever you need a drink. This is going to require setting down your marker or using a sling for it, but it's bare bones as far as effort and cost... Just don't try to get a drink during a firefight.

Summary:

No matter what you do, staying hydrated is ESSENTIAL when playing paintball. It's too easy to forget, but too important to ignore your hydration so play it safe when you're out there slinging the paint and make sure to use either a camel pack, the "MacGyver" system, the sippy cup or simply more frequent pit stops to make sure you don't succumb to the heat and overexertion.

As for my buddies, Nate, Matt and Anth, you can check out their team pages on Facebook:

• Team Hellbent for Matt and Nate: https://www.facebook.com/TeamHellBent 
• The One Eyed Demons for Anth and company: https://www.facebook.com/oed.paintball?fref=ts

Paintball's an extremely fun sport, and it's also just as safe when people keep to the rules and wear the proper equipment. Don't let heatstroke and dehydration keep you from making the most of your marker this summer. Get out there and play, but play safe!

And as always my fellow noobs, keep calm and throw paint!

Joshua J. Taylor - The 'Noob' Baller

Arsenal Expansion - VOTE

Hey everyone, this is going to be the shortest update in Noob Baller history... I'm holding a vote to see what everyone thinks I should choose as my next marker and the vote is between Pistols and Pumps.

You can weigh in with YOUR vote by following this link to the Facebook poll:
https://www.facebook.com/questions/265414190264191/

PLEASE guys, I'd like to see what your opinions are concerning my next marker choice. Also, if you've got the minute to spare, comment on the question with your recommendation as to WHICH pump or pistol marker I should look into and why :)

Thanks and as always, keep calm and throw paint!!!

Joshua J. Taylor - The 'Noob' Baller

Shopping List - A5 --> M4 Modern Assault

So I've decided on where I want my A5 to go as far as shrouds are concerned and here's what I'm looking at...

The Modification Station:

This here is the Tactical-Mod M4 Modern Assault Kit for the Tippmann A5 2011-Present. It includes:

• 1 x 416 Body Shroud
• 1 x CTR Stock w/ Metal Shaft
• 1 x M4 Gas-Through Magazine
• 1 x AFG Angled Fore Grip
• 4 x Ladder Rail Covers

Now I'm looking to add a red dot to the top rail as well as a flashlight to the right side front rail but all things in due time. As-is, with just the conversion kit and dot sight I'm looking at it's going to cost me around $200.00 before taxes so budgeting is a serious concern. I also have to accommodate for the fact that the M4 kit doesn't have iron sights along the top rail so a sight of some sort is going to be a must. If I get the sudden inspiration to blow an extra chunk of cash I might go with the ACOG replica over a red dot but it all depends on the almighty dollar am i right?

So what do you guys think? I know it's a personal choice, but I always like input. I'm hoping to add a little more control to my marker as well as some improved accuracy. Now, I realize that improving a marker's accuracy comes down more to barrel type and ammunition but having a sight system that you can work with? Hey if you're able to have more effect than just firing from the hip it's always a good thing.

Honestly folks, I learned a lot about how I like to play from my weekend balling at the PRZ field opener back in April and I'm going to run with that instinct. I hope that you'll all run with me on this one because I'd love to share my experiences with you.

ION Update:

As many of you (and all of my avid readers will know), I'm heading down to Pennsylvania in July for Skirmish Paintball's Invasion of Normandy scenario. What you might not know is that I sent my $$$ down to a friend in order to reserve some half-priced paint for the event and the money arrived safe and sound. I am now officially 'in' for 165$ and my nerves are starting to jump.

I should also note that ALL credit to getting me registered goes to my father who let me use his credit card for the online registry. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be going at all so thanks, and a happy belated birthday to ya daddyo!

As always folks... Keep calm and throw paint!

Joshua J. Taylor - The 'Noob' Baller

The Kit Connection - Minor Upgrades

Hey guys, a little bit of news regarding the future of my paintball kit. I figure with each passing event I'm going to try and add one more piece to my gear and tonight's update comes with one new item, and a couple of accessories on-deck.

Newest Addition:

Keep it simple stupid ;)

What can you add to your kit as a scenario player that's cheap and actually stands a chance of helping you out in the field? If you play a lot of woodsball scenarios, a couple pieces of CADPAT gear never hurt. Today my dad was nice enough to spontaneously buy me a simple CADPAT t-shirt that I'd been put on my upgrades shopping list over at Hero Army Surplus. Now, my upgrade list wasn't compiled purely based on the Hero catalogue but with the shop being local we just dropped in and it was an easy buy.

Yup, a dead-simple digital woodlands camo t-shirt is the latest upgrade to my kit albeit a rather mundane one. To be fair, until now I was playing with a long-sleeved black t-shirt that was far too warm and simply unsuitable for the upcoming Invasion of Normandy scenario at Skirmish Paintball which'll involve a lot of woodland combat.

Now I know, there are a lot more players out there with a lot more gear so what's a single t-shirt going to do for me? Essentially, if it comes down to a split-second draw and you're the only one with any level of concealment, you're going to hold a distinct advantage over your opponent.

I'm not saying you should go all-out and ghillie up, but a little camouflage never hurt.

On Deck:

As I've already mentioned, I'm looking to add more to my kit and a couple of items have come to the forefront. Now I'm not choosing these items based on some concept of "every new player should go in this order" because I've seen videos that claim there's a "perfect" order in which to buy upgrades but honestly, this isn't a video game where your needs have the same progression no matter who's playing. Your gear should adapt to the way you play, not the other way around. If your mentality has you wanting to hit the field one way, don't buy gear that works against what your mind's already good at doing. 

As an example, if you love getting up-close and personal, breaching rooms and other CQB tactics, don't go gearing yourself up with a sniper's kit because it's only going to get you killed. conversely, if you want to hang back and pick guys off to support your frontline teammates, buying a speedball marker and a 'Pinocchio' hopper. Sure you'll be able to keep heads down, but sniping will be almost completely out of the question and you're going to burn through a LOT of paint which means a LOT of money. This graphic, though unrelated to paintball, should give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

See the adorable little soldier sprites here? See how each one has different gear to go with their roles and the situations they'll be facing? This is how you should work your kit. 

I'm not saying that you need full body armour and camouflage equipment, I've already covered the whole "Tacti-cool" issue but put it this way... If stealth is your objective, don't go throwing on neon clothing and running around with bells on your shoes. If you're looking to be a one-man fireteam, odds are a single pistol and no back-up magazines just isn't going to cut it on the field. There's a time and place for everything out there guys (except spiders... I hate spiders) so figure out what works for YOU and then -though I hate to quote a soft-drink commercial- "do you". It's corny and far too cliche for my usual tastes but it works when it comes to organizing your kit.

Back to the matter-at-hand though... On-Deck Upgrades are:

Gloves: 

Standard personal protection. I got dinged a time or two on my hands and wrists back in April and so it might be a good idea to add a pair of armoured gloves to my set-up to keep from bruising my digits. I didn't have my game impaired by hand hits though as I only suffered three over the course of the weekend so these come in at a slightly lower priority for me in contrast to what other players have told me.

Tactical Light: 

There's going to be some guaranteed night-fighting this summer and if it goes anything like the night game I played in during the PRZ field opener, a flashlight with an added strobe function will come in handy for sure. Going from peering down a dark hallway to having a flickering light in your face makes it nearly impossible to get an accurate shot off.

Walkie-Talkies:

Definitely in the 'left field' portion of my potential upgrades but I almost always find myself closely allied with one or two individuals and communication can be extremely important especially if you're trying any maneuvers more complicated than "run in that direction and shoot anyone coming this way". They can be a good way to keep informed if you're shot and want to keep up-to-date on the situation as it changes during your re-insertion delay.   

Smoke Grenades: 

Again, PRZ's home opener was an eye-opener for me as to the usefulness of these little treats. One properly-used smoke grenade can help you clear a building where you stand to lose an equivalent value in paint. We managed to surrender 8-9 players in one building by lobbing in a cold smoke grenade. Those things smell and taste nasty, and where the rules permit'em, they can definitely swing the momentum in your favour.

Suggestions?

Well here's what it comes down to readers. Although I don't typically like letting others tell you what to do as it pertains to customizing your gear, I would appreciate some input from all of you. If you've used any of these items I'd like your opinions on them and how they've affected your game. None of them have any situation-specific nature so I have no problems asking for generalized information and as such, any personal experiences with them would be greatly appreciated! You can add your opinions, comments, questions etc in the "comments" area below the post :)

Thanks everyone, and remember...

Keep calm and throw paint!

Joshua J. Taylor - The 'Noob' Baller