back up marker

i used to keep an etek as backup to my geo2 and to be perfectly honest it was just wasted money sitting in a bag not getting used. So if you've already got a decent marker then i wouldn't bother, just bring along a good toolkit and make sure you maintain your marker well, so if in the unlikely situation you run in to problems you can fix them. Or if you're constantly having problems with your current marker, upgrade or change to something else rather than burning more money by getting a back up to a rubbish gun.
besides, if you are playing any sort of race format and have a spare player or 2 in the pits, you'll have a spare setup ready just in case.

One thing i will recommend more than anything is a backup hopper. these go down waaaay more than guns, especially if you get shot in the speedfeed it turns it in to complete soup. plus it was my rotten luck that i managed to break 2 lids in 2 events at the end of last year so having a spare one ready to go was great to be able to just swap them over between points, and then get a new lid put in after the game was finished.

not going to lie it does happen to us all where a gun will completely die but i've found that on the very rare occasions it does happen, i've been able to get by just borrowing another setup until i can fix it. Although if, like you say, you are set on getting a backup you are best getting something that doesn't tie down a lot of cash as it probably won't get used all that much. for that reason i'd suggest something along the line of a smart parts vibe or whatever the new GoG equivalent is. To be honest it just has to be something that shoots 10.5bps so basically just whatever you can get your hands on for cheap so 2nd hand DMs etc could be good.

Don't know if it would help at all but my toolbox for tourneys has all my tools (allen keys, screw drivers, plier multitool, strap wrench, oring pick) orings, screws and lube and a dry cloth for wiping down bolts and things. on top of that having some spare batteries and some air fittings like burst disks, macroline fittings and some spare macroline covers pretty much anything that is going to go wrong at a tournament. oh and a bit of locktite/plumbers tape too!
key to everything is prevention though so don't leave it until the first morning of the tourney to check your gun works and if possible test it over a chronograph and you'll be sweet.

hope this helps

etek

haha you'd be surprised its not big tools and oring kits you need, all fits comfortably in a little toolbox maybe just over a foot long. etek isn't that bad a shout actually, could probably pick up an etek 2 now for around £100-150 think i sold my etek 2 for 250 back not long after the etek3 was released.

gen differences are minute, a hole in the poppet was one upgrade & a different size o rings on the power tip was the second, the third was different eye logic... all to prevent breaks, which good batteries do anyway on a mini, duracells for the win