Newbie going to Paintfest 2014

[Connor Nourse]

so im still pretty new to the sport, and i've been talked into going to paintfest, so it will be my first event and im quite unsure about a few things, any help would be appreciated! when would be the best time to buy the ticket? i dont want to buy it too early and then change my mind, but as it gets closer to the time the might be sold out? also, how much money should i bring for paint, food etc and are there gunna be stands and stuff? where i would be able get products maybe for cheaper then regularly? and what type of clothes should i bring for relaxing when games arent on? i heard there was going to be a party and also camping gear? surely i wouldnt need a big tent? and would it be worth bringing my own food maybe? sorry for the long post but not sure how else to put it thanks

 

[K.C.]

I have been to a few big games over the years and I have always thought if it as camping but I have to bring my paintball gear. I take what I would regularly take camping so comfortable clothes good pair of trainers/boots my sturdy tent and all the usual gubins if your going to take your own food you will only really want dry goods as paintfest is at the hight of the British "summer". Don't forget a back up marker, and servicing equipment don't want to be out of the game on the first day.
They do usually have trade stalls I would assume paintfest to be the same but have never gone and you do find things maybe cheaper at the event but don't expect miracles. And then the paint you need to look at how mush I usually use when you play at a walk on then I usually times that by 2 for each day depending on what I am intending on doing at the event
Hope this helps

 

[K.C.]

I and best time to buy the ticket is if you are sure you are going really. But the prices usual go up for the last few weeks

 

[Connor Nourse]

cheers man! will definitely take it all in

 

[frenchy2475]

I have been to paintfest a fair few times and they have a big trade area selling all the main brands at good prices and you can also purchase all your paint. Paint prices range from about 25-35 a box depending on quality. The last time I went I used about 4 boxes for the big game on the Sunday. I wouldn't worry about the tickets being sold out but it's worth noting that the longer you leave it the more expensive the tickets will be.

 

[Tom]

Best time to buy - the earlier the better to benefit from times discounts, and to minimise the risk of selling out. But if you can't be sure that you can attend the saving you get for paying early is wasted if you can't turn up at all

Food is reasonably priced, however it is in vans at an event. So not the cheapest in the world, but definately not a rip off or at music festival prices, it's also good food and not basic burger vans
Mc Donald's is also next door (mc d is right beside the normal npf entrance, but on the opposite side of the site from the paintfest entrance.). Last year I encountered people masked up walking through the game zones with their takeaways

For paint you have all grades £25 to £35 per case is a good estimate
The quantity you need is hard to estimate for your first scenario as compared to walkons etc. When in game you can be playing all day long, so could shoot vastly more than at a walkon sure you could play for 30 minutes at a time, or you could shoot less as you have more time to sneak around etc
It's also a true paintball festival with numerous activites, time to wander looking at shiney things and chilling / socializing. If you have the money budget for double your normal paint quantity at up to £35 a case, and you may use less. If you don't have the money play to how much you are willing to spend and if it's going too rapidly then calm down your trigger finger

Clothing - wear what you like. But be prepared for British weather. Last year was boiling hot (I dehydrated badly) and torrential rain on Saturday night. Be ready for hot and prepared for the worst

You do need your own tent. It does not have to be big, just enough for you to sleep in
But camping is free. Catering is there but you may fancy your own stuff to eat, drink first thing and last thing

There will be plenty of traders, you can get deals and buy things for less then normal. But it depends on the deals they have. Worst case is that the products you want cost the standard price, no postage, you can look it over and get it straight away. If there is something you realy want then contact a trader in advance to make sure they bring it - you are not always commuted to take it, but it's polite to say if you are definately buying or are interested in checking it out

 

[Connor Nourse]

cheers guys! cracking advice and with the grades to paint, whats the difference? people always say stuff about getting better paint but im never sure whats the difference between them...

 

[Ben H]

You don't really need the higher grade paints which tend to be softer when your playing in the woods, last year we shot some dye which was awful as when shooting through small bushes etc it was bursting in front of us, yet when switching to the lower grades available it was fine. The pure bronze and silver shot really well last year and you can't really go wrong with them either. Try and shoot some different brands before you go and see which work better with your marker.

 

[Tom]

Grades can be like going to tesco and buying own brand items, you still have 3 choices :
Stripey label - cheap & cheerful, but not fantastic
Standard - fair price, decent, but nothing flashy
Finest - a bit of luxury, but over priced

The top paint may be the best grade, but in the tournament world the best is very fragile so that it almost guarantees a break on impact. Unless your pods are packed perfectly, your hopper is gentle, your gun is gentle and your barrel is spot on then you could be heading into grief with lots of breaks

Having the right weather and the right storage can make paint good, have the wrong circumstances and it can be rubbish

The best advice is to not buy paint straight away, look at what people are buying, ask the traders, look for someone with a similar style gun to you, ask how the paint is - even sometimes ask someone for a handful of theirs to try!


The short & simple way though is to see what people are buying and copy them.
Normally you can't go far wrong with the happy medium, once you've been around and seen how well your gun handles different brands and grades you will get an idea of what to go for

 

[Tom]

Back in the day in the woods we had spec ops paint. This was like bullets, guaranteed not to break in your gun no matter how you treat it, it would go throug grass, bushes and anything - probably trees
People didn't wipe - even if it didn't break on them they didn't fancy being shot again

Once upon a time me and a member of the opposition were face to face, each in a dip in the ground looking through the brush at each other and firing ball after ball, breaking through the brush but bursting part of the way - each time getting slightly further as they broke a path through
Eventually we got through - and shot each other's paintball - spec ops seemed guaranteed to break on impact with another spec ops


True story, not just nostalgia through rose tinted spectacles, the Marshall beside me commented on it!