Playin' Paintball in the Rain   I had slid eight feet past my bunker, so I just kept going. I did a genius roll up onto my feet and then belly-flopped with a slash into the next bunker. The   rain and paint never stopped pouring down, and I smiled gleefully as I snuggled up in my new bunker. Protected from their back men, I would tear savagely into their exposed and unwary center. But even as I smiled, I knew I was screwed. Ten feet away I could see my hopper, half immersed in a puddle, the lid open, paint soup pouring out. The rain came down harder.     There are only two reasons for playing paintball in the rain:     1) It's a prepaid scenario game with no refunds or credits;     2) You're HARDCORE!     In the scenario situation, you can be sure there'll be a bunch of other prepaid players out there ready to make the best of it. Scenarios lend themselves to crazy situations, and rain just adds another dimension of fun. Hardcores are the ones who will play ball in any weather, rain or shine. However, hardcores need to run in the company of others like them,   or they'll get stuck playing speedball alone. If play you must, there are things you can do to make your rainy day better. You may ask what's better than sliding around in the mud laughing and shooting at other laughing and shooting players. The answer: "Getting into clean, dry clothing and shoes afterward." In other words, plan ahead, follow some simple rules, and you'll enjoy your rainy-day experience 100 times better.   Rule #1: Pack Spare Clothing Consider your clothing. You'll want to stay dry as long as you can. Chafing before lunch is unacceptable. The solution is rain gear. You need not be too concerned about camouflage because rain creates a gray world of mist. Light rain, however, has less impact on camouflage utility. In any case, you're not going to want to wear your yellow slicker in the field. A good inexpensive option is a cheap plastic green poncho. They're pretty easy to find and cost only about $6. Clear, gray, or black are the other color options to consider. Try your poncho on at home first, over your usual paintball garb, to see whether you need to make adjustments. I use a rope belt to cinch mine tight; you may prefer a looser hang. In the worst case, you can resort to the Jackie O garbage-bag trick. Slice two holes in either side of a large garbage bag for your arms and one in the bottom for your head. Trim to fit just below your waist (or lower, but don't impede your leg movement). Your feet are going to get wet. Sneakers are not good for rainy play. Not only will they get soaked through, but they will also usually begin to fall apart from any hard playing in that condition. Boots are better, waterproof or not, and if you're not a slosher, you may get end the game with dryish feet. Gore-tex socks and your usual high-top cleats are the best combo, as cleats are stronger than sneakers and give better traction than most boots. Your pants will be wet no matter what. Normal BDUs are fine when wet; blue jeans, however, tend to get very stiff, as do other heavier-weight pants. Ripstop cloth is lightweight and strong and dries out fast. Rain and snow pants are great, especially in gray tones, but they can get ripped and are expensive to replace. If you don't have a poncho with a hood, you'll need something to cover your head. Anything is better than nothing. A beanie hat is not rainproof, but it'll help keep you from feeling like a wet dog while waiting in the dead zone. The wetter your head, the more water and mist will get into your goggles. Your hands need protection. After a long day of balling in the rain, your hands will look like a floating corpse's. You can help them a little by rubbing in a lot of Vaseline before playing. Fishing gloves are the best, as they tolerate the water the best. All neoprene gloves will get clammy, but that's better than soppy. Household dishwashing gloves work decently, if you can get them in camouflage. Surgical gloves are acceptable, but they don't breathe at all. Regardless of what you can dig up, definitely wear gloves. Sodden hands are more prone to scratches, cuts, and gouges. How To Make A Hopper Cover Measure 12 inches across the bottom of a garbage bag. Slice a diagonal wedge (about 12" X 12" X 17") off the courner of the bag. That wedgewill fit like a bonnet on the hopper. Gather the lower end around the feed tube and secure it with a rubber band. It should be tight enough be so the top edge covers t0he hopper lid, but it can act as an umbrella when you reload.   Rule #2: Keep Your Balls Dry Nothing is worse than a wet paintball. Pack a few spare garbage bags. These work as cover for your staging and gear and can double as impromptu ponchos. Bring along the twist ties so you can close up the bag. Gallon-size bags work well as covers for heads, hoppers, and, with a little work, even your gun. Powerfeeds need to be covered especially. Sandwich bags are a perfect size for covering the tops of guppies. Since tape will generally not work in rain, rubber bands of varying sizes are very handy for securing plastic.   Rule # 3: No Ports in a Storm Shooting in the rain is a little different from the usual hose down. There will be considerably more barrel smoke than you're used to, even with HPA. If you have an unported barrel, bring it along. Porting lets water directly into the barrel, and that will result in looping shots. You can cover your favorite ported barrel easily enough with plastic wrap. A double layer secured with rubber bands is plenty. You can experiment with tight and loose wraps to see if you find a difference in performance. A dry, clean barrel is as important as the paint. A dry squeegee is going to be a coveted item. Keep your pull-through dry by putting it in a folded paper towel or kerchief, then storing it in a baggie. Carry spare swabs in a baggie if you only have a stick squeegee, and swap them out whenever you need to. If you're renting, you should still bring plastic. You can improvise on the field, and if you bring enough for your friends you'll be a hero. You may want to buy a squeegee if you don't have one. It's a great item for any player to own.   The Hell Fog Factor The worst thing about playing in the rain is the fog. Fog on the field is kind of cool, but fog in your goggles makes you feel as if you're in one of the deepest levels of hell. Regardless of the type of goggles, you are almost assuredly going to have fogging. If you're renting, do not skimp: Rent the best thermals available, and inspect them for scratches. Scratched lenses are par for the course with rentals, but if you can get a pair that's less scratched, all the better. If the rental goggles are fogging up terribly, ask for a new pair. Don't worry: They'll have plenty around, and you ARE paying for them. Regardless of your goggle source, you'll need to carry some spare dry paper towels onto the field.   Clearing your goggles midgame is a tricky business, but if you know how, it's safe and easy, and could save the day. Kneel down in good cover, facing away from the action. Spread your knees and lower your head toward the ground between them. Some goggle systems, especially rentals, don't provide much side protection, but your legs will help protect you from stray shots. Take a wad of clean dry paper towel in one hand, and with the other pull the bottom of your mask out from your face. NEVER remove your mask. Pull it out from your face just far enough for you to slip your hand in and wipe the lens with your paper towel. Keep that paper towel dry in a plastic baggie. Another way to combat fogging is to use a goggle fan. You can buy a system or make your own. If you can, switch the fan-blade direction so it blows air out instead of sucking rain in. If you have goggles with a sunshade, the direction may not matter.   Cheap Paintballs Suck in the Rain Paintballs are the single most important factor in any ball playing, rain or shine. Many fields provide different grades of field paint. Though no paintballs will fly perfectly in the rain, how they break will vary significantly. Paints with thinner fills won't show up so well if and when they break. A bright thick fill is going to be more noticeable, so don't cheat yourself out of all those eliminations by using cheaper paint. More expensive paint is often more consistent in roundness and will fly straighter than the cheaper kind. Because a paintball will have to dodge raindrops, you'll want to give it as much advantage as possible as it flies toward your opponents. By the way, body shots on a ponchoed player often bounce or go unnoticed due to the looseness of the garb. Aim for the goggles. It's a harder shot, but when the ball breaks there's little doubt in anyone's mind whether you've made the hit or not. If you're prepared, you'll have a blast in the rain. As long as you know you have dry clothes waiting in the car, you can go all out and wallow in it. Get wet and be proud-you're Hardcore.