Camoflauging your paintball marker

As you pack up for your next woodsball game, you likely look through all your gear to make sure you don't forget anything. At least I do (I learned that lesson the hard way). Paint and air? Check. Cammies? Check. Mask, nicely ghillied? Check. Vest, which just happens to match your cammies? Check. (for all the grief we give each other.. none of us minds looking sharp out on the field). Big, ominous, black marker? Check.Now, for your average recreational woodsball player, having a black marker isn't a big deal. It's tactical. It looks slick. And it sure doesn't stick out as much as those guys with their neon sign flashbang markers. But for a player who is serious about his stealth, that blotch has to go. After all, you can get away with a boot often enough, it's tucked in a bush. But you've got to point that marker at an opponent. So not only will it be exposed, you'll likely be moving it. And as any good stealth-oriented player knows, movement draws attention like one of those flashbangs would.

There are a couple of easy options. The cheapest, and easiest way to subdue your marker, would be to just toss an old subdued shirt on it, tie it down at a couple of points, and let it be. It's a temporary solution, and it can snag on brush, or even any external moving parts on the marker. That said, in a pinch, it'll give you the concealment you're looking for.

The next step along that line is to full out ghillie your marker. This takes more time and thought, since you'll probably want to make a removeable cover that will last. Almost a slipcover, but more manly. Once you have a base of some sort, you can begin attaching burlap, vinyl leaf, or Action Ghillie. If you do a good job, you can minimize snags, and you'll have some of the best passive camoflauge out there for the task at hand. Goodbye telltale-black signpost labeled "Sniper here."

Oftentimes players find that a ghillie gunwrap suits their needs perfectly. However, over time, players who charge through the woods will find their ghillie snagging far too often, or falling apart. There is a more permanent and appealing option, although not for the faint of heart. Painting.I'm not talking about a rattlecan job here, although that can do a nice job in a pinch too. For the ultimate in stealth, marker protection, and let's admit it, just looking downright classy, Duracoat has proven itself to be the way to go. More durable and more customizable than annodizing, Duracoat is a chemical-based paint that "bakes" onto the surface of your marker, and is downright indestructible (and doesn't snag on brush!). With some equipment on hand, you can do a duracoat job yourself, but I'll warn you from experience, prepare to take a LOT of time to do it, and do it right. Or, of course, there are painting specialists who do it for a living, if you've got the cash.

So, if you've been looking for that edge, look into camo, from a different light.