This is the absolute basic entry point for beginners who are just getting into airsofting. We’re going to cover a basic setup including your clothing, safety gear, hydration packs, tactical boots and weapons/ammo. This post is aimed at beginner airsofters. If you’re not a beginner, check out our resources page.
Before you start
Before reading this, make sure you’re above the legal age to play airsoft in your state/country. This varies wildly depending on where you live, so make sure you’re aware of the local laws. Also make sure you consider your health if you are starting to play airsoft, it’s a physical sport and if you have pre existing health conditions like joint problems, heart conditions etc, you should consult with you doctor first.
Basic airsofting clothing
So the basics are pretty simple for beginners, you just want to make sure your skin is as covered as possible. The more confident and advanced you become, the less you’ll feel you need to cover up (I’ve seen some people playing with their whole faces except eyes uncovered!). The absolute essentials are listed here:
1: A basic neutral colored shirt
This neutral colored shirt is perfect for beginners. It’s warm, not TOO thick but it’s still going to take the sting out of getting shot when combined with a jacket, and it’s fairly cheap too. What you’re aiming for as a beginner is just to have enough padding on your body that it takes the sting out of the shots but it also doesn’t leave you too hot and unable to move.
2: Camo jacket
Now the thing with your jacket is, it’s going to be hard to take it off during the battle, so if you get too hot in your jacket, you’ll either have to deal with it or walk all the way back to the safe zone to change it. You want the lightest possible functional jacket you can find. Of course you’re probably worried about the pain of getting shot but once you’ve experienced that and know how painful it is, you’ll be able to better choose a jacket.
3: Long trousers
Long trousers are very important. Again this depends on where you’re playing and how cold it is, but where we play it’s always cold so long trousers are always required. Long trousers not only help you avoid painful hits to the calves, but they also protect you from insects and sharp objects in the wood (to some degree). The most important reason to wear them though, is because your LEGS are not naturally camoflaged, whereas trousers can be. It’s very easy to spot a pink leg wiggling around in the undergrowth.
4: Tough boots (Ideally waterproof)
Boots are your best friend, especially when the weathers bad. You want to be able to march through any sort of terrain whether it be mud, puddles or sharp uneven ground. Get some good boots right at the start, because you’ll only ruin your favorite pair of trainers if you don’t, and then have to buy boots anyway.
Best 3 beginners airsofting guns
Now before reading this list (It won’t be long) consider that these are the best airsoft weapons for absolute beginners. This is not the list of the best airsofting guns ever, it’s designed for beginners who aren’t used to airsoft and just need reliable, effective weapons that aren’t difficult to use or too heavy.
1: M4A1 assault rifle
This has got to be the best all around beginner airsoft weapon. Not only that, it’s probably in the top ten lists of best airsofting guns PERIOD. It’s so effective, rapid fire rate, and it rarely goes wrong. This gun makes many top lists of airsofting weapons for a reason, it just keeps going. It’s also not too heavy and fairly easy to move around, which as a beginner is going to be KEY.
2: G36 rifle
Now this is a bit more advanced, but still suitable for a beginner. It’s a little bit heavier, but this gun can really pull it’s weight. The g36 has a higher rate of fire (usually, depending on the model) and isn’t difficult to move around like it’s bigger competitors. As a beginner, this was the best airsoft gun I could find and I loved using it! Still do to this day in fact.
3: AK47 (The classic choice)
For beginners and advanced players alike, there’s no denying the AK47s place on this list. Look, if you’re a beginner you just want to get started, start running around and getting kills, THIS is your gun. It’s simple, good fire rate (not the highest) and great power for it’s size and weight.
Best airsoft ammo for beginners
1: V-Tac ammo
There’s no need to go overboard with ammo, and the chances are you’ll actually be GIVEN ammo (or given the chance to buy it)and with this bottle of ammo from V-Tac, you can’t go wrong. It’s always good to bring spares, and that goes for ANY airsoft gear you bring with you because you never know when something’s going to break at the wrong moment.
Tactical and safety gear for beginners
For beginners just starting to play airsoft, you’ll want to be as safe as possible. This means not taking risks that advanced airsofters probably take all the time. A pellet to the face (or anywhere) can really hurt, especially at close range. For this reason it’s advised to protect most of your face when you first get into airsoft.
1: Empire paintball face mask
Although this is technically a paintballing mask, it’s great for beginners because it gives you that feelig of being secluded and safe within your mask. Some of the more dedicated airsoft masks tend to feel very exposed and lightweight. Although that’s EXACTLY what you’ll want after a few games, for your first few, you’re going to be glad of the extra padding and protection that this paintball mask gives.
2: Airsofting gloves (Protect those knuckles!)
Knuckle shorts REALLY hurt, sespecially in the cold. Make sure you’ve got some good airsofting gloves. Now, the problem here is that you still need to be able to feel the contols and buttons on your weapon, and it’s really hard to reload with full fingered gloves on. This means you’re going to ideally want fingerless gloves like these:
Other tips and tricks
Here are some other useful bits of gear you’re going to want as a beginner. If yo’re reading this and thinking ‘I just wish there was a post on this site about more advance gear, or gear for a more experienced airsofter’ then don’t worry, it’s coming!
1: Water system
No matter what sport you do, it’s important to stay hydrated but it’s harder with airsofting because often we’re hundreds of thousands of feet away from our car and supplies when we’re playing an airsoft game. For this reason I always like to take water with me in a way that’s easy to carry, and for that you’ll need a hydration system like this.
