What to wear for Airsoft: Beginner Guide

Your airsoft gear should be safe and comfortable. This combo will help you succeed in your first game and ensure you have fun while the game lasts. Here are five things you should wear in your next match.

💡 If you’re going for your first game, don’t think too hard about camouflage – think about your shoes and head gear.

1. Eye/Face Protection

For the first game, you don’t need much – just plain construction glasses will do. Just make sure they have the proper specifications, as you don’t want them to break on you. Look at the safety rating of your desired eye pro for use. It should have the ANSI Z87 rating and for the EU it should be the EN 166B rating.

Of course, these cheap glasses tend to fog up, so if you later want, you can get better stuff, such as Josef’s favorite ESS glasses. Or you can do what the heaviest foggers out there prefer: get Anti Fog Glasses with the AFU, which still looks cool and prevents fogging regardless of how hard you try. More on that in a video if you want a deep dive:

here is an independent review of AFU

2. Boots

When playing for the first time, many people underrate their footwear when deciding what to wear. You’ll be on your feet for most, if not all of the game, so you should pick comfortable footwear that can support your ankles. Otherwise, you’ll compromise your comfort and risk spraining your ankle.

The best option for your loadout is a pair of combat boots or hiking boots. These shoes offer great ankle support and traction as you move around the field. But if you are playing on an indoor field, a pair of sneakers might do the job as well, but be careful. On an indoor field, there can be puddles of spend BBs everywhere, and that can lead to unfortunate slipping and falling on them. And that hurts. We usually opt for LOWA Zephyr Boots, but they are on the pricey end.

3. Ear Protection

Some airsoft games can get really loud, for example, in CQB indoor fields where grenades are allowed. That’s why it is wise to spend some money on a pair of earplugs or noise-canceling headsets. They are not required by any stretch, but you will be glad that you have them.

If you don’t want to go all in, just make sure there is something covering your ear, such as a helmet, shemagh, or balaclava. Having a BB flying in your ear is not something we would recommend.

If you don’t want to spend money on a good set of ear protection at the beginning, that’s all good, but make sure to go to a beginner’s game where there are no grenades allowed indoors so that your first game won’t be a disaster with pierced eardrums.

4. Uniform

Some might think that uniform and camouflage are required when playing airsoft, but that is not the case. Don’t get us wrong, they are nice additions, but they are not needed for your first game, especially if you play on an indoor field.

You can get by on your first game with an old pair of sweatpants or another older pair of pants that you can move in. Also, make sure to grab a hoodie. It will hurt less, even tho you might sweat a little more. It’s all about balance.

5. Additional Protection

Getting hit is mostly fine, but it can be a bit painful, especially in some places. For your first game, you shouldn’t be making huge purchases like Plate Carriers or chest rigs. That doesn’t mean though, that there is nothing we would recommend as additional protection. Wearing a pair of gloves and knee pads are both great quality-of-life improvements, even for beginners.

But of course, if you want to protect your torso right off the bat with a plate carrier, we won’t stop you. As stated before, it is all about the balance in airsoft. We personally run ASPC, simply because it was purpose-made for airsoft.

What Not to Wear to Your First Airsoft Game.

As seasoned airsofters joke, it is a fashion show in the end. People like to show their gear. However, there are also things that you should not wear! Flashy jewelry, or bright-colored clothes (if you plan on playing in forests) are a great example. And there are more things you should not have on you for your first game: