Paintball Pants—Why spend the dough?
by Ian "Lo" Ebersole on Feb 24, 2009
Why spend the dough on specialized paintball pants when a set of BDUs from the local thrift store or Army Navy Surplus are plentiful and cheap? What makes all the difference? As a recent convert, I’ll point out a few reasons why specific paintball pants might be the right purchase.
Knee Padding
The primary benefit that paintball pants have over your standard set of BDUs is the built in padding. Having padding between your knees and that cactus, rock, or fuzzy woodland creature you just kneeled on can quite literally save the day (and the next few days too). You can always wear separate kneepads with your BDUs, and some even have pockets built into them for knee pad inserts. But having the generously sized kneepads that are standard on paintball pants like the SpecOps Fusions provides more coverage, avoids kneepads 
sliding around, and also avoids the hard surfaces found on a lot of tactical kneepads. Kneepads with hard shells just beg to be hit with a long ball that wouldn’t have broken otherwise.
Breathability
Now, the breathability factor on BDUs is pretty good. But paintball pants really stand out in muggy weather. With venting up and down the inseams, paintball specific pants will keep you dry and comfortable in the humidity, and cool in the blazing heat of summer. High quality paintball pants even have vented liners which are incredibly comfortable and remove even the slightest possibility of chafing.
Fabric
Another area where paintball pants stand out above BDUs is in the fabric they are made of. Most paintball pants are made of a synthetic nylon blend, while BDUs are a poly/cotton blend. This means that paintball pants shed paint easily when they’re washed after a long day of play, where BDUs will absorb paint and eventually begin to stain or emit that wonderful smell of old paint.
Design
Paintball pants are specifically cut to allow for paintball motions, like running, crawling, and sliding. If you’re constantly having to adjust your clothing on the field, that’s less time you’re watching out for your opponents. Keep your mind in the game, not wishing you’d brought a belt.
Pockets
Pockets on paintball pants are specifically designed for paintball items. The squeegie pocket located on the outside of your calf is incredibly useful in a firefight, and zipper closure pockets will allow you to carry your keys back off the field with you as well as on the field. If you decide to play a few games without a podpack or vest, it’s also nice to have large cargo pockets for your cleaning rags and barrel sock. The pockets that come with a pair of paintball pants vary widely from company to company, check to see what you’ll be getting before you order.
Other padding
And let’s be honest.. shots to the groin are rough. Paintball pants have padding built into your more sensitive areas to at least lessen the blow to your dignity. Combined with slider shorts, a towel, or various other methods of protection, you’ll have nothing to worry about, and without the discomfort of a cup.
Style
Everyone likes looking good on the field, and with the wide variety of paintball pants available, there will always be a pair that matches your particular tastes. More and more companies are now producing pants in camouflage or subdued colors, so you’ll not have to worry about your gear giving you away in the woods. And of course, SpecOps Fusion pants come in their popular SpecOps Digi, Omnipat, and ACU patterns to match the rest of your setup.