How much "Lead time" do you need before you're ready to play ball?

[Tyger]

Topic and poll title says it all, really. I have my reasons to ask this.

So, how much forward time do YOU need to be ready to play? I'm not talking at the field. I'm talking about going from sitting on the couch watching TV to being out the door, gear in hand, and on the road to the field.

Or, in other words, how fast can you go from 0 - 60?

-Tyger

[Albinonewt]

I have all of my gear lined up in a closet organized by type (guns in one area, hoppers in another, etc). I can roll into the closet, grab what I need, and head out the door in no time flat.

Once I get to the field I need a week and a day to stage. But getting out there is no problem.

[Tyger]

For the sake of this question, staging time is ignored. Heck, several armies can go from relaxed to full fighting battalions in the time it takes a 5 man team to stage.

What I'm more intrested in is how long it takes to get you to a field as a warm body with full gear. Being ready to play once you're there, that's unimportant, for now.

-Tyger

[Doc Nickel]

Oh, good question! I've thought about this myself...

Personally, it varies. Right this exact second, I have a half-full SCUBA tank, a 20-lb CO2 tank with at least something in it, a case of decent paint, and at least one hopper with a good battery.

It's the guns themselves that are the problem, and I have a serious and chronic case of Mechanics' Syndrome.

I have, for example, five 'Cockers. As I sit here and type, none of them are usable without work. The reg on my green one leaks (quick fix, I just haven't gotten around to it- customer stuff usually comes first) the Raced vertfeed is partially disassembled for pieces to troubleshoot another gun, the polished/chrome swingframe is also partly disassembled (needed the valve for the same test gun) and I pulled the LPR off the righthand feed with the Chipley frame. The last is disassembled in a box, and has been since '96. :D

There have been times, however, where I've had a dozen or more high-end semiautos, ready to go, each with air, hopper and whatnot. In those cases, I could literally be out the door in less than ten minutes.

However, at the beginning of last summer, I spent more than a full day getting ready for a small sorta-scenario game. Had to pick up paint (25 mile round trip) fill my tank (have my own SCUBA compressor, but it's slow- over 30 mins for an 80cf tank, plus extra time to get all the gun tanks filled) run and get CO2 (10 miles the other direction) wash a jersey, mop out some barrels, get a tool kit put together, check the car over (90 mile one way trip to get to the field) get the guns set up, etcetera and so forth.

Bottom line? Right this moment, it would take me, oh, 30 minutes to be ready for a low-intensity rec game.

Doc.

[shartley]

The time I need depends on my schedule. I work 7 days a week most weeks, so planning for a paintball day depends on a lot of things. I like a month usually to plan for a full day of paintball. This year may be worse because I plan on setting up booths at places. But that is also a GOOD thing, since I will probably play some as well while there! :D

But once planned, I only spend about an hour getting things together and ready to leave for the field (and that is mostly because I have to prod the kids ;)). I could probably grab my stuff and be off running in about 5 minutes if it was just me. LOL Then it is all up to the chrono station/fill station as to when I can start playing.

[Branchvillian]

My team doesn't really let me know when were playing, what time, how long, etc. until about 5 minutes before they leave. I wake up, throw on my jersey, pack my stuff into the car, and go go go. The closet field that we have been playing at latley is about 5 minutes away :D

Other times, we go to another field where some of us ref that's about 30 minutes away, in which case they will give me a little bit of time before hand.

[cledford]

It takes me all week - but I enjoy it and drag it out. That's part of the whole package for me. Starting Sunday I start prepping the gun, tweaking, chronoing (got my own) and settling on a gun config. (The air system, bottle size, warp or no warp, etc...) I also pick out the primary, backup and sometimes "fun" gun to take. (I'm fortunate to have a couple of options Emag, Viking, 2K Shocker, Racegun, Cocker, and ULT mag.)

During the early part of the week I'm getting soft gear and tools together in large plastic bin and (if not already done) washing "uniform" and carefully folding it and arranging it so that that is stacked in order of being put on.

Mid-week I stop by the shop and purchase paint and get a fill to continue testing marker.

Friday night I check/put fresh batteries in everything, tighten the loader down and move all gear upstairs to the living room. Wash goggles and lay out all tubes to be filled.

Saturday I get new fills for all guns going - to not be used until chrono the morning of play. Do a final prep on the guns, apply barrel covers and charge any batteries that need it. (Emag) Saturday night just before bed I use my rocket loader to fill all pods and put pods into pod harness and load rest of pods, harness and extra bags of paint into second large plastic storage bin. Also set out cash and fill cards. Usually purchase backup batteries also. Also recheck tools.

Morning of I stop by 7-11 for breakfast and actually wait to I get to the field to put on all gear - I usually wear a tee-shirt, dye sliders, and sweat pant to the field.

Clean up can be just as drawn out. I get home and immediately wash off (with hose and scrub brush) pants, knee pads and digger cleats. All pods are hand washed and air dried. All guns used are disassembled as far as required to remove any and all paint. Also clean all other equipment as well - even to the extent of disassembling the HALO. All soft gear is laundered and air dried. It can take another week to just get everything squared away after a days play.

-Calvin

[BobTheCow]

Bah... no matter what, our closest field (and only one really worth playing at within any reasonable distance) is 40, 45 minutes away.
Not to mention I'm a slob, so all my paintball stuff is scattered around my house, probably not completely in working order. And my mask... ugh. I guess I need about a day notice, so that I can find/clean/repair everything before I get out there.

[Mr Pink]

About 16 Seconds - Phone slams down, kit is unceramoniously(sp) thrown in the bag and I'm off:D

Just have to remember to pick up 9V's at the local shop before I hit the field;)

[RamboPreacher]

becuase I work full time, and am a student and am very acive in my local church, I have to have a certain amount of time for scheduling a game, especially a day of play.

If there was a local field that was closer, I would be more apt to participate in the spontanious game, but since I have to plan for a 2 hour drive (hour each way), and the game or games themselves, this takes some forethought. My time is pretty much scheduled out about a week or so.

[athomas]

Physical preparation time for me is only the time to put the gear in the van and drive to the field. I had to vote on the 1 - 2 hour time frame though. I do have to do the mandatory pleading and begging that comes from having a live in girlfiend.:) That is what takes the time. I may have to get a stash of Bud Institue appology cards to keep on hand.:D

[KRAKMT]

I keep all of my soft goods in a tote in the trunk, always ready- I have about 5 jerseys in varying states of decay- from new still in plastic to walking next to me holding my hand. Unless I am teching the marker, it stays in the tote in the trunk along with pods and hopper. The goggles stay in the back window along with some paintball plaques
and a roll of tp. As for lead time- any weekend, which does not already have an alternate, planned event. If it is a free weekend I am off with minimal repercussions.

[wyn1370]

depends how much I had to drink the night before.
so 15-30 minutes give or take a pot of coffee

[Jeffy-CanCon]

Assuming I'm not in the middle of something else, I can get dressed, have my bag packed and be out the door in 20-30 minutes. Add ten if I haven't had breakfast yet. But we usually stop at Tim Horton's on the way, so I can skip breakfast if my ride is already on the way.

If I'm hungover, add twenty minutes...

[OfficerGoat]

Typicaly I CAN be out the door in less than 10min. But It normaly takes me more like 30 to make sure everything is together.. spare bats etc. :)

[Burphel]

Originally posted by Tyger
I'm talking about going from sitting on the couch watching TV to being out the door, gear in hand, and on the road to the field.

"Out the door, gear in hand?" I usually have a stock gun, mask, gloves, some BDU's and 12g's in the car, along with about 200rds tubed sitting beside the door, and that's only because it doesn't keep well outside. There's advantages to being a stock player. Now if only I had a garage, the door would be opening before I hung up.

[Dayspring]

The beauty of having an all in one bag is that I can put it on my back and be out the door.

(Keep in mind, I charge my batteries and what not the night before, so I don't count that as prep time. :D)

[FallNAngel]

Hmm, this really depends. Hear me out before you reach for the bat.

If I know I'm going to be going, like I've planned on going for a week. I have rubbermaid container with packs, masks, loaders, barrels, pads, etc. Then I have a duffel bag full of spare clothes (better to have 'em and not need em...), and pods. Throw all that stuff in my trunk the night before. Get up in the morning, get dressed, grab the markers, some coolers and head out. In this case, I'm planning for a full day of play from about 10am to 4-5pm. The entire time of loading stuff in the car.. probably 30-40 minutes (making sure I have everything... already forgot a loader once...) Since my fiance comes with me, we're getting up early and it's an all day thing, I usually plan for the day about a week in advance.

Now if someone just called up and said, "Hey, we're going to the field, come with" and I had the opportunity to go... I could be out the door in 10-15 minutes. Seeing as how the nearest field that I'll play at is a good 1hr 15 minutes or so away, this never happens.

All in all, it's not the leaving part that takes a long time, it's the getting back that does. Gotta bring everything in and wash all clothing. Packs go in the shower with me. While my fiance is in the shower, I'm putting stuff away trying to keep some resemblance of order.

All in all I plan to go about a week in advance, but preparation only takes about an hour or less.

[Sparq]

I can get my stuff, change, and be on the road in say...15 minutes. This is assuming I have the time off work and transportation available...otherwise I need a week or more to book the time off, arrange for a car, etc.

[Methylphenidate]

since i work at my local field i need to know when i am planning on playing a few days in advance. otherwise i am stuck working and watching people play rather than playing myself.

[logamus]

if its a saturday game i can be out the door in 10 minutes or less. if its a sunday i need about a week. my wife works sundays so i have to arrange for someone to watch my son. its not typically a problem, but i would feel like a jerk calling my mom up on my way to the field asking if she can watch the boy all day. so i like to have that squared away in advance. since most of my playing is on sundays, i voted for one week.

[phantomhitman]

i am in the hour category. i can get ready in ten minutes, but i will forget my valve or barrels or something major like that :p i like to be sure and organized. :D

[Top Secret]

I always keep at least 2 of my high-ends ready to go(typically my Viking and Emag). I can bag 'em, grab barrel kits, pack, masks and be dressed and out the door in less than ten minutes.

[hitech]

Originally posted by cledford
It takes me all week - but I enjoy it and drag it out. That's part of the whole package for me. Starting Sunday...

And everyone says that I am bad! ;)

I need at least a week, but most of that is because I am married with children...

[SpongeBobSquarePants]

If I got that call (This assumes I have transportation to 45 minutes away to my field) I could be ready and out the door in less then 10 minutes. All I have to do is grab My marker, (Tank and loader are always on it) grab my pack, grab my mask, and 2 sets of allen keys, change and then I'm ready. If I was timed I could be in the car in less then five minutes I think. :D

[Miscue]

I get more psyched out to play if I buy something new and want to try it on the field. If I haven't played for a while, I'll prepare across several days and make sure all of my stuff is 100%. Otherwise, when I'm playing regularly... I just pick up and go.

[sniper1rfa]

i played a LOT over the summer. That changed my habits drastically. It used to be "get everything working well, clean the mask fully, and charge batts"

Playing twice a weekend has changed that to "grab pb-bag and go."

The Bag stays packed at all times, including two pods to bag of paint, 12Gs, and my phantom. i have all my packs and stff for both semi and stockclass (although only my s/c gun) packed in the same bag.

After a days play, my mask and gun get the wet rag and dry rag treatment, and are then thrown back in the bag for another day.

On the way to the feild, i grab five bucks worth of 12Gs. If i dont have paint, i bum a pod off somebody, or (*gasp*) buy a bag or two.

If i need a semi, i grab one off the stack (all of them have tanks and hoppers ready to go). :)

I am in the 30 second crew. *ring*
"Hey, you wanna play?"
"yeah, ive been waiting for you to pick me up since you called..."

[CoFFeY[NiTrO]]

The night before I lay everything out, and double check that I have all my crap. Then I usually wake up, slip on my 'outfit', bring my heavy box down the stairs, while stumbling. Wait for my ride, and wake up on the way, stop by the gas station (my friend can't play a day with out his gas station chicken salad sandwich), get to the field, and set up the gun and load the balls, and walaa! I'm playing.

[Torbo]

after a day of play, i clean all my gear either that night, or within 2 days if i know im not gonna play untill next weekend. Once its all clean and in my gearbag, its just a matter of throwing some water and gatorade in, and getting dressed. So about 3 mintues.

[Grasshopper]

About 10 minutes... weither or not I actually have everything when I get to the field... that's a different story. :)

[rathbaster]

I can be ready to go in 10 minutes. Breaking the gear down and getting it cleaned up usually takes a couple days. :D

-Rath

[Carpecerevisi]

Since i dont wear any special clothes for ballin...dont need ta change, grab up the gun, scuba, mask, paint and keys, and I'm ready for a few hours of rec play...now, if Im goin out for a full day of action i load up *everything*, including tools and stuff, cuz my knee usually starts acting up halfway thru the day, and i use the downtime to make money fixing, modding, and upgrading guns...that sorta loading and organizing takes about 3 1/2 hours...but I usually go home 20-50 bucks richer, so its all good.

[maglover52]

it depends if i have enough money to play. if i do its not a problem i live like 20-30 minutes away from 2 fields

[Fixion]

My tank is on my gun all the time (cradle mount HPA, who would have guessed), and the rest of my PB stuff is right by my door in a plastic bin. Just grab the gear and go.

[Strider]

It takes me 2 minutes to be out in my van. My Van already has enough gear in it to play classic ball. (VM and Trracer with C02)

Add 30 seconds more to grab my already ready container which has the rest of my gear. ;)

My PGP currently has a charge, and a few balls, just waiting! :D

[robertjuric]

2 Weeks so I can request off for work, unless I dont have to work that day, then Id say about one hour just to make sure Ive got all my gear together and get to the field.

[1stdeadeye]

I think I can do it in no time flat! But if you ask RickEZ10 and Big'nSlo they'll say I take forever!;)

[Quickling]

I am ready and out the door in like 25 minutes but it takes an hour drive for me to get to any worthwhile field. But I still did the 10 minute catagory cause I am ready quickly.. all i need is my sterling and 100rnds of paint, mask and knee pads.

[Sir_Brass]

give me an hour or two, and I'll be ready. Usually I have the day planned 2 weeks in advance since I usually play every other saturday when I'm in Az (we couldn't get people out on Sunday morning: they were either sleeping in or going to church). Day before I try to head out to the proshop with my buddy clint (known here as clintfiore) to fill tanks and he usually brings his tennis bag full of guns to check and do tests on guns there (it's often funny to see him doing repairs right there on the floor in the middle of ths proshop :D). Night before I haul out my bdu's or speedball clothing (depends on where we'll be playing in the morning), set my alarm to go off an hour earlier. Make sure all my gear is clean, and have guns packed and gear packed and ready (grab and go).

Morning of, I skip breakfast (unless we stop for along the way), fill water bottle (most important item aside from safety gear), take shower, get dressed, check leaving time with clint and co. and head out the door. Since recently I've had a bad habit of leaving my mask in the room when I leave, I've slip knot-tied my mask bag with mask to my sports bag :D. Never initially forgotten my mask ever again :D.

I hope to get a dye weekender bag or a JT pack sometime in the spring so I won't have to cram everything into my old High School swim team bag which is in it's second year as a paintball gear bag (not been in that role longer than it was a swim team bag, LOL), and so I can hold more stuff in the bag (maybe including my case of paint ;)).


Right now I can be out the door as soon as I close mozilla, winamp, and log off of AIM. That's b/c I WILL be heading out the door in 15 minutes (preplanned leave time: 8 AM. it takes me an hour and a half to get to the field, IF I play today. if I decide not to, I'll just be hanging out with Big Matt).