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.

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!

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

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

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.

[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.