How to Build Paintball Bunkers in the Woods

Woods play for paintball is increasing in popularity. Players go out into the woods and play in combat situations. In order to win, you must be sneaky and take advantage of the shelter that is provided. Many people decide to erect extra bunkers to hide behind. Obviously, these woods-play bunkers are going to be different from the brightly colored bunkers used in speedball. These bunkers are easy to build yourself.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Land
• Large miscellaneous items

1. Look at your wooded area. Notice what areas are already covered. Many times, a fallen tree will make a great free bunker for woods paintball.

2. Plan how you would like the field to look. Decide how challenging you would like it to be. Do you want to provide lots of bunkers, so moves are easily performed? Would you prefer to make things more difficult, requiring that players be quiet while moving? Or would you rather have an easier experience in which they can move freely?

3. Take inventory of your available materials. Sometimes, the best bunkers can be constructed from things you already have. A broken car makes a great bunker to hide behind while paintballs are flying. Large wooden spools can provide a great amount of shelter. If a friend or family member works at a store, the discarded wooden pallets they might be able to bring home also make great bunkers.

4. Build what you need to. You may not have to make any bunkers at all. But if you do, be sure that they are wide enough that an average adult can hide behind them. The construction does not have to be sophisticated; however, you will want to make sure the bunker will be able to withstand the pressure of many balls hitting it at once.

5. Be creative. Some of the best bunkers ever seen were at Wayne's World of Paintball. He constructed a small city of buildings: There were rows upon rows of houses that could be used as bunkers when moving.

6. Put the bunkers on the field in the configuration you had envisioned for your paintball field.

7. Hold a practice game. Invite your friends over for a trial run. Get them to play. After a couple of games, ask their opinions. Use their input to help finish your woods field.

Tips & Warnings

• Try and make your bunkers match their surroundings. Speedball bunkers tend to be brightly colored because you aren't supposed to camouflage behind them. Since woods paintball is slower and more calculated, try to make the bunkers blend in.
• Don't forget that you are attempting to provide shelter from high-speed paintballs. Keep safety in mind. If you use a construction piece that includes glass, remove the glass before installing it as a bunker.