Choosing the Right Airsoft Protective Gear

• Posted on 10 February 2025

After purchasing your airsoft gun, choosing the right protective equipment is key to enjoying the hobby of airsoft.  Encountering an injury while using their airsoft guns quickly turns a fun, thrilling experience into a very negative one.  Here are some guidelines to help you choose the optimal safety equipment to enjoy your hobby to the fullest. 

After purchasing your airsoft gun, choosing the right protective equipment is key to enjoying the hobby of airsoft.  Encountering an injury while using their airsoft guns quickly turns a fun, thrilling experience into a very negative one.  Here are some guidelines to help you choose the optimal safety equipment to enjoy your hobby to the fullest. 

  Before we get started on the nitty gritty, we at Airsoft Extreme are very adamant about making sure you use the right protection.  Your eyes are not replaceable and nerve damage is permanent, so don’t cheap out on your eye protection.  With that in mind, let’s begin.

Why Airsoft Protective Gear is Essential

As you can see from our product offerings, airsoft guns come in a great variety of shapes, sizes, and levels of power.  However, at any velocity, the hard plastic BBs that fly out of your airsoft gun can be dangerous to you and to bystanders if you do not take the proper precautions.  The first rule of shooting airsoft guns – indeed, any shooting sports in general – is to be aware of where your gun is pointed and where your BB (or any projectile) is flying.  

• Make absolutely sure that when you are shooting your airsoft gun, you know the flight of the BB will terminate in a safe place, like a hard fence in your backyard or the emptiness of an airsoft combat field.  You must do everything to prevent the flight of the BB into an area with unsuspecting and unprotected bystanders, e.g. the BB flies over your fence and into a street with pedestrians.

Depending on your local laws, striking an unsuspecting person with an Airsoft BB can be considered an Assault with a Deadly Weapon. Take all precautions to prevent this!

Injuries experienced in airsoft include the following:

1. Most common: welts and abrasions from BB hits during airsoft battles
2. Most dangerous: hits to the eye from lack of adequate eye protection
3. Most painful: hits to the softer parts of your face and body, such as ears, nose, throat, and fingers.

These injuries do not just happen in airsoft games, they can potentially happen even if you are just shooting at targets in the backyard.  We will suggest the right protective gear for you depending on how you are using your airsoft guns.

Protective Eyewear for Recreational Shooting

The vast majority of airsoft gun owners buy them because they are awesome toys and incredibly fun to shoot.  You will most likely shoot them at home, in the backyard or garage.  Under these circumstances, you want to protect your eyes and the eyes of everyone around you.  Airsoft plastic BBs can bounce off of softer surfaces like wood fences or shatter on hard surfaces like brick or stucco.  These BBs and BB fragments can bounce and hit you or bystanders, so it is critically important that you protect everyone’s eyes from these ricochets.  At a minimum, everyone should wear safety glasses made of polycarbonate plastic.  These are commonly found at hardware stores or sporting goods stores.

If you are concerned about bouncing BBs hitting your face or other parts, then that leads us into protective gear for airsoft combat.

Airsoft Combat Protective Gear

Airsoft combat, by definition, means you are pointing your airsoft gun at another person and shooting them.  Hopefully they are armed and shooting at you.  If not, please refer to our early statement about Assault with a Deadly Weapon.   In this situation, we will cover ESSENTIAL and SUGGESTED protective gear.   

1. ESSENTIAL EYE PROTECTION

Airsoft BBs being shot directly at you pack a lot more energy than a bouncing or ricocheting BB.  As such, the minimal standard for eye protection is an ANSI Z87.1 rated pair of safety goggles that are fully sealed around the eyes.

ANSI is the American National Standards Institute, a quasi-governmental body whose job it is to put forth clear, measurable standards for everyone to follow.  The Z87.1 rating is the minimum level of impact protection for your eyes against a projectile hitting the glasses.  This entails a 68 gram steel ball being dropped on the glasses from four feet in height.  Please note a 68 gram steel ball is 340 times heavier than a 0.2 gram airsoft BB, and far, far harder . Airsoft insurance providers do not allow for any rating LESS than Z87.1, which means Z87 and Z87+ are not allowed.  Higher ratings, like Z87.1+, Z87.2, etc are more than welcome.  Stronger is always better.  If you are attending an airsoft combat field, be ready to prove that your goggles are Z87.1 rated.

Full seal is necessary because in airsoft combat, you can be shot at from any direction.  You are not always being attacked from the front.  You may be shot from your side or your rear.  Full seal goggles prevent the BB from slipping between the safety glasses and your face, bouncing off the inside of the lens, and hitting your eye.  Cue the EMTs and ambulances if this happens.

One last consideration with eye protection is the importance of anti-fogging capabilities.  Fogging happens when hot (your sweaty face) meets cold (the ambient air), and water vapor condenses on the inside surface of your goggles. Nothing ruins your game more than not being able to see because your goggles are fogged up.  Not only can you not see the action, you might run into things or trip and seriously hurt yourself.  When choosing eye protection, be sure to purchase ANTI-FOGGING goggles, which have double paned lenses.  This consists of your lens with an air gap sandwiched between two polycarbonate lens panes that create a layer of insulation between your hot self and the cold air outside.  Don’t be tempted by cheap single-paned lens goggles as these will only work for you if the weather outside is as hot as your sweaty face.

• TLDR:  Look for ANSI Z87.1-rated goggles that provide a full seal around your eyes for optimal eye protection
•  

Explore our selection of airsoft goggles

2. ESSENTIAL FACE PROTECTION

Besides your eyes, you want to protect your nose, ears, lips, and teeth.  There are plenty of pictures on the internet of close range hits from BBs that embed themselves in the soft tissues that make up your ears, nose and lips.  A direct hit to your teeth WILL break the tooth.  With this in mind, it is very important to wear hard protective gear that covers these areas.

Here is a selection of protective apparatus that will do the right job of protecting your soft bits:

1. Paintball mask: we highly recommend paintball masks as they provide hard, plastic protection for your entire face and your ears.  The goggles and mask are integrated, so you just have one strap to slip on and off your head.  Paintball masks are ideal for minors because they offer the maximum protection and are easy to use.  Quality paintball masks almost always have anti-fog lenses.  Avoid the ones that don’t have them.
2. Wire mesh masks: Wire mesh masks typically have a hard metal mesh that covers the nose and the mouth.  This mesh may extend over the cheeks, or the cheek coverage may be a thick nylon pad.  The straps and buckles are designed to cover the ears.  Mesh masks are the best balance between comfort and anti-fogging, because the mesh allows your exhaled breath to dissipate into the air rather than be trapped behind your mask.  However, the mask covers far less area than an integrated paintball goggle and mask, and is another set of straps you have to adjust and wear on your head in addition to your goggles.  More advanced players tend to use the goggle and mesh mask combinations as they are willing to tolerate a little risk of pain and minor injury than beginner players.

Ski masks, balaclavas, and bandanas are utterly useless as face protection.  

• TLDR: Full-Face paintball masks provide comprehensive protection for your eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.Hard lower face mesh masks combined with goggles offer more airflow and comfort at the expense of coverage..

3.SUGGESTED PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

For airsoft combat, the following equipment is highly recommended.  The additional protection they offer against bumps and bruises makes your wargaming experience much better, and provides you with the maneuverability that you would not have if you were unprotected.  Here is a list:

1. Shemagh: this oversized scarf is commonly seen worn by troops in desert environments.  They come in a variety of colors and patterns, and can be worn in several ways to protect your neck and the top and sides of your head.  They also work great to keep direct sun off your head and to mop up sweat.  Shemaghs are cheap, colorful, and the combination of style and function makes them very useful
2. Ball caps: tactical ball caps are more than just a fashion accessory.  Yes, color coordinating the top of your head with the rest of your combat clothing makes you look very professional, but ball caps also work great to reduce the impact and harm of BB hits on your head.  They are also great for displaying morale pouches and personalizing your kit.
3. Helmets: hard tactical helmets are extremely useful in situations where head shots are to be expected, i.e. CQB.  Hard helmets offer the maximum level of protection for the top, front, and back of your head.  You can purchase strap kits that allow you to integrate your mesh face mask into the helmet, making the masks less complicated to wear and more stable on your face when running around.  Goggles can be velcroed to your helmet as well, making your entire head protection system one integrated unit.  The only downside is helmets trap more heat and can make you run hot.  Tactical helmets are also great mounting platforms for cameras, lights, communication gear, and night vision devices…for those who are hardcore airsoft players. 
4. Gloves: this is probably the most underrated piece of gear you can wear in an airsoft battle, and also quite difficult to get exactly right.  The main function of gloves is protection: protection against very painful BB shots to the hand and protection against cuts and scrapes when playing in a very rugged environment.  The most difficult thing to balance is the amount of protection the gloves offer versus the dexterity you retain for handling your guns and equipment.  We highly recommend tight fitting fingerless or “shooter cut” gloves.  You can find a wide selection of gloves on our website.
5. Knee pads: whether you are playing indoors or outdoors, knee pads greatly increase the range of movement you can make.  You can kneel on the forest floor or on concrete without worrying about breaking your kneecaps.  Nothing hurts worse than kneeling on a BB or small pebble!  By confidently taking a knee during battle, you can make yourself harder to hit, take cover behind small obstacles, and shoot around cover.  Knee pads will change your game.
6. Vests: Most new players think a vest is necessary to protect themselves against BB hits.  The primary purpose of vests (or load bearing equipment) is to primarily carry your magazines, spare batteries, BB loaders, sidearm, etc.  Protection is a secondary function.  The reason why is most players get hit in their extremities, i.e. arms, legs, and head.  Why?  Because those are usually the body parts that are exposed!  If you are hiding behind a tree, your body is covered, but your arms and head are exposed because you are trying to shoot back.  Vest are definitely a very cool aspect of airsoft because wearing one makes your wargaming experience far more immersive, but as a piece of protective gear it is ancillary.
7. Footwear: last but not least, you should choose footwear that is appropriate for the environment you are playing in.  When engaging in airsoft combat, you will find yourself moving, twisting and turning in ways you normally would not, so good soles and strong ankle support are very important in your footwear.  Slip on shoes of any kind would be a terrible idea, and Crocs or sandals would be flat out suicidal.  If you are seriously pursuing airsoft as a hobby, invest in a good pair of tactical boots. 

How to Choose the Right Protective Gear for Your Needs

Now that you know what gear is essential, how do you choose the best options for your playstyle and budget? Here are some tips to guide your decisions.

Consider Your Playstyle

Your playstyle plays a significant role in determining the protective gear you’ll need. CQB (Close Quarters Battle) players, for instance, should prioritize full-face protection and lightweight gear to maintain agility in tight spaces. The close quarters and fast-paced nature of this style demand gear that won’t restrict movement while ensuring maximum safety.

Outdoor players, on the other hand, benefit from investing in durable clothing, tactical boots, and hard-shell knee pads. The varied and often rough terrain of outdoor fields can be tough on both your body and your equipment, so gear designed for durability and comfort is a must.

For snipers, stealth and camouflage are key. Minimal gear that allows for quiet and unobtrusive movement, combined with protective elements that blend into the surroundings, will help you stay concealed while remaining safe.

Fit and Comfort

When it comes to protective gear, fit and comfort should never be overlooked. Ill-fitting equipment can be distracting and uncomfortable during gameplay, diminishing your overall experience. Always try on your gear before purchasing to ensure a snug but comfortable fit. Look for adjustable straps and padding that can be customized to your body shape, allowing you to stay focused on the game rather than your equipment.

Material Quality

The materials used in your protective gear significantly impact its durability and effectiveness. High-quality materials like polycarbonate for goggles and steel mesh for masks provide reliable protection against BB impacts. Similarly, reinforced stitching and robust fabrics in vests and gloves ensure they can withstand the rigors of intense gameplay. Investing in durable materials not only enhances your safety but also reduces the need for frequent replacements.

Budget

While it’s tempting to opt for the cheapest gear available, investing in high-quality equipment is often more cost-effective in the long run. Quality gear not only lasts longer but also provides better protection, potentially saving you from costly injuries. Airsoft Extreme offers a wide range of protective gear to suit any budget without compromising on safety.

Additional Tips for Staying Safe on the Field

1. Inspect Your Gear Regularly

• Check for cracks, tears, or other damage that could compromise protection.

1. Follow Field Rules

• Always adhere to the safety guidelines of the airsoft field you’re playing on.

1. Communicate with Your Team

• Use hand signals or radios to stay coordinated and avoid friendly fire accidents.

1. Stay Aware of Your Surroundings

• Watch out for uneven terrain, obstacles, and other hazards on the field.

Why Buy from Airsoft Extreme?

At Airsoft Extreme, we’re passionate about helping players gear up for success. We offer a curated selection of high-quality protective equipment to keep you safe without sacrificing performance. With decades of experience in the airsoft community, we’re here to answer your questions and help you find the perfect gear.

Ready to upgrade your protective setup? Shop protective gear now or visit our blog for more airsoft tips and guides.

Conclusion

Choosing the right airsoft protective gear is a crucial step in ensuring both safety and enjoyment on the field. By understanding the essential equipment, considering your playstyle, and investing in quality products, you can focus on what really matters—having a blast with your team. Whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned player, Airsoft Extreme has everything you need to stay protected and dominate the game. Explore our wide range of protective gear today and play safe!