Protective Gear

It is a category of wearable safety equipment, in particular, sports equipment, that protects various human body parts from injury in situations, such as an airsoft skirmish. Protective gear includes a facemask and body area pads for elbows and knees etc.

The terms "protective gear" and "protective clothing" are in many cases interchangeable, with the term "protective clothing" used when applied to traditional categories of clothing, while "gear" is a more general term and preferably applied to uniquely protective categories, such as pads, guards, shields, masks, etc.

Protective Equipment
The original purpose of protective clothing was for the protection of the body in hostile environments, such as a war zone. Amongst other items, personal armor (usually Kevlar) is used. This idea has evolved for other places protective gear is required, one being airsoft games. The gear is generally made from strong, durable materials, such as hardened plastic and in some cases Kevlar.

Facemask and Goggles
Although you may think that a small Airsoft pellets may not inflict any damage to human skin, other factors can. One area is the face, especially your eyes. Airsoft and Paintball related companies have thus developed Facemasks and Goggles to protect your facial area from any damage that could be inflicted by a pellet.

Pads
The second factor worth mentioning is the surroundings of your airsoft game. Woodlands can contain numerous nasty surprises that pose a danger to your body, such as broken branches and large stones. Therefore, elbow, shoulder and kneepads have been developed for the user’s protection during a fall or a strike from a pellet. These forms of protection allow the user to adopt various ground positions, such as a commando style (on all four's), and still play in complete safety.

Gloves
Lastly, protective gloves are used to avoid any painful strikes to the fingers or hand. These gloves are flexible to allow quick movements for e.g. the trigger, and have hardened plastic on the back are of the hand and fingers for protection.

Airsoft Sites
Most Airsoft sites will allow you to play without any padded protection, but will certainly recommend it. All sites require that you wear a helmet for safety and insurance purposes. Site marshals, will often ask you to leave the site without a refund if you remove or partially remove your masks during a game.

Recommendation
Having played in airsoft games before, I certainly recommend purchasing or borrowing a pair of protective gloves. Other padding is not essential unless you intent to regularly participate in skirmishes. Always remember. Never remove your mask in an Airsoft scrimmage.