How To Store Paintballs

Last updated on May 11th, 2025 at 08:50 pm

It is important to know “How To Store Paintballs” to keep on using the same paintballs for a long time by increasing their shelf life.

All those folks who have been struggling to store their paintballs properly and always lose a great number of their collection because of improper handling, don’t worry anymore, because I have got your back.

In today’s article, I will reveal all the necessary tips and tricks that you need to know to store paintballs. So be here and keep on reading this article.

How To Store Paintballs

Do you also store your paintballs after matches? Take a moment and recall the places you put your paintballs after playing on the field. Do you just throw them anywhere in your house? Or have a proper place where you keep your paintball goods?

You might be unaware of the fact that paintballs are made from biodegradable components that breaks down with time if not stored properly and your money will be wasted. You don’t want that, right? So if you want to use the same paintballs for a long time then try storing them in the following ways.

Related To: How to be Good at Paintball

Do’s and Don’ts of Storing Paintballs

• Always keep your paintballs in cool and dry places.
• Rotate them often so the paintballs won’t have a flat end when you take them out for the match.
• Make sure the area where you are putting your paintballs has a temperature between 10-20 degrees celsius. This is done to prevent the swelling of paintballs which occurs because of the humidity.
• Don’t store your paintballs in direct sunlight because UV rays are capable of disintegrating the material of the paintballs. A disintegrated paintball is nothing but trash so be careful about that.
• You must have seen experienced paintballers using a zig-lock bag to store paintballs. It is an excellent trick that will not only keep your paintballs safe from sunlight but also keeps them dry. But don’t forget to rotate them from time to time.
• Don’t use a cupboard that you use daily to store your paintballs as continuous exposure to air and sunlight can destroy paintballs.
• Following the manufacturer’s direction is the best way of keeping your paintballs functional for a long time. So never throw the user’s manual thinking that you won’t need it.

How to Store Paintballs During a Game

Most of the paintball players damage their paintballs while playing the game in the open field. Now you must be wondering how right? Well, when you are habitual of leaving paintballs outside on a table in scorching heat for long hours then don’t complain that your paintballs are gone because you are destroying them yourself. So get rid of this habit and here’s what you should be doing to store the paintballs during the game.

• In hot weather conditions if you are taking your car with you then turn on the AC to store extra paintballs to maintain the temperature requirement of the paintballs or you can place some ice packs in a cooler along with your paintballs in a zip-locked bag.
• If you live somewhere with exceptionally cold weather conditions then the process of storing paintballs would be different from hot weather conditions. The minimum temperature requirement for paintballs is 10 °C. So if the temperature is below 10 °C then you can either turn the heaters of your car or use heat packs instead of ice packs. This way the paint inside your paintballs will not freeze and paintballs won’t become hard.

How Long Can Paintballs be Stored?

Storing paintballs properly is very important if you don’t want them to cause any trouble during the game. A very commonly asked question about storing paintballs is how long can they be stored? Well, there is no dedicated answer to this as it depends on how you store them. Normally paintballs have a shelf of three to six months but if you store them properly they will be your partner in the field for a year or more.

There are different kinds of paintballs available in the market which is why it is always advised to follow storage instructions from the user’s manual. The most common problem that you will face with paintballs is that they get hard, sometimes brittle or soft which makes them completely useless and makes the game less enjoyable. As cheaper paintball material will not last long so try to buy paintballs from well-known brands.

How to Know If Paintballs Are Gone Bad

Have you not taken out your paintballs for a long time? There is a probability that your paintballs have gone bad. Now you must be thinking about how you will know if they are good or not, right? Well, some obvious signs are indications of the bad condition of paintballs.

• Soft spots on paintball
• The elliptical shape of the ball
• Get hard
• Older than a year
• Placed in the open air
• Left out in harsh weather conditions

Go through this list and recall if your paintballs were in any of the above-mentioned conditions then you can perform the last test to confirm if it is still in working condition or not. Drop your paintball from the elbow height and if it breaks you are good to go if not then you would probably have to throw all your paintballs with a heavy heart.

Related To: How Long Do Paintballs Last

How to Discard Old or Broken Paintballs

Old and broken paintballs are of no use so it’s better to get rid of them instead of keeping them along with you for a long time. Paintballs are non-toxic and made from environment-friendly material. Therefore, you can discard them anywhere in the field or in the trash bins. However, this method is not recommended because this way paintballs will take a lot of time to degrade.

The right way of discarding paintballs is to pour out paint and gelatin out of all the paintballs. You can use a bucket for this purpose and after you have finished emptying your broken or old paintballs just pour the liquid into the yard, field, etc. Keep in mind to dump it away from plants and trees just to be safe.

Paintballs Maintenance Tips

• Clean the paintballs after every match.
• Take extra care on rainy days and never let your paintballs get wet because they will absorb water and swell. This not only ruins the shape of the paintball but also can damage your paintball gun if you use these during the match.
• Also, keep them away from sunlight as this will damage their composition and causes them to break easily. Moreover, you won’t be able to shoot them from your paintball gun effectively.

FAQs

Paintballs are sensitive to harsh temperatures. Therefore, they should be kept at 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit if you don’t want them to degrade in extreme weather conditions.

Paintball games are usually 10-15 minutes. But it usually depends upon how long it takes to take down the last opponent.

No, when you get hit by a paintball it feels like a stiff flick and doesn’t hurt much. Paintballs won’t cause any severe injuries but can cause bruises and stiff muscles after playing.

Conclusion

Paintball is a fun outdoor game that improves a lot of skills and is popular among the young generation. Kids love playing paintball but don’t know much about how they should be keeping their paintballs. Well, it is not a tough job all your kid has to do is maintain the temperature of the paintballs.

The optimum temperature that doesn’t let the paintballs degrade is between 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit. So if you are struggling to store your paintballs just follow the tips from our guide. I am certain you won’t complain about this next time. Thank you.