Thermal Masks

If any paintball field is trying to run close to sunset or after sunset in summer or on coolish days in fall or in winter, players must have thermal masks if they are to have an acceptable experience.

Single lense, antifog masks simply do not prevent serious fogging under these conditions.  Don't let the "anti fog" handle fool you.  Double lense thermals plus regular antifog interior spray treatments is what actually WORKS!  And nothing else WORKS, no matter what the dream line happens to be!

For a field to claim that they can do winter or cold weather or night events, if they do not provide thermal masks, it is comparible to a swimming pool operator saying he offers all season swimming while failing to inform clients that, in cold weather, the water temperature is held a a point that prevents the formation of ice.  Technically his claim is correct, but the problems is, clients expect to enjoy the experience and are surprised by the icy water.  Cold water - no fun!  Single lense masks - no vision as soon as you are at all active and generate any body heat - and paintball is no fun if you can't see.  And there is a danger aspect because players are sure to raise their masks under conditions of terrible fogging.

But providing thermal masks at a paintball field is not simple.  Thermal lenses are delicate and require a service kiosk where they can be safely cleaned and treated with regular defogging spray.  The kiosk must be close to the action.  That requirement means a paintball field must be built around the demands of thermal masks.  That is how Merrill Dunes was built.  And that is why the only field in the Saskatoon area that can truly provide quality cool weather and winter paintball is Merrill Dunes.

When you are checking out the field that you are going to go to, ask if they provide thermal (antifog lenses don't count!) lense masks.  If they don't, either move on or expect to play very short and very non strenuous games with lots of sitting in between.  If you want to play steady action paintball, then expect major vision problems - that is Reality!

Merrill Dunes was built to help groups have good times together, not as a mass throughput dollar mill, which is the theme of too many paintball fields.  Providing thermal lenses when needed is part of our theme of "Building Groups!"  That detail is one way that theory converts into "rubber on the road"!

Merrill     Dunes