Paintball and tactical gear have always gone hand in hand. Ever since the start of the game in the 1980's, you can look at any pictures from that time period and see that players were decked out with what was the best gear back then. For players back in the earliest days of paintball, they used battle dress uniforms and gear that was surplus, gear left over from the Vietnam war era, or what was military standard issue for that time. That would've been the All-purposes Lightweight Individual Carry Equipment (A.L.I.C.E.). This gear was an evolution on the load carrying gear that was used by American troops in Vietnam.
Today, players have a wider range of gear to choose from. Most serious woodsball players and mag-fed players will go for the latest MOLLE gear. MOLLE gear has been a preferred choice for many tactical players since 2003-04. This gear has been chosen for the fact that it allows a player to become highly flexible for any scenario mission, or personal preferences with gear.
Molle vests
Mag-Fed Evolution- Seth Manchester