Too old to skirmish?

Kashkai

I'm the wrong side of 40 but am thinking about having a go at skirmishing. However I'd feel a bit silly turning up and finding myself playing against teenagers, who no doubt would rip me to pieces. Are there any more "mature" players out there?

The poll attached is just to give me an idea of the average age profile of skirmishers.

andy_g

Never too old to skirmish All sites have varying ages of players. So get your kit on find a site ya like and have fun

brian888

Hey Dave. You're kinda a bit paranoid tbh. If I seen a forty year old dressed up like a soldier I'd be more inclined to be intimidated more than a teenager in a hoodie! There are plenty of mature players out there as well as young. I myself being only 16:o I wouldn't hesitate to go out for a skirmish If I were you. If you like the idea of it then why not. Age doesn't matter in airsoft. Seriously.
My advice in short - Go out and have fun!

brian888

Andy, You beat me by 2 minutes. Darn it.:rolleyes:

Bemused

41 here Dave, get out and bring the average up in all kinds of ways

You don't know what you're missing.

thermo

i know a few "older" (read, retired) players and they can still give the younger players a run for their money.

MajorMax

It was this or golf, and I fugging HATE golf!

sliabh

We have 2 guys in their 50's coming for the Rionegro game this year, and a fair few in their 40's as well. That is much the same as last year.

Airsoft is just playing at soldiers, so being young and fit isn't as much of a requirement. And you will find going slow and thinking makes you very lethal when dealing with energetic young people who focus on running and gunning rather than tactics and strategy.

Kashkai

Now that is encouraging. While I am fit (gym 4 times a week), I'd prefer realistic shoot outs where tactics play a major role, more so than run and gun.

Any tips as to where is a good place to try for a noob? I'm in north kildare, not too far from Naas. Can anyone turn up or do you have to be part of a team?

brian888

Anyone who is over the age limit and has money in his pocket can play.
No teams neccesary for anyone, it's an option to those who wish for it later on.
Just show up and play. Simple as.:cool:

brian888

As for the site reccomendation, take you pick here :

http://www.irishairsoftsites.com/links.html

Any site should welcome you with open arms.

Dragonmanirl

Hey Dave!

My own father plays airsoft with me regularly, him turning 45 this year, not exactly the most "fit" bloke but gives it a go anyway, he rocks an M14 down in Fingal.

Regarding the best site for tactics etc I think Fingal "The Orchard" would be a good place, again just personal opinion:)

Good luck with the Airsofting, remember never too old or too young to play soldiers!

Faolchu

just turned 38 and only at it a little over a year and i cant run 15 feet without huffing and puffing

go out and give it a shot you'll have teh bug like the rest of us very soon, i'd recommend Redbarn (donabate area) and Fingal (stamullen village) in north dublin both excellent sites well run and very welcoming to newcomers, both are outdoor sites. only site i'm aware of in Kildare is Vacant an indoor CQB site which was very welcoming when i went out the first time. There's also Hilltop in Wicklow (newtownmounkennedy area i think) but i havent been as yet though i hear good things about it.

whydave

This is from an old thread but should give you some insight ......

whydave wrote: »

Ted from the Vipers age 63 oldest regular player
Hitman age 59 second
Mr Paddy Fortune age 73 ''the Legend'' oldest player

can anyone beat this ...........

Link

ricka

About 10 of us out in Redbarn last night till 1am

I'm 44 , 2 other guys in their 40's, one 57, another 37 and 39

I'm not a regular but all the other guys are.So you're definately not too old to skirmish!

I play only a couple of times a year and genuinely dont feel at any disadvantage to the youger kids.

Get out there, enjoy yourself and forget your age!

Kashkai

Thanks again for the encouragement. My brother lives near Donabate and his oldest kid is into airsoft so Redbarn might be a good option.

Where's a good place to buy BDU's, or is it necessary to get the full kit out? Anything else a noob like me would need, spare mags etc? While I have safety glasses, would a face mask be a better option?

thermo

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

Any tips as to where is a good place to try for a noob? I'm in north kildare, not too far from Naas.

there is a newish site 3 miles from kildare, its an outdoors site but has cqb too. it called redhills and they have a thread in the sites section.

jill_valentine

Shur everybody looks the same under combats and a mesh mask.

brian888

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

Thanks again for the encouragement. My brother lives near Donabate and his oldest kid is into airsoft so Redbarn might be a good option.

Where's a good place to buy BDU's, or is it necessary to get the full kit out? Anything else a noob like me would need, spare mags etc? While I have safety glasses, would a face mask be a better option?

1.I only hear good things about RedBarn, supposed to be a cracking site.

2.You don't need BDUs yet, just some dark and old clothes that you don't mind getting a bit muddy.But if you want get them here - http://stores.ebay.ie/thecamoshop They are an irish retailer and stock ranges from €30 German Surplus to the more expensive €70+ Helikon gear

3All you need for a first skirmish is your own gun,BBs,water & eye/face protection. You can also book a rental package if you don't have your gun yet. EDIT - Wear some boots with ankle protection, not runners.

4. I'd highly recommend good eye and face protection. If you plan on going more than two or three times then do yourself a favor and skip the cheap masks and goggles.You can get polycarbonate lenses that are the best protection in general but they do fog up. Another option is the mesh, but mesh can allow BB fragments to pass through sometimes. Get some good eye protection. No going cheap on eye protection. You won't regret it. Also I recommend some lower face protection. Most mesh masks can save your teeth and cost about €30. Either go a combo of Glasses/goggles & a lower face mask OR a full face mask.Lookie here
Probably one of the best goggles out there.
http://www.airsofteire.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=1228&category_id=8&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=26
Good combo with the goggles
http://www.airsofteire.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=871&category_id=84&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=26

I think I covered most of the things there, correct me if I am wrong

biz96

Snip

TheHamster

Ok so I'm 48, and myself and my 16 year old boy went to Redhills Airsoft for our first skirmish on Sunday.
Other than actually finding out that I am as totaly unfit as I thought, and being unable to bend the following day it was a great day out.
There was no ageism there, just boys with toys.
So go on, get out there and have fun.

Kashkai

TheHamster wrote: »

Ok so I'm 48, and myself and my 16 year old boy went to Redhills Airsoft for our first skirmish on Sunday.
Other than actually finding out that I am as totaly unfit as I thought, and being unable to bend the following day it was a great day out.
There was no ageism there, just boys with toys.
So go on, get out there and have fun.

You're lucky that your lad is old enough to go with you. My two boys are just 6 and 2 and are a bit young yet, although my 2 year old is mental enough to take anyone on:D

I've tried to get my two brothers to go with me as both their lads have air soft guns but I can't get them to get off their rears and have some fun outdoors:rolleyes:

I've just bought my face protection mask so all I need now are some boots and some camo gear and I'm ready to go. Redhills is my closest site so maybe I'll see you up there soon.

Eggy Baby!

I saw a guy today skirmishing who was in his late forties. He climbed a tree for observation and stayed up there for a whole match with a branch sticking out of his helmet for camo

Faolchu

Eggy Baby! wrote: »

I saw a guy today skirmishing who was in his late forties. He climbed a tree for observation and stayed up there for a whole match with a branch sticking out of his helmet for camo

Surprised the marshals allowed that to be honest. im

Eggy Baby!

Ah he was alright- he didn't have an unfair height advantage because it was a small tree and also it was positioned in an area with dense vegetation. Plus he was fastened up there with a belt.

Kashkai

Well I had a go yesterday at Redhills and there were two guys older than me and one of them was a crack shot. Ask me how I know:rolleyes:

I might go to the gym to keep fit but jeez I suffered yesterday in the heat wearing full rig. After the first couple of games of capture the flag, it was more a case of wait and see who runs into my sights than running round trying to hit someone:D

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Excellent Dave, its a funny kind of tired and dehydrated fatigue. Also find my knees, quads, calves, and ankles get sore from ducking behind cover. Great crack and I bet you will be out next weekend. If you ever down hilltop give me a shout....great site.

Kashkai

Jase Ambitious Thunderbolt wrote: »

Excellent Dave, its a funny kind of tired and dehydrated fatigue. Also find my knees, quads, calves, and ankles get sore from ducking behind cover. Great crack and I bet you will be out next weekend. If you ever down hilltop give me a shout....great site.

Cheers Fitz. I've heard nothing but praise for the Hilltop site and its just a 30 minute or so trip over the mountains from where I live. Is it open during the week as I have a few days off planned and could go up pretty much anytime.

As for hydration, I got through the two 500ml bottles of water I brought with me, two more 500ml bottles I bought there at Redhills and another bottle a guy gave me. And I was still thirsty! I've seen 2.5 litre water bladders advertised on a site that attach to your tac vest and you can suck the water through a tube that clips onto your vest too. I thought they were a gimmick but I've since changed my opinion:D

eadyzrx1200

Your never too old to be a kid at the weekends, 45 myself and have no intention of growing old gracefully.