In this day and age everyone on the planet knows about staying hydrated when playing sports. You see parents bringing bottled water to their kids playing T-ball or basketball or whatever activity their kids are involved in. You can’t watch TV without seeing ads for some sort of sports drink.

So what about airsoft? The need for hydration is just as great, if not greater. Depending on where you are located on the map or what season it is, airsoft can be played in some very extreme weather. My team plays on the East Coast of the USA. It is not uncommon to spend hours in the woods dealing with 90 degree heat and 80 - 90% humidity. Furthermore, there are no water fountains or 7-11’s in the woods. So the need to bring water with you is incredibly important. My son carries a military hydration pack when he plays airsoft, and it is usually filled with a sports drink or even soda. Although I wouldn’t recommend soda, the point is that he knows to bring something to stay hydrated.

While writing this article I went to the Internet to get some facts about hydration. The one real fact I came up with is that it is hard to find two “experts” who agree on very many facts. So I guess like most anything else , common sense should be your guide. It probably won’t hurt to drink some fluids before you go out to play airsoft in the woods. When you are playing, drink when you are thirsty. If you get dizzy or overheated you should probably take a break. Like most other physical ailments, kids can push the envelope further than adults. Experts seem to agree that older players who get overheated increase their chance of a stroke or heart attack.

In closing, let’s all enjoy playing airsoft as safely as we can. We all know to wear protective gear on the outside of our bodies. Let’s just not forget to protect the inside, too.

Justin Kander is the marketing director for http://www.eastcoastairsoft.com. EastCoastAirsoft stocks a ton of high quality airsoft rifles.