Second Hand Shipping Containers – the Perfect Paintball Field!

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Sports and games such as paintball, airsoft and laser tag are gaining in popularity across Australia and around the world. As the businesses that host them expand, they are requiring more storage space, custom buildings and exciting “concept” fields to differentiate them from the competition.

A growing number of these paintball, airsoft and laser tag parks are utilising modified shipping containers for a wide variety of purposes. Let’s look at what the savvy field operator can do with a reasonably priced shipping second hand shipping containers.

Fields & Field Props

Shipping containers are popping up on more and more paintball fields due to their size, ease of transportation, cost and ability to be transformed into modular buildings. Many customers are making their choice of which field to play at based on the variety and selection of fields that they have. Shipping containers are ideal for creating a village “MOUT” style field or a shipyard based on popular video games.

Here are some of our favourites:

Skirmish USA, Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania USA

Skirmish USA which opened in 1984, is one of the oldest paintball parks in the world. Recently they opened a brand new field sponsored by paintball equipment manufacturer GI Sportz. Inspired by video game maps in wharves, their new field “Cargo” consists of 18 second hand shipping containers, some of which are stacked two high with stairs and bridges connecting them. You can play in, around, under and over the containers as well as shooting out of them thanks to the doors and windows that have been cut in the sides.

Image Credit: GI Sportz

Twin Cities Paintball, Baldwin, Wisconsin USA

Twin Cities Paintball utilise used shipping containers as barricades on their recreational paintball fields. Their battlegrounds use containers, pallets of concrete bricks, railway sleepers, 40 gallon drums wrecked cars and more to create a multi level urban battleground. They plan to build an entire field out of recycled shipping containers over the next few years.

Image Credit: Twin Cities Paintball

Combat City, Glasgow, Scotland

Combat City in Scotland have a purpose built laser combat arena constructed from shipping containers. Based on maps from popular xbox and ps3 games, their arenas are designed for all weather games, surfaced with artificial turf and all the debris of a war zone including oil drums, tires and burnt out buildings. Stacked two stories high, the shipping containers make up not only the boundaries of the arena but also provide cover and walkways for participants to hide in and around while playing laser tag.

Image Credit: Combat City

Fort Riley Kansas, USA

Fort Riley is an American army base that also includes MOUT training, a recreational paintball field and even their own airsoft team. Airsoft manufacturers have visited Fort Riley to test out their equipment and scenario games are sometimes played on site. There isn’t much information available online about the fields, but we did spot a great picture of their MOUT site that has been constructed from containers being used for a paintball game. Containers are stacked to create buildings of various shapes and sizes, to mimic a foreign battlefield.

Image Credit: X7OG

SC Village, California USA

One of the oldest paintball parks and most popular in the world, SC Village has over 100 acres of land and 25 different paintball and airsoft fields. SC Village has two fields that use second hand shipping containers for barricades. Somalia and SC Viper. Somalia is a desolate barren field made up of used shipping containers, oil drums, car tyres and more to simulate the warzones of a failed state, while SC Viper is a purpose built airsoft field, with factories, military buildings and more constructed out of modified shipping containers.

Image Credit: SC Village

Airsoft CQB, Manassas, Virginia, USA

There isn’t much information about this particular field, but they have constructed a rather interesting multi story CQB field out of shipping containers. Shipping containers can be easily stacked, allowing multi story buildings to be constructed cheaply and effectively.

Image Credit: Airsoft Society

HQs, Mobile Offices & Base Camps

Skirmish Paintball Ipswich Suffolk, UK

Skirmish Paintball utilise used shipping containers for their administration areas. Their base camp is built around four second hand shipping containers, which have been modified to suit their needs including workbenches, customer counters, shelving and storage space.

Image Credit: Skirmish Paintball

Malaysian Paintball Academy (MAPAAC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Malaysian Paintball Academy is a paintball field based in the heart of Malaysia’s capital city, Kuala Lumpur. The facility utilises modified shipping containers for storage of paintball markers, managers offices and staff (who come from out of town) sleeping quarters. Their bright orange building is constructed by stacking second hand shipping containers on top of each other. Access doors, windows, air conditioning and security have been added for safe storage of paintball markers and to keep staff cool in Malaysia’s heat and humidity. Paintball fields in South East Asia often use reefer (refrigerated shipping containers) to keep paintballs cool in the hot and humid weather.

Other Uses for Second Hand Shipping Containers

Second hand shipping containers have a wide variety of other uses at Airsoft, Paintball and Laser Tag fields and can be customised to your needs. Gateway Container Sales & Hire has years of experience in modified shipping containers including:

Toilets, Bathrooms & Shower Units

Paintball can get messy, and all businesses need a decent bathroom. With fields often being located out in the middle of nowhere, modified containers are a great way for a turnkey bathroom solution. Containers can be modified before delivering to your site and hooking up to the water and power supply. Add toilets, urinals, basins, shower heads and benches and your brand new shower and toilet unit is good to go. Fields with clean toilets, bathrooms and changing areas attract far more customers in winter and are especially important if you are wanting to attract more female customers to the sport of paintball.

Site Offices, Staff Accommodation and HQ

Shipping containers are perfect to be modified into offices for managers and staff. Doors, windows and air conditioning can be added, along with power and accessories for the perfect office, field HQ and even accommodation for your staff.

Canteens, Lunch Rooms & Kitchens

One overlooked way of earning extra income from a paintball field is in concessions. Running around all day playing paintball will make everyone hungry and what better way to make extra cash than from concessions. Whether it’s pies, coke or ice creams, having something for lunch is a great income earner, and a modified shipping container will make the perfect base for a canteen, lunch room or kitchen. Add power, water, gas and appliances and it is good to go.

Compressor Rooms

High pressure air can be dangerous if not treated with respect and compressors can be noisy. Consider placing your fill station and compressor system in a smaller modified shipping container with an electrical supply. The steel of the shipping container will protect your customers if anything goes wrong when filling and will keep your expensive compressor equipment safe, secure and out of the elements.

Generator Units

Is your field off the grid? A generator unit in a modified shipping container is the perfect source of power for an out of the way field. Simply transport to your site, add fuel and plug in ready to go.

Storage Units

A busy field has lots of equipment to store, including paintballs, inflatable fields, spare parts and more. Shipping containers are ideal for storing all of your paintball equipment and an air conditioner is a must have modification to ensure that your paintballs are kept at the optimal temperature and humidity to ensure that they keep their shape and break on target the first time, every time.

Gun Safes & Armories

Paintball markers are treated as firearms in some Australian states and generally must be kept under lock and key for regulatory and insurance reasons when not being used. In some areas a standard container with customised shelving will be sufficient, while other field operators might prefer a fully custom container with added security features.

Highway Branding and Advertising

In some areas, a branded shipping container can get around local regulations for signage and billboards. Check with your local council and consider a fully branded second hand shipping container as an ideal portable billboard that can be placed on farmland near a busy highway or road.

Shipping Containers are Perfect for Paintball, Airsoft & Laser Tag Parks!

Got a Paintball, Airsoft or Laser Tag Park and need some shipping containers? Get in touch with our team of shipping container experts to discuss how a you can add extra barricades, modular buildings or storage to your site now!

Posted on May 8, 2014
By Mark Finnegan Shipping Container