Bunkers On A Budget

Jamie Innes - 28/11/2004

Chances are if you're reading this, you're either a player, or a field operator. Whichever the case may be... you will have at some stage thought to yourself... "How can I make my field better?", and "How can I do it without spending a lot of money?". You in luck, because here I have a few tipcs on how you can create yourself some cover without spending a fortune.

To create cover on your field, you will need the following...

•    Materials
•    Labourers (You and your fellow paintballers)
•    Practical Ideas (Remember this goes hand in hand with physical WORK)
•    Field Op's and/or Landowner's permission
•    An organised time to put the above above things together

BRANCHES

"Branches? Boy I knew this was bunkers on a BUDGET! But seriously!??"

Yes. Seriously. Those things that stick out the side of a tree trunk can be grouped together to form bunkers. You'll see these wonderful utilitarian things common in pine forests, but all trees have them. If there isn't a ready supply of branches already on the ground, you can take to the trees with a saw or axe. Make sure you get the right permission to do this however. When you start grouping them together, fill in the gaps with smaller branches, and use the bigger ones to form a solid shape. You can also utilise rope to help fasten them together, however generally you won't need to do this.

PALLETS

"What the heck are pallets?" Pallets are those square shaped wooden things, usually made out of pine, that you see in warehouses. Things are stacked on top of them, and they elevate the stack a few inches above ground level so a forklift can lift it. When obtaining pallets, GET PERMISSION... don't go willy nilly pinching pallets from warehouse yards because they are usually reused, and pinching them constitutes theft. They are often discarded however when they start sustaining damage... however you can sometimes obtain them undamaged also.

When putting them on the field you'll usually want to stack then against a tree, or against other pallets to make a structure. You can also pull them apart and use the planks from the pallets to fill in the gaps between planks in the other pallets.

FOXHOLES & TRENCHES

"Wouldn't that require laborious digging?"

YES it does. However, digging foxholes and trenches does have some very good benefits. Firstly, digging into the ground means you don't have to spend time and money carting materials onto the field. If anything, all you'll need are sandbags (these are optional) and a spade or shovel. Plus they look more "militaristic" if that's "your thing".

Digging does require time and effort, but if you get a couple of people digging, you can dig a reasonable hole in the ground, and line it with sandbags in about an hour. Multiply this over several occasions or spread over many people and you can get lots of foxholes quickly.

Don't put foxholes in concealed places, such as near thick bush since you don't want people to fall in them. Also be aware that they can fill up with water after a rain. The foxhole and trench pictured here are dug into sandy grass on a riverbed/floodplain, so the ground absorbs moisture very well after a rain.

SPOOLS & DRUMS

(Spools) "Those things are damn huge!"

Unfortunately yes, and loading them onto a trailer, you'll have a hard time carting more than a few at once. Be prepared to spend time and money on petrol going back and forth from your field and where you're getting them from. You can find spools from wire/chain/rope manufacturers.

The upside of spools is that there's a few different things you can do with them. Because they're round you can simply wheel them around to new positions on the field. If you turn them on thier side, they make a nifty "table". If you pull them apart, the round parts can be set into the ground, and the circular parts can be left on thier side like "small drums". If you're really inventive... take the circular part, fill it with soil and put a hardly plant (such as flax) in it. You're now hybridising bushball and speedball!

(Drums)

Drums are easier to cart around, but you need to find out what has been in them. Oftentimes they'll previously had flammable solvents or other toxic chemicals in them. This probably won't be a problem... but you don't want to contaminate your field's soil if you can help it. Drums can be found from various manufacturing plants.

TYRES

"Now we're getting tacky..."

Used tyres in NZ right now are in oversupply. They used to be snapped up by farmers who have traditionally had various uses for them, however this is no longer the case. Don't be surprised if in a few years... tyre recycling plants begin opening in NZ.

Tyres, being made of rubber are basically toxic. If they catch fire they'll release toxic chemicals into the atmosphere, so you'll find some city councils won't been keen on you putting them into close proximity with trees (aka "other fire hazards"). By themselevss however they are quite versatile for building bunkers.

Try using large nuts and bolts to affix them together, or lengths of thick wire. You can also put a post in the ground and fill the gaps with dirt to help keep them vertical.

GETTING IT BUILT

Assuming you have the permissions you need, then at worst you'll be resigned to putting in your own time and energy to building your bunkers. However.. you can actively recruit your fellow players to give you a hand which will allow you to pool your ideas and manpower. You may be surprised to learn how many of your fellow players have ideas and are willing to help.

Hints and tips:

•    DO Organise a working bee. Use email, phone numbers or a forum. You want to be able to cancel if the weather goes sour.
•    DO Set times and requirements for the working bee. Ie- a start and finish time, players must bring a plate/snacks/drinks for afterwards.
•    DO hold an open discussion on the day on what kind of bunkers people want to build. Include where you want to place bunkers, what you want to use, and who wants to do it. This way, if anybody has strong preferences or objections, they have a chance to voice thier opinion.
•    DO Allow people to take rests when they wish... they are of course getting out what they put in.
•    DON'T try to control what bunkers are built and where. You may have your preferences, but so do those who have sacrificed their time come and work.
•    DON'T try to punish or condemn people for taking time out to chat. You're not thier boss. They are also coming to socialise and have a good time.
•    DON'T organise overly long times for people to be working. People aren't coming to spend 8 hours working. They can do that for 8 hours a day at thier jobs. I reccomend blocks of an hour or so.
•    DON'T forget to earnestly thank everybody for thier hard work at the end of the bee!

...And don't forget that this is just a guide. If you can think of new and ingenious ways to build bunkers for your field, by all means share it with the rest of the paintball community.

Credits:

"Branches & Pallets" thanks to www.3milehillpaintball.co.nz
"Spools & Drums" thanks to Eddie "Kampfer" Lin

Jamie Innes