How I prep for a 3-hour gel blaster game (and never forget gear)

I used to forget something every single game. Eye pro one week, a charged battery the next, spare gel the time after. Nothing ruins a session faster than realising in the car park that your mags are empty and the gel is still on the kitchen bench.

So I built a system. Now prepping for a 3-hour skirmish takes about half an hour, not counting grow time, and most of that is done the night before. Morning-me, standing in the kitchen before coffee, isn’t to be trusted with decisions.

The night before

Charge every battery. I run a main MK18 and a Noveske N4 built up the same way, and they take the same mags and the same batteries. That’s five batteries: a main and a spare for each rifle, plus one extra. They all charge on a non-flammable surface in a LiPo bag, and I never leave them unattended (QFD battery safety).

Quick FPS check. I fire a few shots through the chrono to confirm I’m under the cap for the field I’m heading to: 330 FPS and semi-auto only at Blacksite, 350 FPS at Danger Close. If something reads hot, I’ve got time to deal with it, rather than finding out at the chrono station.

Load the car. The three boxes go in the car before bed. By the time I’m asleep, the only things between me and the field are a shower and a coffee.

Gel: when to grow it depends on the start time

Grown gel keeps changing as it sits, so I grow as close to the game as the start time allows.

Afternoon or night game: I grow on game-day morning. About 3 hours in distilled water, then drain. In our test, 3 hours beat 6 and 12 hours on size consistency and grouping (growing guide).

Early start: there’s no time for a 3-hour soak in the morning, so I grow the night before, drain, and keep the gel sealed in the fridge overnight.

Then sort twice. My first pick is SummerCat Frost SV. For my 7.3mm barrels I run the gel through the electric sorter with the 7.15–7.25mm bracket, then put the keepers through the 7.20–7.30mm bracket. What survives both is 7.20–7.25mm. Sorted gel feeds cleaner and shoots straighter (do sorters help?).

I play semi only and get through five or six mags in a game, which is less than a pack. I still grow one full pack every time. That covers both rifles, my Glock 19 and spares.

The three-box system

I don’t pack a bag before each game. Everything lives permanently in three hard cases. They’re ToolPro cases from Supercheap, nothing fancy, just solid and stackable. I cut foam to fit the gear and glued it onto plastic sheets, with zip ties through two sides as handles, so I can lift a whole layer straight out. Every item has its own foam slot, so an empty slot is impossible to miss.

Blue box, loading and safety: speed loaders, green gas, a speedloader for my Glock mags and a small sieve for scooping and draining gel. Below that, my eye pro (Oakley Ballistic), a knee protector, gloves, two boonie hats, a balaclava, a helmet, and a mesh faceguard I never use but keep anyway.

Red box, sidearm, electronics and comms: the Glock 19, two spare mags and a few red dots and sights. Then a DJI Action 6 with mounts, a balance charger and a LiPo-safe bag. At the bottom, two Baofeng radios, a charging station, cables and a one-ear headset.

White box, tools and first aid: tape, zip ties, O-rings, hex and Allen keys, a driver and bits. Below that, bandages, gauze, insect repellent, a waste bag, band-aids and paracetamol and ibuprofen.

What makes the system work is the labelling. Every case wears a 3D-printed equipment tag so I know what’s inside without opening it, plus a name-and-number tag, because yes, I’ve left a case behind before. I make the equipment tags and custom storage boxes myself and sell them through RedSpear. You don’t need them to start, though. A cheap case and some cut foam does the job.

Before I leave

A quick confidence check, not a strip-down. I test-fire the main MK18 for feeding and trigger response, and the N4 goes in the car as the backup. Because it takes the same mags and batteries, a swap mid-game costs me nothing. Every 25,000 rounds or so, both rifles go to CyberTrigger for a proper service. A trusted tech beats me poking at a worn gearbox myself.

What comes with me

• Both rifles (MK18 main, N4 backup), the Glock 19, filled mags and sorted gel
• Eye protection, on the whole time on the field
• My plate carrier, always. It carries spare mags and saves my chest and back from a session’s worth of welts
• Multicam Black uniform and black Salomon boots
• 4 litres of water
• The three boxes

What stays home: the camp chair, the esky and a charger. Every battery is already charged. The comfort gear is for full-day milsims (how I prep for those).

Pack-down is next game’s prep

The game’s done, you’re cooked, and this is when people throw everything in the boot to deal with later. Later is how gear goes missing. My pack-down is short on purpose: a quick barrel wipe, empty mags back in their slots, any dud mag out of rotation, and everything back in its box. The boxes are now packed for next time.

🟣 Why you keep forgetting things

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to prep for a gel blaster game?

About 30 minutes the night before once you have a system, not counting the gel’s grow time: charge batteries, check FPS, load the car.

Should I grow gel the night before or the morning of?

As close to the game as the start time allows. For afternoon or night games I grow about 3 hours that morning. For early starts I grow the night before and keep it sealed in the fridge.

What do I need for a 3-hour game?

A blaster you trust, filled mags, grown and sorted gel, eye protection, old clothes, closed-toe shoes and plenty of water. A backup blaster or sidearm stops one failure ending your day.

How do I stop forgetting gear?

Keep everything permanently in labelled boxes with a slot for each item, so the only things you add on the day are gel and charged batteries.

Sources

• Queensland Fire Department - Lithium-ion battery safety
• RedSpear Armory - SummerCat Pink SV soak-time test, 3 August 2026
• RPM Techshop - Blacksite sessions, prices and rules (checked 1 November 2026)
• Danger Close Gel Ball - prices, rental and FPS cap (checked 1 November 2026)
• RedSpear product listings (SummerCat gel, electric sorter, TDS meter, hand grenade, 3D Print Shop), prices checked 3 November 2026
• Patrick Amadeu, RedSpear founder - interview on his game-day and milsim routine, kit and field experience, 3 November 2026

Last checked: 3 November 2026.

RedSpear Armory — Queensland's dedicated marketplace for used gel blasters. Browse listings, sell your gear, and connect with the local QLD community at redspeararmory.com.au.