Same situation but been airsofting 6 months now, came from Sup Air, No Limit Bridgend, into softing because my knees cant take being driven into the floor anymore. Thought I can strip and rebuild an ego right down to the gasket on the regulators how hard can an airsoft gat be. Ummm. 2 hours to strip a G&G M16 5 hours to get it back together and working via youtube. It gets easier but a bit hairy at times.
3 site visits in over 2 months for UKARA then you don't have to get something that's coloured like a paintball gat. Plus you get to see what everyone else uses and get some hands on time if your friendly
Transfer kit all I still use are my knee pads, sold everything else except for a mask. On field I use balistic glasses and a mesh face guard for close quarter stuff. Lets you breathe and see while being comfortable, games are longer than Sup air. 3 mins vs at least 30 mins upto 2 hours at some sites or 48 hour milsim if you fancy.
Load out wise get it as you like. Plenty of army surplus all over the UK. I use an osprey load carrier for my pouches, sling for my M16 and holster for the glock. If I can ever get the Sniper working right then I ditch the vest. Cqb i use a £30 spring shotgun and thats it.