Protective gear for shinny

[r3cc0s]

So I'm one of those guys who came back to the game and unfortunately I had gone to town with my gear, pretty much buying RBK 7&9k & One95 protective gear

Being that I play non-contact in both league and shinny... I've since gone this route:

Lightweight Old school tackla overtime pants (buddy's who never really used his)
Sherwood 5030 shin pads, and shoulder pads
Bauer One55 elbow pads

I have found that I can clock way more quality minutes going to this path (helmet and gloves are top quality, so that's not a problem)

anyone else find that they over-bought their gear and somewhat regret it?

outside of league hockey, I never wear shoulder pads.... and will occationally put on the "contact gear" when this stuff is damp

Click to read more...

 

[Guffaw]

I actually under bought on some things. I play no check(there's plenty of contact) organized pickup and soon to be shinny.

I went lightweight/ non restrictive on everything and had to upgrade some things.

$25 Easton elbow pads= black and blue right elbow 2X. Upgraded to Bauer Vapor X40's and no issues since then.

Bauer One80 pants= severely bruised right hip bone. Jut healing up now after 2-3 months. Have since bought a padded jock and sewn in extra padding.

Graf 700 gloves= Love them, but took a 2 hander to the thumb first time out and black and blue thumb nail.

Sherwood 5030 shoulders= No issue, but didn't want to get hit in the sternum with a shot or a cross check to the spine with virtually no protection. Upgraded to Bauer One40's which are 3x the protection at virtually the same weight.

I think it depends on the mentality of your league/guys you play with. I'm in the Philly area, very blue collar, very Flyers of the 70's mentality on the ice. It's "no check", but so what. In only 5-6 games played I've gotten my skates kicked out from under me from behind, 2 handers to the hands/forearms constantly, tackled in front of the net, punched in the head, and even a stick to the head. The type of league I play in combined with me not having a ton of "natural" padding, I'm 6'2" ~175lbs, and I can't get away with the paper thin equipment/no shoulder pad thing.

Your saying shinny so I'm assuming alot of the BS I deal with doesn't go on so you might be ok. Still, you catch an edge and your hitting the ice/boards same as I am. I would skimp on shoulders perhaps, but that's about it.

 

[AIREAYE]

I actually under bought on some things. I play no check(there's plenty of contact) organized pickup and soon to be shinny.

I went lightweight/ non restrictive on everything and had to upgrade some things.

$25 Easton elbow pads= black and blue right elbow 2X. Upgraded to Bauer Vapor X40's and no issues since then.

Bauer One80 pants= severely bruised right hip bone. Jut healing up now after 2-3 months. Have since bought a padded jock and sewn in extra padding.

Graf 700 gloves= Love them, but took a 2 hander to the thumb first time out and black and blue thumb nail.

Sherwood 5030 shoulders= No issue, but didn't want to get hit in the sternum with a shot or a cross check to the spine with virtually no protection. Upgraded to Bauer One40's which are 3x the protection at virtually the same weight.

I think it depends on the mentality of your league/guys you play with. I'm in the Philly area, very blue collar, very Flyers of the 70's mentality on the ice. It's "no check", but so what. In only 5-6 games played I've gotten my skates kicked out from under me from behind, 2 handers to the hands/forearms constantly, tackled in front of the net, punched in the head, and even a stick to the head. The type of league I play in combined with me not having a ton of "natural" padding, I'm 6'2" ~175lbs, and I can't get away with the paper thin equipment/no shoulder pad thing.

Your saying shinny so I'm assuming alot of the BS I deal with doesn't go on so you might be ok. Still, you catch an edge and your hitting the ice/boards same as I am. I would skimp on shoulders perhaps, but that's about it.

Your pants probably don't fit you then; since there's a gap between your hip and the padding. It should be flush with no space. Consider moving to a smaller size.

The One40s are not much of an upgrade over the 5030s, be careful now, but are minimalistic which is what you seem to like.

 

[adaminnj]

Jofa pro-stock elbows, shins. and sholders, custom CCM pro stock pant (had to buy blue pants for a mens league) bought RBK 5k. Helmet and gloves both Pro-stock (2 buckets and 3 sets of gloves) Love them all would not change a thing. Then again I'm not that good so if and when I do get hit or fall I want as much between me and the Ice as I can get. As well I did not pay over 50 bucks for anything I bought, got lucky and bought everything super cheep. I don't even want to start about my goalie equipment.

 

[superhakan]

CCM U+03 Shins, Pants, Elbows
Sherwood 5030 shoulders
CCM V08 Helmet
Easton SE-16 Glencross Pro-Stock Stick
Reebok Prostock 11K gloves
Bauer 0ne100 skates

I went cheap on the gear because i didnt really need anything fancy. The Stick and Gloves were picked up from the flames locker-room sale. And as far as the skates go, I wanted something that will last so I went high end. (I work at a hockey store so I got them at a good price)

 

[noobman]

I'll never go without full gear unless I'm at stick and puck or an outdoor shinny game.

I see lots of guys who will opt out of the shoulder pads, but it seems insane to me. You never know when an errand stick or shot is going to drill you in the chest. I'll deal with a little extra bulk rather than take the risk of a fractured rib.

The only thing I'll go without on occasion is my elbow pads and my neck guard. Sometimes they refuse to stay on (really old, bad velcro straps) so I'll just take them off and deal with it.

 

[Guffaw]

Your pants probably don't fit you then; since there's a gap between your hip and the padding. It should be flush with no space. Consider moving to a smaller size.

The One40s are not much of an upgrade over the 5030s, be careful now, but are minimalistic which is what you seem to like.

I can't go smaller. Wearing a medium tall. I'm 6'2". I don't think a small tall would be near long enough. There just isn't much padding where my hip bones are plus I was wearing the pants too high so the hip was actually below the padding. Once you get posterior to that large side plastic hip guard there's only some foam.

I don't know man the One40's have plastic over the spine, collar bone and sternum. The 5030's have nothing, but shoulder caps really. Definitely not a bulky super protective shoulder pad, but I think alot more protective than the 5030's.

 

[Guffaw]

I'll never go without full gear unless I'm at stick and puck or an outdoor shinny game.

I see lots of guys who will opt out of the shoulder pads, but it seems insane to me. You never know when an errand stick or shot is going to drill you in the chest. I'll deal with a little extra bulk rather than take the risk of a fractured rib.

The only thing I'll go without on occasion is my elbow pads and my neck guard. Sometimes they refuse to stay on (really old, bad velcro straps) so I'll just take them off and deal with it.

Get some new elbows my man. My Vapors don't move. I actually bought a size smaller (medium) just so they fit snug. I do have a gap between the glove and elbow pad though hence the need for wrist guards if you play with hacks like I do.

The thing I really don't get is the half shield or no shield at all. It's ridiculous. Lose some teeth, break a nose, lose an eye for what? Too look cool? Better vision? Two weeks ago in pickup guy with a half shield is going in on a breakaway, gets hooked from behind and goes down, goalies skate gets him right in the face. Blood everywhere. Is it really worth it?

 

[AIREAYE]

I can't go smaller. Wearing a medium tall. I'm 6'2". I don't think a small tall would be near long enough. There just isn't much padding where my hip bones are plus I was wearing the pants too high so the hip was actually below the padding. Once you get posterior to that large side plastic hip guard there's only some foam.

I don't know man the One40's have plastic over the spine, collar bone and sternum. The 5030's have nothing, but shoulder caps really. Definitely not a bulky super protective shoulder pad, but I think alot more protective than the 5030's.

Ahh so you just wore them wrong, no worries; you aren't the only one haha a lot of people actually pull them up all the way instead of having them sit on their hips.

See that's the thing, having plastic inserts doesn't make the One40 THAT much better. An improvement? Definitely. Hope they work out with you

 

[Jarick]

Any kind of organized hockey = full gear

Messing around outside or at stick and puck = cheap knee and elbow pads (volleyball style), maybe a helmet indoors.



As to your other question, I'm constantly thinking "oh I should get some Sherwood shoulders and lighter pants and more mobile gear" and then I realize that nobody would notice the difference but me and it won't make me any faster. Wearing lighter protective gear that doesn't weigh much to begin with isn't going to suddenly make me better. Hitting the gym for 20 minutes even once a week will make me faster and better. Put down the credit card and back away


The only exception to his rule is if you won't wear the gear otherwise. For instance, I had a pair of Mission shoulder pads when I first started that I hated, really hot and limited my movement. I never wore them and kept getting bruised up. I invested in a pair of newer shoulder pads with better movement and I wore them every time. Why would I wear lighter equipment for pickup than I wear for a game? I want the same protection and would rather practice in my normal gear.

 

[Stickmata]

There's no such thing as 'non-contact' ice hockey. Non-checking, at least around here, is far from non-contact. No way would I wear thin/low protection gear, save for maybe shoulder pads, and that only if you're pretty strong on your skates. For a short time I was wearing Easton S13 pants but found the protection really lacking, so a switched to a much stouter Tackla pant, which has been a good decision.

The only thing I ever do is cut the hard caps off my Bauer shoulder pads and go with just the soft part underneath. Less of a football player look and a it a little more freedom of motion.

Oh and I find the most need for gear in the least skilled environments, so if I'm doing an open skate or a pickup session, I tend to wear more protective gear, like a cage, rather than less.

 

[Stickmata]

The thing I really don't get is the half shield or no shield at all. It's ridiculous. Lose some teeth, break a nose, lose an eye for what? Too look cool? Better vision? Two weeks ago in pickup guy with a half shield is going in on a breakaway, gets hooked from behind and goes down, goalies skate gets him right in the face. Blood everywhere. Is it really worth it?

Half shield, worn properly will protect your eyes and nose very well. Good mouthguard will protect the teeth to a large extent, but yes you are still susceptible to an injury to the mouth/jaw. But if you wear one a lot, you learn to turn your head very quickly. I can't play with a cage. I've tried, forced myself to do it for multiple games to try to make the transition, and I just can't do it. The vision difference is huge, particularly on the periphery. I've even tried the full shield types and can't get comfortable with those either. Part of it is also the weight. My Bauer helmet with a cage is twice the weight of my Easton with the half shield and it's really noticeable. For me, it's just a risk I take to play hockey.

 

[duul]

Even at shinny I wear full gear. Can't understand why people rock no shouldies then you see them going off with a seperated shoulder.

 

[r3cc0s]

Even at shinny I wear full gear. Can't understand why people rock no shouldies then you see them going off with a seperated shoulder.

honestly... if you can't skate and you play with beginners... Rock a fricken cage, and full on 11K shoulder pads

Newbie's are the worst offenders of causing accidents, meanwhile... I can play in my lunchtime group and hardly ever worry about an errand stick...

Also, seperated shoulders are the result of falling awkwardly, usually... and if nobody is wearing shoulder pads, incidental contact is much more friendly.

Anyways... I will keep what I got for now, and I like my pants
I looked @ the Warrior Bently and Bauer supreme40 which are about as low end as you can get....

today though, skating around I feel on my ass as the result of another player catching my skate with his...
Even with my 652 tacks (which are still light) my left cheek is tender ...
I think i'll keep the pants

 

[ponder]

I'm pretty all or nothing with my gear. I wear full protective gear (including a cage) for league games, it's what I'm used to from playing contact hockey growing up, and I just stick with it. But for true shinny (which for me is pickup games at outdoor rinks) I generally just wear skates and gloves (and a toque if it's cold enough), for indoor stick and puck I wear the same plus the mandatory helmet, and sometimes add on a really lightweight roller girdle and lacrosse elbow pads I have if I'm planning on doing some really aggressive skating drills where I might fall.

I must say, though, for organized, full equipment hockey, I've never understood the problem people have with shoulder pads at all. They are easily one of the least noticeable/restrictive pieces of equipment IMO, I've never had a pair of shouldies that I feel has impeded my motion in any way, whatsoever. Elbow pads, now those can be annoying (no way I'd play without them, but they suck), but shoulder pads, never notice em. Do people go no-shouldies just because they're self conscious about looking bulky or something along those lines? I imagine it must just be a fashion statement?

 

[r3cc0s]

I'm pretty all or nothing with my gear. I wear full protective gear (including a cage) for league games, it's what I'm used to from playing contact hockey growing up, and I just stick with it. But for true shinny (which for me is pickup games at outdoor rinks) I generally just wear skates and gloves (and a toque if it's cold enough), for indoor stick and puck I wear the same plus the mandatory helmet, and sometimes add on a really lightweight roller girdle and lacrosse elbow pads I have if I'm planning on doing some really aggressive skating drills where I might fall.

I must say, though, for organized, full equipment hockey, I've never understood the problem people have with shoulder pads at all. They are easily one of the least noticeable/restrictive pieces of equipment IMO, I've never had a pair of shouldies that I feel has impeded my motion in any way, whatsoever. Elbow pads, now those can be annoying (no way I'd play without them, but they suck), but shoulder pads, never notice em. Do people go no-shouldies just because they're self conscious about looking bulky or something along those lines? I imagine it must just be a fashion statement?

honestly not a fashion statement, but rather it keeps you much cooler... helps for recovery on the bench.

 

[Guffaw]

Ahh so you just wore them wrong, no worries; you aren't the only one haha a lot of people actually pull them up all the way instead of having them sit on their hips.

That and the pants simply aren't the most protective. Decent protection for the price, but for me personally if I had to do it over I would have went with a top of the line Tackla. I'll see how the custom sewn in padding holds up. No more hip bruises means no reason to shell out ~$160 on a pro level pant. We'll see.

As to the One40 we'll agree to disagree. Considering they're roughly the same weight as the 5030 I feel they offer a lot more protection. If I get hit with a hard shot in the sternum, clavicle, or spine of a vertebrae with the One40's I feel like it's going to hurt. A lot. In the 5030's I think at best I'll end up spending the night in the hospital.

 

[Guffaw]

honestly not a fashion statement, but rather it keeps you much cooler... helps for recovery on the bench.

I agree. It is so much more comfortable without them mainly due to heat. It's the only piece of equipment I'll go without at times. Usually a very casual, no contact game of pickup, etc. where guys really aren't even taking slap shots.

 

[Guffaw]

Half shield, worn properly will protect your eyes and nose very well. Good mouthguard will protect the teeth to a large extent, but yes you are still susceptible to an injury to the mouth/jaw. But if you wear one a lot, you learn to turn your head very quickly. I can't play with a cage. I've tried, forced myself to do it for multiple games to try to make the transition, and I just can't do it. The vision difference is huge, particularly on the periphery. I've even tried the full shield types and can't get comfortable with those either. Part of it is also the weight. My Bauer helmet with a cage is twice the weight of my Easton with the half shield and it's really noticeable. For me, it's just a risk I take to play hockey.

Never seen a player bleeding from the face with a cage. I've seen it 3 times now in the past 6 months with guys that wear half shields. One was the skate to the face and two others were deflections and pucks to the mouth.

It's your face, eyes, teeth, etc. If your an adult and take that trade-off that's your choice. I just could not imagine how I would feel losing an eye or 3 or 4 teeth in a pickup or mens league game that means nothing so I could have "better vision" and having to live with that the rest of my life. That's just me and I'm not saying your wrong.

If players at the NCAA D1 level can play with a full cage I don't see why everyone can't. All about choices though. Do I run that yellow light or don't I. Get a ride home from a friend who's had a few drinks or not. Choices with potential life altering consequences.

 

[Rink Bum]

I will wear anything to prevent any bruise or aches! Simple as that. FULL GEAR FOR ME!

They take way too long to heal at my age........and I can't go without my weekly hockey.

 

[Guffaw]

I will wear anything to prevent any bruise or aches! Simple as that. FULL GEAR FOR ME!

They take way too long to heal at my age........and I can't go without my weekly hockey.

How old?

Well said and I completely agree! I've learned this the hard way over the past 6 months. I get a bruise anywhere from an impact more than once and that piece of equipment is getting upgraded for the reason you cited.

 

[Stickmata]

Never seen a player bleeding from the face with a cage. I've seen it 3 times now in the past 6 months with guys that wear half shields. One was the skate to the face and two others were deflections and pucks to the mouth.

It's your face, eyes, teeth, etc. If your an adult and take that trade-off that's your choice. I just could not imagine how I would feel losing an eye or 3 or 4 teeth in a pickup or mens league game that means nothing so I could have "better vision" and having to live with that the rest of my life. That's just me and I'm not saying your wrong.

If players at the NCAA D1 level can play with a full cage I don't see why everyone can't. All about choices though. Do I run that yellow light or don't I. Get a ride home from a friend who's had a few drinks or not. Choices with potential life altering consequences.

I wear one of the larger half shields and I wear it very close to my face so there is no way a stick can get up to my eyes. If you wear a shield right, there is no way you're gonna get an eye injury. Guys who wear it tilted up (which makes no sense to me) or who keep it adjusted way off their face, expose their eyes. I figure I'm risking my jaw and a few chicklets. And like I said, I've learned to turn my head.

 

[Joe Cole]

Guys that play without shoulders or full cages make me scratch my head. Are they all directly related to a dentist who fixes their teeth for free? As for shoulders.... I could not see a reason to stop wearing them. Pucks and sticks come up, defelctions, who knows ... you get hit into the boards... why risk a preventable injury? For mobility? I do not buy it.

I have played in competive hockey for over 30 years...I am used to equipement. It does not restrict my movements at all, it is all I ever knew. Honestly, when the puck s in play, I cannot feel my equipement, only my gloves, skates and stick.

How big would the performance edge be? My guess, not enough to put my health, and directly related, my job, at risk.

 

[jorbjorb]

wear a cup.. tahts it

 

[vapor11]

I played contact hockey when I was younger so lightweight high mobility wasn't as important as it is now that I play no contact rec hockey.. I have purchased alot of new equipment in the last few months..

The best part is most of my equipment is cheap brand new... Bauer supreme classic shoulder pads for $40.. Warrior bentley pants for $40..I got a brand new pair of low end CCM nylon gloves that fit my hand like a glove for $20.. The only thing I have not upgraded is my helmet

What helped alot also was at the beginning I was using a replica nhl jersey I got for cheap just because it was the only one I had that fit..I picked up a normal black mesh jersey for $15 and could feel the air flow thru the jersey the first time I wore it on the ice..felt great