|
|
 KNEE PADS
The Most obvious part of a Sliders gear is Knee Pads: Without them there is no Sliding.
Knee Pads come in a variety of Shapes, Sizes, Coverage and Materials. From Contractor Pads at your Home Store, to Catchers Pads, to Hockey and Street Hockey Pads, to Skate Pads, etc. I have personally tried just about every type of pads I could find. I have a bin of used and abused pads to show for it.
Out of all this testing came a sure winner. We rely on these pads for all our training and performance and have been supplying them to one of the biggest slider teams in the world, (Halloween Bash Ocean Park, Hong Kong) for since 2006 (this will be our fourth year doing so at time of writing). Collectively We have burned through close to 500 sets of pads and our choice is Pro-Tec Street Pads, Available here at the BUY: Knee Pads link to the left
These pads have the best mix of protective padding, slidable cap, good straps, and unobtrusiveness. And they are priced at a reasonable level for the disposable nature of their use.
If you want to try to find other pads than these on your own here is what you need to look at:
Cap:
The cap should be wide and flat (for control) without any protrudences (which cause instability) and needs to be of a hard plastic (as soft plastics will grip pavement and plant you face first). I also prefer a cap that is riveted on to the material sleeve, they tend to come off less than those glued or velcroed on.
Straps:
We prefer a pad with full leg sleeving in addition to straps, its more stable and keeps the pad in place if a velcro straps comes loose. I also recommend a pad that straps both above and below the knee, again for stability as a loose pad can lead to many injuries. Make sure that any straps do not interfere with your sliding surface, a strap that catches pavement can cause face plants.
Size:
Make sure the pad is the proper size for you and will fit comfortably over your costume pants. Too Loose and you risk injury as the pad moves unpredictably. Too Tight and you will be very uncomfortable by the end of the night. Also be aware of how bulky the pad is, while offering better impact softening, a thick pad can interfere with sliding (and look goofy with some costumes.
Price:
You will burn through caps, padding and material on any pads you purchase. Depending on Pavement type, sliding style, and amount of sliding your pads could last one month, one week, one weekend, or even one night. Consider Knee pads as an expendable necessity, and plan accordingly. If your pads cost $100 a pair and you slide a lot, that gets real expensive, and while I do like my top of the line pads and would love to sell you 5 or 6 sets a season that’s not feasible for most people. I would rather you purchase 4 pairs of the pads I recommend at $22 and practice, practice, practice rather than get on set of $100 pads and use them sparingly.
Other:
Some people will still try to use catchers pads and hockey gear so I need to make an additional point about full shin pads. Make sure that segmented full shin pads layer over themselves the correct way. This means to make sure that the knee overlays the shin not the other way around. If the shin overlays the knee and sticks out, it can easily catch imperfections in the pavement and flip you, face plant you or rip the pad right off your knee.
Whether you choose to buy from me or not, please be safe and use common sense in your choice of gear. And when testing new gear, always wear all appropriate safety gear (wrist guards, elbow pads, boots, and if your pavement is questionable even consider a mouth guard in case you fall).
|
|
| |
 | 
|
|
