kneepad/shinguards

[Steven Johnson]

Could be Cecile's (B&C Wunderwear) new pad design, but also might be those knee pads that Karst Sports sells, called Dirty Dave's Kneepads. Most of the Dirty Dave's I've seen are red.

Has anyone used the Dirty Dave's kneepads? My old Bomber Gear pads are one their second repair and soon will be too shredded to usefully repair further.

I have long-but-thin legs, so I'm curious about how these attach... the only thing I don't like about the Bomber Gear pads are that the attachments aren't really adjustable, and I had to stitch up the straps to adequately fit my thin shins.

I know the new GGG pads are adjustable, but I've also heard too many complaints about them to want to go that way. Also, I don't like the fact that the pads aren't removable so I can't easily wash 'em (as is the case with the Bombers)... anyone know if the Dirty Dave pads are removable in this way?

(Side note: don't bother googling for reviews of "Dirty Dave's Knee Pads"; as it turns out, it turns up a whole lot of sites that aren't at all caving related...)

[Dangerjudy]

the bomber gear guy is selling off stuff on ebay. the knee pads don't have the foam, though.
http://cgi.ebay.com/L-Knee-Shin-Pads-Bo ... dZViewItem

I am in 'Dirty Dave's' grotto and use his pads. They attach with long stretchy material and velcro pieces.




They are durable. They are not designed to remove the foam for washing. I've had some problems with the top strap coming undone. I think this is a personal leg shape thing and keep meaning to ask Dave about how to correct it. He is a meticulous worker and a natural-born engineer.

I think the Bomber Gear pads are still my favorites. The cordura cloth and the shape of the pads really suited my leg shape. That is until the velcro stopped grabbing. Then I would duct tape them to my legs.

I bought a pair of the foamless bombers off of ebay but haven't put foam in them yet (might use the foam from my old bombers). I didn't realize they had no foam until I had already bid and won. This made me aggrivated.

I have a pair of old GGG pads that I just plain didn't like. The attachments were thin webbing and would cut into my leg while crawling, and come undone in inconvenient places (which caves are full of, lol).

Hope this helps.

[Randyrn]

I used Bomber pads for years. My ONLY problem with them was that they would never seem to stay in place. I've been using these newfangled things and absolutely love them!

http://www.sixsixone.com/Catalog_661Bik ... a908764528

I like these because they NEVER move once you put them on...not even after hours of caving! This is a bit hard to describe, because you can't adequately see the feature in the product photos that prevents them from sliding. Most shinpads will have either two or three elastic straps that wrap around your legs and velcro in place to secure the pads. And the friction helps keep them in place. The problem with most is that there is not enough friction to keep them from sliding around to the side. The sixsixone pads have a thin piece of material with a coolmax liner that wraps around the entire back of your leg from the top to the bottom of the pad. In other words, once it's in place, it looks like a continuous sleeve that velcros in place, with padding only on the front and thin but durable fabric on the back. Once you wrap the "sleeve" around the back of your leg and velcro it into place, THEN there are 3 elastic straps (much like on any other shin guard) that wrap around this layer and absolutely cements them in place. The solid piece that wraps around the back of your leg is really what creates all the friction and thereby prevents any sliding movenents. Pretty kickass pads!

[Squirrel Girl]

So, Randy, I guess the question might be, "Does it become a problem if mud gets under those freeride armor pads?"

Also, do they fit over coveralls? They don't look very big. Just big enough to go over bike tights.

[barcelonacvr]

So, Randy, I guess the question might be, "Does it become a problem if mud gets under those freeride armor pads?"

Also, do they fit over coveralls? They don't look very big. Just big enough to go over bike tights.

I have been using the six six one for a few years.I echo what has been said.Ontario is 90% crawls and mud,no problem getting mud behind them at all and or wearing them in water for days on end.I have 22" calves so the Xl were for me.

The Xl fit my freakish calves under my suit ,which I did not like all the time so I had a small length of the stretch material added by a cobbler(but they just barely would fit over top in stock mode).I now wear them on top of my suit (depending on the cave) and like the previous poster says.They don't move period.

I have a second set I experimented with as well when some posted in the past that mud in the Velcro caused problems.I Have NOT had this problem but I installed simple grommets on both sides of the pads and used small diameter bungee with a snap hook with much success.

There was a good thread on them awhile ago but I cannot find it.

[Nico]

I have those 661, but the velcro doesnt like the mud very much.. they do stay in place tho

[Randyrn]

I have those 661, but the velcro doesnt like the mud very much.. they do stay in place tho

Could you clarify this statement for us? If the mud getting into the velcro does NOT affect the performance any, I'm not sure what you mean. Thanks, Nico.

[Randyrn]

So, Randy, I guess the question might be, "Does it become a problem if mud gets under those freeride armor pads?"

I live in an apartment where a garden hose isn't available, so I'm stuck shucking quarters into a car wash down the street in order to spray off my gear. However, I rarely use the high power spray on the little items, because it tends to launch them across the floor! I just grab the sprayer and don't bother depressing the handle. Sooooo, I'm probably not using any more pressure than a garden hose would provide, yet they clean up very nicely.

Also, do they fit over coveralls? They don't look very big. Just big enough to go over bike tights.

I can get them over my coveralls WITH SOME WORK. But if I ever successfully destroy these badboys and need to replace them, I'll try a large instead of a medium.

[Lava]

I used Bomber pads for years. My ONLY problem with them was that they would never seem to stay in place. I've been using these newfangled things and absolutely love them!

http://www.sixsixone.com/Catalog_661Bik ... a908764528

Thanks for the link, I've been looking for just this kind of thing. Has anybody tried any of their other products, specifically these?:

http://tinyurl.com/yoryk7

[Randyrn]

There was a good thread on them awhile ago but I cannot find it.

I think this is the one you were referring to. That's actually the thread that prompted me to give these things a try.

http://forums.caves.org/viewtopic.php?t ... hlight=661

[barcelonacvr]

[/quote]

Thanks for the link, I've been looking for just this kind of thing. Has anybody tried any of their other products, specifically these?:

http://tinyurl.com/yoryk7

[/quot
e]


I have used their elbow pads and I Like them as well.I don't use elbow pads much though.
The only other product I tried were their shin/knee pads with the hard outer shell and they sucked IMHO for chimneying.I ended up cutting grooves in the plastic for grip.

[barcelonacvr]

There was a good thread on them awhile ago but I cannot find it.

I think this is the one you were referring to. That's actually the thread that prompted me to give these things a try.

http://forums.caves.org/viewtopic.php?t ... hlight=661

Yes! Thanks.I could not find it in a search for some reason.There were a lot of good posts in that one.

I am glad I am not the only "odd" person using these now.I used to get some odd looks and comments on them because they weren't the "usual".

[Nico]

Randy
what I meant by saying that the velcro doesnt like the mud is just that, specially if its thigh deep mud, the velcro gets caked with it and there's no way that it will stick, unless you remove some of the fabric that covers that long strip of velcro on the top, but still you have to rinse it to achieve better results.. the lower two straps are not a problem

[Randyrn]

Randy
what I meant by saying that the velcro doesnt like the mud is just that, specially if its thigh deep mud, the velcro gets caked with it and there's no way that it will stick, unless you remove some of the fabric that covers that long strip of velcro on the top, but still you have to rinse it to achieve better results.. the lower two straps are not a problem

Okay, sometimes I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. I'm trying to follow you here, but I'm still not quite with you. You said in the previous post that the pads still remain secure even after getting caked in mud, but now you're saying that only the bottom velcro straps remain secure...and that the top ones above the knee come apart. So when you said in your first post that the velcro doesn't like the mud, I'm guessing you were really only referring to the velcro straps above the knee being guilty of "mud hating"?

Are you saying that the upper velcro straps are just spontaneously coming apart in the middle of a trip? Or are you talking about them not sticking as well once you take the pads off and then put the same nasty, muddy ones back on? I personally have not had any of them work their way loose during a muddy trip, but maybe I'm lucky thus far. I've found that seemingly no matter how icky the mud is, the hooks/loops of the velcro itself seem to remain secure. Keep working with me here...I'll get it eventually.

[Nico]

The lower straps are just less prone to get caked..
and we're talking about Missouri class mud, so that might make a difference, it was thigh deep goop.

yeah the upper straps kept coming apart during the trip cause of the mud and water.