body armor

[rocker6666]

any recomendations from huckers???

[summit]

http://www.altrec.com/red-by-burton/...3-000423bb4e79

best armored shorts out there

[Wes Mantooth]

[skiwithcharlie]

There are some of those L burton impact shorts on ebay for cheap right now. But in my opinion, the Dainese impact shorts plus(with the hard plastic) are the best although they are 2x as expensive. I have a pair and use them everyday when skiing and mountain biking. When hucking, I also wear Dainese wave back protector. I have 3 of them, ranging from one that only protects my lower back(wave2) to one that protects half my back(wave4). Sometimes I also wear dainese snow knee pads and elbow pads when I really feel like getting gnarly. Dainese also makes some vests with and integrated back protector and softer chest padding made especially for skiing but those are so expensive.... You could also get this dainese air bag jacket if ya really want; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc1Tx-1GZcI

[summit]

Which Dianese shorts do you prefer? Are they durable? My Red's are on their 5th season.

[splat]

I just saw Aegix's new pads and some of the line for next year and I have to say I was impressed.

[allenataylor]

sixsixone's pro pressure suit is comfy and has a lot of good coverage. I do find that I rarely wear it though just because unless I am going huge I feel like a tool wearing it. A backpack, mouthguard, and some impact shorts are my tools of choice.

[Skijunkie]

besides a helmet I just rock a back protector. It works great I can take some pretty hard hits that I just walk away from where I land directly on my back. I have a dainese one. Although I must bicker that it slides up alot and i need to pull it down. I think scott makes one with leg straps that stop the slipping.

[StuntCok]

There are some of those L burton impact shorts on ebay for cheap right now. But in my opinion, the Dainese impact shorts plus(with the hard plastic) are the best although they are 2x as expensive. I have a pair and use them everyday when skiing and mountain biking. When hucking, I also wear Dainese wave back protector. I have 3 of them, ranging from one that only protects my lower back(wave2) to one that protects half my back(wave4). Sometimes I also wear dainese snow knee pads and elbow pads when I really feel like getting gnarly. Dainese also makes some vests with and integrated back protector and softer chest padding made especially for skiing but those are so expensive.... You could also get this dainese air bag jacket if ya really want; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc1Tx-1GZcI

As someone who took the worst hip pointer in the history of hip pointers while wearing the Dainesse I disagree. The plastic on the Dainesse is softer than the round hip gaurds on the Red and more prone to being pushed away from the hip on a fall vs the round Dainesse armour. I swithched and much prefer the Red. Both make my ass look big though...

[StuntCok]

As for back armour, this stuff from Japan is great. Anyone I show while I am on my overseas trips wants a pair. In fact, I have agreed to buy some for a few mags already. It is light, flexible but strong.

http://www.snow-ark.com/product2/body.htm

[2FUNKY]

As for back armour, this stuff from Japan is great. Anyone I show while I am on my overseas trips wants a pair. In fact, I have agreed to buy some for a few mags already. It is light, flexible but strong.

http://www.snow-ark.com/product2/body.htm

That gear looks great but is it just closed cell or is there plastic in there?

[cooltsi]

Skeletools makes some decent stuff too....

[StuntCok]

That gear looks great but is it just closed cell or is there plastic in there?

I don't know the materials but it is like a catcher's torso shield. Disperses impact well but still low profile and felxible

[rvski]

i have had good luck with the 661 bomber short and ss pressure suit

the core saver looks good as a slightly lower profile option too

[rocker6666]

Thant air bag jacket vid kicks my ass---

[Imz]

I've got a dainese pressure suit I wear for downhill MTB & a ski day here and there. I think you should try stuff on and just see what's comfortable...

BTW- The Dainese guy at their shop down the street insists that their MTB hemets & armor won't work properly in winter conditions, and that you have to buy ski stuff, but there's no way I'm springing the money or space for two sets of protection.

I bought my MTB stuff first, so that's what I use- I guess I'd buy their ski stuff if I could start all over.

[Rubicon]

Skeletools makes some decent stuff too....

I ordered the jacket from skeletools and ended up returning it. It just didn't seem like it would offer much protection, especially in a bad crash if rocks were involved.

I bought the Rock Garden flak jacket and the CYA shorts. I wore the shorts everyday and the jacket on days I planned on pushing things a little. Been very happy with both. I took some falls that I know would have resulted in some nasty bruising had I not been wearing the shorts. As it is I never had a hip bruise this season. I'm sold on the padded shorts as an everyday item.








http://www.rockgardn.com/items/body-armor/list.htm

This is my first year wearing any kind of armor. The crashes I had while wearing the jacket were strange in that my head told me I was taking some violent impacts but my body wasn't registering them like it normally would have. So I take that as a sign the armor was doing it's job.

The only complaint I have is the flak jacket tends to ride up a little and I have to keep pushing it back down. But that seems to be a common complaint with most armor.

[summit]

Flak Jacket looks like a tough choice against the Acerbis Koerta (which ROCKED for DH)






I guess you trade some collar bone protection for some side protection.

[Rubicon]

Yeah that's a tough one. It looks like the FJ might provide a little more protection for the tail bone and lower ribs in the back. But the Koerta seems to cover the floating ribs a little better in the front and then has collar bone protection which the FJ lacks completely.

Then again, I have to wonder if the collar bone protection would cause problems if your head were smashed against your shoulder. Any experiences with this?

Also, is the plastic hard or flexible? The FJ's plates aren't completely rigid but their isn't much give in them, which is what I was looking for.

Had I seen the Koerta before I bought the FJ I might have gone with the Koerta instead. Hard to say.

[summit]

Koerta is also flexible. I took a top shoulder shot DHing and the Koerta's collar bone protectors were no problem. I should have been in agony from the crash and I felt not even sore! Koerta has motorocycle armor certs.

I agree the Koerta is shorter on the tail bone, but my Red shorts posted above have articulated hard plastic tailbone protection...

[Rubicon]

Nice.

If/when I replace the flak jacket I'll def take a look at the Koerta.

Thanks for the info.

[Sinecure]

I've tried quite a few different things. Overall I've found that Dainese fits best, is built best and holds up well. I do have the Red Impact shorts and they're pretty good, but the newer ones don't seem as comfy nor as well built. I have a few Dainese back protectors (Shield 6 and a full back one plus a slalom jacket). By far the best.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

bump.

Looking to get some new pads, and would like to know which pads have the smallest/least shoulder padding. I had the rockgardn upper half last year and was all good except the huge bubble-like shoulder pads. I am a smaller guy and with those huge shoulder pads I look ridiculous. So, who has tried something a little more streamlined?

[Atrain505]

Aegix gear.

[Kied]

Another vote for the RED shorts and I use this http://www.forcefieldbodyarmour.co.u...=BackProtector for motorcycling... seems to work well for skiing. Not to heavy, but bomber back protection. Only they're hard to find in the US.