My gloves eventually smell like a dog ate some shit and vomited it up, so yeah, gotta wash them. Don't clean pads often, but when I do, I just douse them in Bac-Out, let it sit for a while, then...

Age is also a factor. Wrecking is inevitable, but as you get older, healing back to 100% isn't. Knee pads are cheap insurance and they've gotten comfy/breathable enough that it's not terrible always...

I’m with toast, gotta have minimal material, can’t stand hand sweaters. Dakine last pretty well for how little material is used in their super lightweight gloves. I’ve never worn the palm on a pair...