knee and elbow/forearm pads

[master_alexander]

ive never liked pads because they can be constricting.

but every weekend i would scratch my knees up and it was horrible... so i got some pants with pads on them, and a jersey for the same.

[paullus99]

After 17 years of playing, the knees aren't what they used to be. I was in agony for a while until I got a really nice set of knee pads.

[Baby Huey]

I've had 8 knee recon's so I have always worn knee pads. I started wearing elbows once I got into speedball. If you run and dive into bunkers a lot they will be worth the money. i run with dye knees and elbows. Good luck and God Bless.

[White_Noise]

ive torn up my knees/arms in both woods and speedball. i never play with out pads now. i will even play in the woods, or in rec games with shorts, but will still wear my knee pads. i play every position on the field as well. and soem back players will argue against pads, but i think that if you are going to have to move up later, the pads will be handy.

not to mention for all of those people looking out for this, the pads help with bounce, etc.

as for brands, id suggest proto/dye pads. i use both dye knee/arm pads right now which are very comfortable, dont move around at all(had a problem with this with a JT set of knee pads), they also breath pretty well so you dont get overly hot.

[ShadowNife]

the dye knee pads don't know what breathing is :-/ At least the 04 version, im not sure about the 05s

[BD_Paintball]

i have some proto knee pads are they are really nice. just played in a tourney with my college and BFG. the fields there are on old tennis courts and i was sliding on my knee and didnt feel a thing. the proto knee pads are also cheap, like 25 bucks.

[MoeMag]

[nate2k191]

i sewed some baseball knee pads into some loose pants of mine, Knee pads are basically a must. They make sliding and kneeling soooo much more comfortable and easy, allowing you to get in better positions and not have to worry about ripping up your knees. (the ground is really hard in texas by the way...)

[Xenocide]

No one thinks they need kneepads until they come down on a rock and blow out the cap or the whole knee. Or just hit the deck funny diving for a snake.

The knees are such a fragile spot to begin with, I find I like to err on the side of caution. I found a nice pair of knee pads that worked for me, dont impede my movement, and it's one of the best investments I have made in my paintball carreer.

I sure was happy to have them when my practice team was doing indoor practices on concrete floors.

[FSU_Paintball]

WEAR KNEE PADS NO MATTER WHAT.

Next week I'm getting out of physical rehab for my knees. I haven't been able to play in six months. I haven't been able to run a single step in six months. Some days I haven't wanted to get up or walk anywhere. It hurt just sitting in my car. My knees hurt all the time.

Why?

Because I played paintball for eight years without knee pads.

I never hit rocks... roots... or anything particularly bad. In fact, my most frequent field was a very good grassy field. But it eventually got to me. My knees would hurt after a day of paintball, but I never thought anything of it.... it's paintball, everything hurts afterwards.
One weekend I slid into my first bunker of the day... and said "OMG, that really hurt!" I was wearing C4 pants with the padding.

I am just now getting over it. I played this weekend for the first time in a long while. And just living with knee pain sucks. I'll never be exactly the same in terms of my knee, but with knee pads and stretching I can play the same as I used to now with minimal/no pain, but that's after 6 months of doing nothing on them and lots of rehab and doctor visits and medication.

I play with a lot of really good tourney players... people from Strange, and lots of high level D1/D2 players. Many of them have developed big knee problems as a result of not wearing knee pads. I'm hot a hugely physical player (I'm not fast or graceful) so it took me a good eight years to get to this point, but these guys have developed problems in the first couple years of playing. They learn quick after the doctor tells them they won't walk after age 40 if they don't start wearing knee pads.

Wear knee pads no matter what, or you will be sorry. That's all there is to it. Pant padding is not enough. Go get some Proto or Empire pads.

As for other pads... padding is legal in all major tourneys, provided you follow their rules (2 layers of clothing, including pads maximum). I wear elbow pads... much easier on the arms when you're trying to crawl up a snake, or lean on an elbow keeping low.

[REDRT]

I hear you FSU loud and clear! My knees just can't take the pounding as they once did. Before they become too bad I chose knee pads over and above my C4s and C5s. NO REGRETS. Only wish I could find large enough elbow pads to fit me. The elbows seem to take a beating enough to.

[Jotsy]

wow , ok, top priority on my shopping list for this month: knee pads

thanks guys

[Jotsy]

ok, so i got my elbow pads in the mail today. knee pads are on the way. i got a set of planet eclipse pads in size L. anyways, i think i need an M size so i'm gonna trade em.

one thing i noticed tho, the elbow joint on these seem a bit thin. i'm talking about where the actual padding bends to form the shape of the elbow. i would have thought that this was the most crucial part and would require the most padding? the rest of the padding is nice an thick, but i'm just a little worried about that elbow joint.

anyways, so if i'm thinking of trading em up, i mite as well try another brand. i was thinking of the dye ones (mostly because thats what ppl around here mostly use and therefore would be availiable for trading). does anybody know if the elbow joints on those are any better?

[REDRT]

does anybody know if the elbow joints on those are any better?

Yeah, the Dye elbow pads are top notch. Too bad their largest pair is still too small for me.

[Pha|anx]

Don't buy E-Ventz... Wasted $100 on mine.