Knee Pads

[Time2Go]

Hi Friends
Not getting any younger and have been an avid skier for decades
so the knees have seen better days. Boat yoga and crawling around in a blow
leads me to the need for a nice set of knee pads.
Usually I like to try stuff on but that's not possible because of the lack
of good stores where I live.
So it's between
Spinlock
Musto D3o
Crewsaver Phase 2
Gill neoprene
All comments welcome, especially interested in
the difference between "Pull on" verse "Velcro"
Any brands I missed?
If wearing foulies are they worn inside or outside?
Don't care about cost because my philosophy is to buy really good
stuff, take care of it and have it for many years.
Cheers
Neil

[TheOffice]

Spinlocks pinched. Gills work for me. Have not tried the rest.
Under the foulies.

[Cotemar]

We have been using the Home Depot HDX 2-in-1 Knee Pads $7

We use the hard plastic layer only when we bottom paint. We remove it for all the other work on the boat.

This HDX 2-in-1 Knee Pads is an economical and comfortable knee pad. The removable hard cap lets you work on surfaces such as carpeting or wood. When the hard cap is removed you can use the soft foam cap on hard surfaces and not worry about scratching or marring. The adjustable straps let you give yourself the most comfortable fit.

2 caps in 1 and removable hard cap

3/4 in. high density foam inner pad

Adjustable straps

1 size fits most
.
.

[Cthoops]

I bought a pair of Mizuno volleyball kneepads a few years ago. I don't remember what I paid, but it was under $20. They are pull on and they work fine as I crawl all over the deck.

[toddster8]

Dunno... I don't keep any on the boat. I think the ones in the shop came from the local hardware store.

But my always-on-hand solution is Propper Tactical Pants. (Disclosure: I don't always wear pants. But when I do, it's Propper Tactical Pants.) They have a double layer in the knee, which helps some, but this also forms a pouch made to hold knee pads, integral to the pants. You have to turn the leg inside-out to find the pouch. A square of cardboard, backed by a bit of upholstery foam works great. Any kind of padding will do in a pinch.

[UNCIVILIZED]

There are trousers made which have purpose built pockets at the knees for foam knee pad inserts. Ones ranging from various types of military trousers, to Rail Riders, & even some brands of weather gear">Foul Weather Gear.

You can also have such pockets added to pretty much any kind of trousers that you like, including foulies.

The reason that I mention this option, of having the pads integral to the pants, is that it's impossible for the pads to slide down & out of place. Plus with your knee pads already built in, it's one less thing to have to put on, or take off. And yes, knee pads are a pain in the rear to don & doff when sailing, & are forever slipping down to the point where they do little good.
My best mate was Dennis Connor's bowman, & he was forever cursing his kneepads, well into the 21st century.

IMO the military made a reasonably smart move by adding pockets to the knees of field uniform trousers. Though they generally don't accept hard shell pads the best.

Albeit if you don't mind the price, you can buy trousers such as those designed for NAVSPECWAR (SEALS) which have integral hard knee pads built onto the exterior of the trousers themselves.

[DeepFrz]

I recently saw an article on Facebook from "The Boat Galley" on just this subject. By the way they have many very informative articles on their web site.

https://theboatgalley.com/save-your-knees/

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Time2Go

Hi Friends
Not getting any younger and have been an avid skier for decades
so the knees have seen better days. Boat yoga and crawling around in a blow
leads me to the need for a nice set of knee pads.
Usually I like to try stuff on but that's not possible because of the lack
of good stores where I live.
So it's between
Spinlock
Musto D3o
Crewsaver Phase 2
Gill neoprene
All comments welcome, especially interested in
the difference between "Pull on" verse "Velcro"
Any brands I missed?
If wearing foulies are they worn inside or outside?
Don't care about cost because my philosophy is to buy really good
stuff, take care of it and have it for many years.
Cheers
Neil

If you can't try them on, then get either the pants with the pockets for the pads, or straps or velcro. What I used to use were the same pads I wore when I played volleyball, and they stayed put okay, but I can sure imagine how frustrating it would be if they slipped down all the time. The pull on ones can be too tight for wearing them very long, you don't want that, either. Incidentally, if you go for the pants, you can then go buy some soft closed cell foam, to cut to fit their pouches.

If your knees are really damaged, you shouldn't be kneeling at all. It turns out that kneeling is hard on knees. I've had bilateral knee replacement surgery and then had that surgery "revised", both knees. If you can work out other ways of getting to the "its" in question, like sliding on your bottom and working sidewise, you may be able to help your knees, but working twisted isn't so good for your back. Truly aggravating.

Ann

[roverhi]

I use some cheap knee pads from Home Depot. They eventually lose the cushioning where you kneel on them a lot but they last a year or more, are light weight, conform to your knee, and are really cheap to replace. HDX Black Garden Knee Pad-HDXGKP2 - The Home Depot

Have tried some expensive knee pads but the hard ones take a funny set after awhile and hard faced ones tend to slide around on deck.

Ideally would buy a pant with knee pad pockets. That way they'd stay in place where you need them and don't look weird when you head off the boat.

[thinwater]

Two pair.

Top-quality hard-faced pads for maintenance and at home. Something that can stand-up to gravel.

Ballyhoo pads for sailing and other boat yoga.

One size never fits all, no matter the quality.