Anyone used these pads?

[Tony Anders]

Hello everyone. I am wanting opinions on these pads for caving.
www.aoutfitters.com/OtherManufacturersProducts/KneeShinPads.html

I am was curious as to how well they hold up.

Anyone have suggestions on a good company to buy pads (knee and elbo) let me know.

Thanks..

[L Roebuck]

Hey Tony I haven't tried the Black Knee & Shin Pads but my question would be....What material do they use?

[Tony Anders]

Good question, I guess I will have to call and ask about those.. I definitely have to get me some more. The ones I have ain't cutting the mustard....KNEES HURT>>>

[Brian Roebuck]

There are several good knee pads out there for us larger guys. What are your knees worth? I spent $50 on some pads recently and that seems to be the going price for the better ones for cavers. Vendors like IMO have several brands to choose from. B&C Wunderwear in Nashville have some nice ones too. I wish I had used better pads way back when I started caving. My knees would be better off now.

[Tony Anders]

As always I appreciate the input on the equipment we use. I believe we can safely say 'we get what we pay for'

Thanks again Dr. B....

Where can I get some of those pads like that. My brothers and I are all looking for them.

[L Roebuck]

Hey Tony check out Inner Mountain Outfitters. The last kneepad's Brian purchased were the "Crawl Daddys" Here's the link: innermountainoutfitters.net

I hear "Dirty Daves Long Knee Pads" are also very good and here's the link to Karst Sports: www.karstsports.com/didaloknpa.html

[Off Rope]

I've used Crawl Daddy's in some of the most gruesome and challenging caves in TAG and I have to say that they "Passed the test".

The best part is that they don't move!!! They stay on your knees. Isn't that where you want them?

We just about bottomed Chan's Chasm this past weekend and my Crawl Daddy's were there until the bitter end.

Off Rope!

PS: I wish I was as skinny as Andy Z.!

[Brad Tipton]

PS: I wish I was as skinny as Andy Z.!

Yeah, but would you want Andy Z backing you up in a brawl with a gang of bikers? ROFL........yeah we all wish were a skinny as Andy.

[Brian Roebuck]

I sent my crawl daddys back to the maker for a refit at TAG (my bad - I picked too small a size for my too big legs). IMO has them (I hope) and promised to get them redone. Now that's service!. I'll have to contact them to see if they are done. I am glad to hear that Offropes' experience was good. Pads always rotate off my knees when I wear them. The daddys did stay put when I wore them but they were uncomfortable afterwhile (again my mistake).

[Tony Anders]

I looked at the IMO sight for the crawl daddy's pads, and either I am not seeing them or they have stopped selling them. Can you let me know of another place to get them.

[Tony Anders]

Anyone know if the straps on these pads hold good. are they buckle and not velcro?
innermountainoutfitters.net/catalogentry.php?subcategoryid=12&page=1&brand%5B%5D=GGG&catalogentryid=98&brand=GGG

They look like those may be comfortable. I think they may be good for people with bad knees (like me)

[Brian Roebuck]

muddog said:

I looked at the IMO sight for the crawl daddy's pads, and either I am not seeing them or they have stopped selling them. Can you let me know of another place to get them.

They just started selling them a few months ago. You may have to call them to get some. They are good pads with a combination of velcro and elastic straps to hold them on. Make sure you get the right size for your legs.

[Tony Anders]

Ok, Thanks Brian.

Do you recall how much those was.

I was wondering about those.

innermountainoutfitters.net/catalogentry.php?subcategoryid=12&page=1&brand%5B%5D=GGG&catalogentryid=98&brand=G
I was curious about the straps, would they tend to bunch up under the back of the knees?

[Brian Roebuck]

Sorry it took so long to reply. I've been enjoying the holidays!

The pads I bought were about $50. They are built well and should be comfortable behind the knees if you get the correct size. I got mediums and they did bunch up behind my knees somewhat. I really needed large size and when I get them back they'll be perfect. What I like is they didn't rotate around when I wore them. Nothing worse than knee pads that are not on your knees when you need them to be!

No knee pad i've seen is perfect. Either they are uncomfortable to wear and stay in place or they are comfy but move around. Those of us with big legs have it worse than skinny cavers. Nothing much is comfortable on the knees. Knees are easy to damage and expensive to repair. Take care of yours! Get good pads!

PS: IMO was super about taking care of me getting the pads re-sized for free. They'll be sending them to me soon. They are good folks and treat you right (my humble opinion of course).

[Brian Roebuck]

I just got my Crawldaddys back from IMO. They fit great now because they are brand new large size. In other words IMO and/or crawldaddys gave me a new pair instead of making my slightly used pair larger! Talk about customer satisfaction! It was my fault for buying mediums in the first place and yet Jeff, Nina, and the Crawldaddy folks went way beyond the call of duty to get me fixed up!

My knees and I are very happy! Thanks to IMO and Crawldaddys for being so supportive. Heh - Santa came early!

[madratdan]

Wow Brian,
That's some good customer service.......cavers serving cavers.

Locally we have a group of cavers that have put together some of the best knee pads on the planet. Check these things out.
theonlygear.com/products/tactical.html

I just bought a new pair of their black knee and elbow pads. I have been wearing a pair of their first generation orange ones for a couple of years now. I use them for both work and caving and they are still in fine shape. The new black ones lack the reflective tape to make them more stealth. They should be a little cooler due to the new strap design. The old strap had neoprene for comfort.....and comfortable they are......they make love to your knees while crawling around in the dark.

[Rick Brinkman]

I got to see several brands of kneepads in action last weekend. Nobody wore coveralls, so the kneepads were all directly exposed to the cave.

GGG
Dirty Dave's
Bomber
661 (bicycle pads)

The ONLY brand that stayed in place were the 661's. And no, I wasn't the one wearing them. I had the Bomber's.

[Brian Roebuck]

Good data points for us tender knee'd cavers Rick!

Thanks for posting.

[madratdan]

Did you guys know that Howie of Howie's Harnesses is making his own brand of knee pads?? We brought several pairs back from MVOR and they are winners. I tried Mikie's out a couple of weeks ago and they too stay put pretty good compaired to my old bombers. But still my choice knee pads are the tactical's by the guys I linked to above. The neoprene really helps keep them in place. They finally have the design down so you don't sweat so bad in them, like the first generation ones do. I've caved in shorts, t shirt and my tactical pads in 54 degree caves and stayed at a comfortable tempature...... due to the neoprene lining on the my old pads.

Hey Lynn or Brian,
How about I send you out a pair of these knee pads for testing and loaning out to others? I think when other cavers from your area see and try a pair of these they will be impressed. I'm sure my good friends at theonlygear.com/top.html would love to get some feed bck from your part of the country. If your interested......I'll E-mail you the particulars.

[L Roebuck]

I guess many speleo vendors are also in kneepad production these days. I knew Howie's Harnesses, B & C Wunderwear, Crawl Daddy's, etc are now making kneepads But the " heftier " cavers do seem to have more of a problem with kneepad staying in place as well as being durable - than a lighter weight caver.

So we are on the quest to find the perrrrrrfect kneepad for caving. Thanks for the offer Dan, yes we would be interested in a pair of the tactical kneepads for testing and loaning out to others. If you can make them a large size they will be thoroughly tested by known kneepad killers.

[madratdan]

Oh yea....they are large knee pads.......larger then any I've seen so far. I think I better wait till after the 25th to mail them. I'm going to send you a brand new pair, so you might have to cut some off the end of the straps if they are way too long for you. They put on extra long straps so they will fit everyone. E-mail me your address so I can box them up.

The price for them is $60.00, so I'll eventually want them back in a year or so. They aren't cheap.......but the best never is.

[L Roebuck]

They will definitely be put to the test for a year. Brian definitely will be a good tester. Also another caver, who is about 300 pounds , will probably be more than happy to try them out caving. And several others cavers --come to mind-- who may also like to try them. If you guys need a log of all the caves, length of caving trips or anything please let me know so we can collect the needed data.

Thanks Dan my address is in the NSS Members Manual but I will send you a PM so you don't have to look it up.