I was looking at chest protectors the other day and many of them look to big and bulky for me. Do certain companies make some where they aren't as bulky? I had limited mobility and it just looked awkward. I would honostly rather have less padding and more mobility. I use one of those $100 ****s sporting goods chest protectors for Dek and street hockey and it states it's for ice but I use it for them anyway. It protects everything and is less bulky and I love it because I can move around comfortably. Is expensive always better when buying goalie equipment? I really like the one from ****s.

I'd never let my son wear a street hockey chest protector on the ice...too big a risk of serious injury given the speed of shots and heavier puck.

Expensive isn't always necessarily better, but I'd suggest using equipment specifically designed for ice. Shop around, look on the internet and you can find some good clearance prices this time of year. Have your local pro shop get your chest & arm measurements which will help you find the proper size...

AMEN !!!!!!

Rule #1 in this sport - buy the best protective gear you can. (That does not mean the most expensive). Expensive sticks and expensive skates can be impressive but safety must come first.

Rule #2 - buy a new helmet. Don't buy used - you don't know what it has been through. Almost everything other than the head will heal given time.

quote:

Originally posted by Fordy:
I was looking at chest protectors the other day and many of them look to big and bulky for me. Do certain companies make some where they aren't as bulky? I had limited mobility and it just looked awkward.

I'm not sure if you have tried any of this equipment - this is where you might want to "borrow" used equipment to try it out in a controlled practice (have the shooters NOT unload their heavy artillary). You might be surprised at how well you can move in this equipment.

My 5' 6" 130 lb. Daughter wears a chest protector that requires her to wear at least and adult XL and often a 2XL sweater over it. She does have fairly broad shoulders for a girl her size. She fit hers by how the arm/shoulder joint flexed more than the chest size. The "extra bulk" in the mid section is not a problem in moving her arms at all.

But I'm definitely with Saroh against buying used safety oriented equipment. With chest protectors, the fabric stretches over time with bigger and bigger spaces developing between the protective blocks. Eventually, she decides that the shots are hurting more than she likes and it is time for a new one.

The good news is that you can probably take that used ice protector and recycle it in roller.

If I had to prioritize areas of chest protection, the sternum comes first followed by the collarbone. You might also check out how your chest protector integrates with neck protection to make sure there aren't any holes there either.

I'm going to get measured again sometime this week.

After seeing the Clint Malarchuk accident I definatly going with "saftey first" with everything.

By the way, sorry for "littering" this forum with questions.

We found as our son was growing up that we could get excellent deals on new and gently used high quality goalie equipment on eBay. That enabled us to keep the costs down and for him to purchase the right size even if it meant changing up more than once a season.

If you're in an advanced league (bantam to adult), you'll probably need the extra protection.