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Figured I'd vent and maybe see if anyone else had similar issues or insight. Helmet sizing, is there any rhyme or reason?!? I've been shopping around for a new helmet, bought a couple on SLS and tried a bunch on in a store and I am now convinced my head is just odd or something. CCM - wore a V08 in the past (and 450''s way back in the day), size small, fit perfect. More recently wear a 910 size small, fits almost perfectly... get some pressure above the temples at times, removing the ear guards was necessary and alleviated most of that pressure but still bothers me at times. Started shopping because other than the slight fit issues of the 910 I also hate how the forehead padding traps sweat and absorbs the smell like crazy, even after soaking multiple times to clean it still smells, it's like a sponge that just won't dry and is kind of nasty. Helmets tried: CCM Tacks X - loved how light and airy it was, a small was way too tight everywhere at the largest setting, squeezed the heck out of my head (wore it one game and loved how well it breathed but it was way too tight). Tried a medium and at the smallest setting it sort of fit but came down too low and just felt like my head was swimming (felt like Lord Helmet). Warrior CF100 - size small fit in the middle of the adjustment, it's light and breathes well but sweat pours down my face. The "heat moldable" padding seems like a gimmick since it's so thin, don't see the use at all, also the harder foam rests on my forehead so not sure the padding could do much at all. Don't care for the harder style foam, I grew up with VN style helmets so prefer something softer, this leaves marks on my head after playing. I don't mind the style which is why I tried it, can't say the same for the other Warrior helmets. Warrior RS Pro - same shell as the CF100 but with more of a VF style foam... tried a small and it felt like a little kids helmet, wayyyy too tight. I returned that and have a medium on the way to try but I'm not too optimistic. Bauer IMS9.0 - had one for a season or two, size medium fit ok but always felt a little too large height wise, also I was never happy with the style, not a fan of how Bauer helmets look so that always irked me. CCM 720 - tried on in store, size small (same as my 910) I couldn't even get my head in at the largest setting, it felt 4" narrower. Size medium at the smallest setting didn't feel snug enough. CCM 920 - tried on in store, wanted to love this and was willing to spend way too much on a helmet if it felt good but I wasn't confident in the fit. The small at the largest setting fit on my head but was super snug, the padding felt really nice so I wasn't sure if it was maybe supposed to be this snug? The medium at the smallest setting was a touch too big, I could push my head up and down and back and forth in it a bit. The padding was unlike other helmets, it had more give and was softer to the touch, so maybe this stuff will break in more and the small will work? $400 is a lot to gamble on that so for now I'll see how the Warrior RS Pro fits and also rotate the 910 until the smell is unbearable. Anyone else have this much trouble finding a helmet that fits? Or am I the Goldilocks of hockey helmets? I believe the top half of my head is shorter than most if that makes sense, and my face longish (I normally wear a large Profile III cage which fits great, the CCM larges are usually too long and the CCM and Bauer bubbles are a bit too short).

Don't mind me, I may add more stupidity.... I had a block of years in my 20's where I stopped playing/paying attention to hockey and gear, and last I remember TPS was a Louisville product so I'm confused lol. Is Louisville not a company anymore? Did SherWood buy Louisville? I googled and see Louisville still makes baseball/softball stuff with the TPS name, so I'm really lost lol Whenever I see "TPS" I assumed it was a Louisville product. Ok old man backing away now lol

Honestly both the ST and the ACP Pro would work for you, they both have adjustable straps around the thigh pads, the ST can be left pretty loose and still have good coverage. Also both have height adjustment for the thigh pads from -2" to +2" (I know the ST is that much adjustment, would have to double check the ACP Pro but it had a similar setup that basically raised/lowered the whole leg pad which I like b/c I always shorten mine up a bit).

I was curious and found a great deal on an ACP Pro on SLS ($40 shipped... well worn but plenty of life left). First impressions, this thing is light. I've worn Super Tacks the past few years and a couple of 9K's before that. Have tried some older Supreme wrap style girdles which I didn't care for some years ago. Ths ACP Pro (the black/yellow one), is definitely a little lighter than the ST but every single pad on it feels half as thin, it has good coverage but again, everything feels paper thin compared to the ST. The thigh boards, which are usually the beefiest pads, are almost flexible, and the tailbone pads don't instill much confidence. I do like the segmented pads on the outside of the thigh, feels like it wraps the outer leg with a little more protective coverage than the ST, but again, everything feels much thinner. For beer league it's fine but I wouldn't want to play full contact in these. I won't get to test them until at least April (recovering from ACL replacement) so can't say much until then, but even though I can't play right now I'm still addicted to gear 🤦‍♂️

Try the Jetspeed line, they're pretty narrow. Also some of the Sherwood stuff looks narrower, or if you can find the old STX shins still those might be worth a shot since everyone said they were super narrow/streamlined.

*SOLD* Picked these up last year hoping they'd fit (since I wanted to try out one of the long versions) but they're too big. They're medium but feel more like a pro stock medium, probably not as big as Jofa size 5 but def bigger than the size 4 19K Pros I had for a bit). I'm recovering from ACL reconstruction now so clearing out some stuff I had. These are new old stock, have tags still but had the player's name in sharpie on the top binding which was crossed out. They were sitting under something it seems b/c there is a minor spot on the left forearm velcro, looks like something dripped/melted onto the pad, pretty small and just cosmetic but want to be up front (see pics). Other than that they're brand new still, never been used. Asking $130 shipped in the US, I will ship to Canada if you cover the additional cost so IM me and I'll get a quote. Willing to entertain trades as well, currently looking for 15" Jetspeed FT4 Pro shins or Pro Stock Tacks shin guards (pro stock only with the Jofa style liner... thinking one of those might give me a little more ACL support than my 19K's lol). Untitled by Jon Schusteritsch, on Flickr Untitled by Jon Schusteritsch, on Flickr Untitled by Jon Schusteritsch, on Flickr Untitled by Jon Schusteritsch, on Flickr Untitled by Jon Schusteritsch, on Flickr Untitled by Jon Schusteritsch, on Flickr

yea, MOST of the old Jofa style models are built like tanks, they're awesome but not the lightest (pretty sure I had on the old Jofa 5090's in my avatar pic, those were like couches on my legs), but the 19K (old Jofa 7K Pro) style is perfect for skinny legs and beer league 😂

I'd say more low profile than Vapors and possibly lighter too (I had the 1X gen Vapors and found the knee/top shin area very wide and bulky and weight wise they weren't noticeably different than the Super Tacks I switched to afterwards). Maybe you're thinking of the 20k/8K or 21K's which are beefy and not that light? The 19K are the older style with the separate knee and shin plastics, they don't wrap around the calf nearly as much as others (or at all if you have bigger calf muscles, I'm skinny and they don't even come close lol), and they aren't too deep at the shin. Definitely the lightest and lowest profile shin guards I've tried at the expense of protection (you def feel shots off the sides of the plastic more than you would with the 8K Pro which I had before these which were tanks).

Same size as girdle, you can size down for style (look at William Nylander, he goes a size down... it looks stupid if you ask me but I'm an old man 😂). I would stick with a girdle shell since they tend to fit better and come up a little higher (some brands offer a little extra kidney padding). You don't need to use a Bauer shell with a Bauer girdle, all shells work with all girdles, they have a belt you tighten to hold it up after you pull it on. Some shells/girdles may have velcro tabs/loops for the girdle but they're pointless, the belt is all you need (if you play for multiple teams and have multiple shells there's no way you'd waste a few mins each time you swap shells when you can just pull them up and tighten a belt and get the same result lol).

If money is no option go find a pair of CCM 19K Pro, they're pro stock only but are still very popular and show up on SLS and in classifieds pretty regularly (but like all the pro stock stuff the prices have gone insane over the past few months). I have a couple of pairs and love them, super light and low profile but since they still have the old school removable liner with the thick knee donut they actually have better knee padding than anything retail.

I've only used XS and Edge and haven't looked back once I switched to XS. I just like the way they feel and prefer the dial as opposed to the trigger that broke on me twice and was not an easy fix (spring inside somehow popped out of place, only fix is the remove the entire holder to access the inside). I also prefer the wider selection of steel available for XS.

what model helmet and model cage? Also, do you hang your gear on anything at home? Almost looks like aplastic cap that goes around a 90deg bend on like a metal shelf/bracket of some sort.

The Gear exchange area of this site is what you're looking for, also sidelineswap, just set up a favorite and they pop up all the time (I know b/c I'm always keeping an eye on medium ones and see a lot of larges lol).

I'd always go the DIY route of spraying the gear down with a mix of distilled water, rubbing alcohol, and hydrogen peroxide after use, then washing my gear at least once a season (this is honestly the most helpful part lol). I use Sport Wash from Amazon, if you haven't washed your stuff you may need to do an extra wash to get all the funk out, but this stuff is great (I use it on all of my sports gear and tech fabrics since it clears the pores and refreshes the wicking abilities). Avoid any scented washes/sprays and definitely avoid any fabric softeners as they'll just lock in odor and destroy wicking capabilities. Skates I just spray down and helmets are trickier, I usually just soak them in a bucket of the Sport Wash and rinse real well, but depending on the helmet they may never smell good (looking at you CCM 910 with your terrible design that doesn't let moisture or smell out from behind the comfort pads).

I remember hearing the pink helps with light sensitivity, eps for those who have had concussions. I want to say Domi wore/wears one? I googled real quick to try to find what I saw and found this article: https://www.shapshotshockey.com/p/its-not-a-fashion-choice-why-daniel