Goal Pants

[s75 0]

What does everyone recommend for goal pants. I've had the same pants for over 15 years. The new stuff looks extremely bulky compared to my old pants. My style is more hybrid and I want to be agile in whatever I get. I'm considering getting a new Vaughn Epic 8000 pair of pants. Does anyone here use these and how would you evaluate them?

[timberwolves31 0]

I use the tackla pro keeper and they are quite a bit less bulky than the velocity or rbk pant

[Netminder32 32]

I use the tackla pro keeper and they are quite a bit less bulky than the velocity or rbk pant

That statement "might" be true if you are in the USA. However, here in Canada, the Tackla and the Velocity are both virtually identical and are both produced at the Vaughn plant in London.

The big question you need to answer is how much protection are you willing to sacrifice for mobility? Goalie pants do vary quite drastically from senior to pro. If you are willing to sacrafice a little protection, senior pants will defintely be "less bulky". You could look at a pant like the DR's, TPS pants or some NOS CCM Blockades. All of them are available really inexpensively online through various retailers...

[cantshoot 0]

Gatekeeper Hockey (www.gatekeeperhockey.com) where my daughter does her goalie gear purchasing has a slew of hockey pants from FLITE and MONTREAL which are produced by McKenney Hockey. They are having a big year end sale. If you call them toll free, they might give you the same deal and ship them to you.

They are super nice and the customer service is superb.

[Law Goalie 147]

The one place a lot of 'mobile' pants make HUGE compromises is in anterior hip protection. The problem is that in order to make pants *feel* more mobile, you have to take bulk (ie. protection) off the hip joints; the less plastic and high-density foam around the hips, the more likely the chance of painful, lingering and DEEP bruises.

A lot of pants (the old Gatekeepers and newer RBK P2's, for example) have 'fake' hip protection - that is, they look like they have padded flaps on the outside of the pant that will slide into place and cover the joints. Problem is, they're low-density foam, so they'll provide a bear minimum of protection for a short period of time (until the foam breaks down) and they don't cover you at all unless you're wearing a gigantic and incredibly restrictive RBK jock.

By contrast, the Velocity pants have big-time hip protection (same style of flap) but because it's actually protective, they *feel* bulky when you try them on.

I love the Bauer Reactor pant design (which has more or less carried straight through the Supremes to the current Vapors) with the three-piece thigh-to-knee protection, but again, it has huge holes in protection at the hip. I had to fix them by adding some HD foam of my own.

My serious advice is to only try on pants with your goalie jock and C/A on hand. Those are three pieces of gear that MUST work together, or you're going to be poorly protected, seriously inhibited, or both. They are also perhaps the three most overlooked pieces of gear.

Whether you're using knee-pads (separately or integrated into the pants) or thigh-boards, they need to be tested with the pants as well.

[gilesfromschool 0]

I have been using a pair of 8000 Vaughn epic pants, I haven't had a single protection issue, and I haven't found a mobility issue either. The little pocket foam just below the hip has become distorted, but apart from that the durability has been excellent as well. I came from a (couple) pair of reactor 6000 goal pants. I say a couple because I had some durability issues with those pants, but apart from that, those pants really did work well. I believe they are similar to the vapor xxx goal pant, not sure if those pants are carried over into the one95 goal lines.

If protection is your concern, try on an epic/velocity pant, and see if the mobility suits your taste.

[Law Goalie 147]

My hesitation with Epic pants is that while their frontal protection is great, the legs are a little bulky for some goalies and some pads, and their off-centre protection is basically nothing. If you're the kind of goalie who's always square and never scrambles, Epics are great; otherwise, you may find something else plays a little better.

Reactors were really hit-and-miss with durability. Depended on who actually did the sewing.

[TBLfan 25]

Just stay away from itechs, worse decision ever.

[s75 0]

Thanks for the replys.

Would you recommend the the P7000 V2 pants over the Epic P8000 pants if I can get either at about the same price?

Is there any real difference from the V3 pants compared to the V2 pants?

[vision 0]

Is the flat thigh important to you? If not, I'd pick the V2 over the Epic but that is a personal thing.

::m

[gilesfromschool 0]

Flat thighs have been outlawed, so any new product will come with curved thigh boards. You'll have to find NOS (new, old stock) for a flat thigh pant.

As far as I am aware, there is no difference between the V2/V3 pants, the model

# was changed and the pant was carried over as the V2 line was dropped from the catalog.

[vision 0]

Outlawed? No, not quite. Still a number of companies producing flat thigh pants but there are some leagues that they are not permitted in. Beer league isn't one of those leagues however.

::m