Two-piece Pants vs. Girdle/Shell vs. Pants

[mgoblue 0]

Can some kind soul please clear this up for me?

Traditional pants (and traditional pants with padless shells) are the only kind I've ever used, but I'm starting to look into other possibilities. My question is - when people describe a two-piece pant (almost always with regards to a pro-stock pant), are they referring to a girdle and shell combo?

The main reason I'm confused is because I know that girdles have quadriceps pads, and yet the outer shell part of the "two-piece pants" I've seen picture of always have quad pads as well (though they're often removable) - which makes me believe that "two piece pant" and "girdle/shell combo" can't be synonymous. If indeed they're not the same, is a girdle still compatible with the outer portion of a two-piece pant?

Obviously I have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about, and my above questions aimed at making my inquiry concise have probably just convoluted everything, but any insight would be very much appreciated.

(I know there are discussions on here about pants vs. girdle/shell, but I haven't seen anything explaining this query involving a two-piece pant as well)

[Chadd 916]

I'm sure there are a couple out there and they will chime in but I have yet to meet anyone who calls a girdle and shell a two piece pant. You can use a padded shell or the bottom of a two piece pant over a girdle in many cases. You just need to make sure that you can attach a belt in some way.

[TBLfan 25]

A two-piece pant is basically similar to a girdle/shell setup but there is padding(plastic in the thighs), don't confuse that with a padded shell(only foam). A two-piece pant's "girdle" or "upper" includes the hip protection and the upper thigh protection, the "lowers" or "shell" would include the thigh pads.

A girdle and shell has all the protective padding on the girdle and the shell just slips over. A two-piece pant is more like a traditional pant that comes apart.

[mgoblue 0]

I appreciate it, guys. And that's pretty much exactly what I suspected, TBL.

Any insight on whether a girdle would be compatible with the lower of a two-piece?

Edit - On a similar note, would the lower ever be compatible with traditional pants if the lower's thigh pads are removed? I presume not...

[TBLfan 25]

Pics:

Two-piece pant "upper" piece:

CCM pro girdle:

You can make just about anything compatible if you're creative enough.

[mgoblue 0]

Perfect.

I've seen hundreds of pictures of lowers, but never the upper. That really clears things up, thanks a lot.

[TBLfan 25]

No prob. Just FYI, I'm pretty sure Bauer's are the only ones that have a belt meant to go through the lowers of their two-piece pants... which could create an issue if you're playing around with the setup. They also have a crappy belly pad that doesn't lace up, that was an easy fix for me.

I have Tackla, Jofa, Bauer and CCM pro pants here, if you have any specific questions.

[mgoblue 0]

I know... your "sell" postings are among the two-piece pant sightings that originally sparked my interest, haha.

I guess my only remaining question is why is the two-piece pant such a popular set-up for pros? I understand the concept of being able to change lowers while holding on to the uppers in cases of changing teams and such - but the upper seems to be too minimal for this to even matter. In other words, I can't see someone being married to their upper.

[TBLfan 25]

Maintenance, adjustment. There are some differences that you can mess around with.

For example, the Bauer upper has a different liner, different belt setup and minimal padding. The CCM/RBK uppers have higher hip pads and the typical CCM tailbone protection. The Tacklas have a very squared back padding, the Jofas have lower hip protection and a similar setup to tackla for the tailbone. The lowers for Tackla and Jofa have split thighs, while the rest has single piece thighs(this includes Easton). CCM actually differs from the RBKs on the leg zipper, with a heavy duty piece of velcro and a zipper cover. The lacing setups also differ from brand to brand.

Also, breaking in the uppers can be a process. These are pro-level so they are solid. We're talking hard plastic that takes time to get worked in right. The only one that really has no break-in time is Bauer, since the padding is minimal.

[mgoblue 0]

In an ironic twist of fate, it turns out my very own pants are actually a two-piece pant. But man, they were a bitch to separate/reconnect.

I fail.

[TBLfan 25]

It's a pro pant, I have yet to see a pair that wasn't. Can you take a pic of the hip pad, I want to compare it to my Lecavalier pants.

[mgoblue 0]

The hip pad being the part of the upper that you can see protruding in the pic (Sorry, pant n00b here)?

[TBLfan 25]

Outside, should have a nike logo on it. Upper piece(as high as you can go on the pant) above the mesh.

[mgoblue 0]

Outside, should have a nike logo on it. Upper piece(as high as you can go on the pant) above the mesh.

Didn't find any Nike logos anywhere on the upper, so I just snapped a couple of shots of the whole upper... let me know if this is what you're looking for.

Sorry if my ignorance is frustrating.

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/5828/18487748yi4.jpg

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/4308/71626716hj3.jpg

PS - I know you mentioned the belt issue earlier. But besides that, are Bauers compatible with other uppers/lowers?

[TBLfan 25]

First pic is what I wanted, thanks.

Yeah, Bauer uppers should work fine with most if not all lowers. I didn't try them on all of them but they fit the tacklas fine. ...But since I'm anal about stuff like the belt, I just modified the Bauers to have a slip thigh, took out some padding and fixed the bell pad issue.

[mgoblue 0]

Awesome, thanks for all the help on this. Now I guess I have a whole new market for equipment whoring. Can't wait to throw some Red Wings lowers on my navy blue upper...

[TBLfan 25]

haha, don't open that door.

I have 4 pairs I won't get rid of. The modified Bauers, Jofa 7000(my favorite off the shelf), Tackla 5000x, Lecavalier Nikes.

[mgoblue 0]

Nice. These Michigan ones are my only pants right now since I refuse to wear my green tacklas from high school, and my dad accidently donated my nice black CCMs to the inter-city Detroit hockey program.

I'm dying to get my hands on some Anaheim Ducks pants to go with my Ducks 4-rolls, Eric Weinrich Flyers bucket (with the orange Oakley :P), and these unis: