Hockey pants vs girdle and shell? Pro's and Con's

[Shayno 1]

Am thinking of converting to Girdle and Shell....can anyone give me the Pro's and Con's of both?

The last time I wore a girdle....it was the "Cooperall's" days!!

Thank you!

Shayno

[theelite 1]

These days, girdles are mostly being used for rollerhockey... I can't say I've seen anyone who uses a girdle for ice...

I have played both roller hockey and ice hockey and have both sets of equipment. I have a Mission girdle

GIRDLE - PROS

- Integrated with jock protection

- Material is stretchy and made of sweat absorbing material

- You can easily remove the padding to wash/clean the girdle

- Wears much like boxer briefs, and hugs you

GIRDLE - CONS

- Padding is soft foam

- I got really warm in them, boxer briefs -> girdle -> pants

- You will need a set of pants too

SHELL - PROS

- Good protection with hard shells

- fits loose for breathability and a breeze when skating

- Water resistant

- Thicker material for durability

SHELL - CONS

- Padding can not be removed

- No integrated jock (jock shorts or something like it are needed)

Hope it helps... my experience is pretty limited :(

[Fin19 1]

These days, girdles are mostly being used for rollerhockey... I can't say I've seen anyone who uses a girdle for ice...

Hope it helps... my experience is pretty limited :(

My experience aswell, however one of my good buddies who plays on my summer hockey team who played for the Calgary Hitmen, wears a RBK girdle and a CCM shell. I guess the majority WHL players are wearing the girdle/shells now.

[Scotty 8]

I play strictly roller now and love using a girdle, although mine is an older model without an integrated cup. Not all of them are strictly soft foam though, mine has plenty of hard plastic shells over sections of padding. Love how much lighter it is as well.

[Slapshot9123 0]

Switched from the Bauer one75 pants to the One95 girdle/shell playing Jr A hockey as a Defenseman. Right away it took a little bit of time to get used to but, after a few uses I feel a greater increase in mobility. There are some spots that are left a little open in the girdle but, I have no complaints. Blocked shots in them and felt nothing. Padding seems to be on par with the one75 pants just closer to my body. Hip protection could be a little more beefy but, for any do it yourself'er you can easily add more padding to that area with some old pants if you want to. Airflow seems to be the same with both for me, no increase in heat or sweat. All in all, I fell in love with the girdle and can't see switching back to normal pants. Although, I have friends that tried the girdle and didn't like it all.

[althoma1 574]

I decided to switch to the S15 Motion girdle/shell combo about a year ago after having used traditional pants my whole life for ice. I made the move because I picked up a Mission Thorax girdle a few years ago for roller and was impressed that I didn't really give up any mobility vs. wearing no girdle at all (I wore no girdle for years in roller with nothing more than a few bruises, but it's nice having that extra protection now without sacrificing mobilty).

I'm happy with the change for ice. The S15 girdle has velcro tabs on it along with an internal jock so there's no need for either garters or jock shorts. I still wear Bauer/Nike dryfit pants, but it's purely for the wicking properties. The mobility is better than traditional pants, but not as good as the Mission thorax girdle. It's much more protective than the roller girdle though. I haven't had any issues with the protection - before these I was wearing Nike Quest 1 pants, Quest 2's before that, and before that some older CCM Supra's.

[leafs1967 2]

Ive been using the a girdle and shell for the past 11 seasons and wouldn't use anything else. For mobility and freedom of motion it just can't be beat. I'm using the bauer vapor 8 girdle which is basically the one95 girdle now. I even went so far to buy 5 of the girdles at the time just in case they ever stopped making them. Think I've still got 2 new ones still to use. It does take a little used to having the feeling of not really wearing anything on your lower body but once trying it you won't go back. There are a few gaps where you might get hit but in all the time using them have never been hit in them. This after 11 seasons of use. Hope this helps

Ive been using the a girdle and shell for the past 11 seasons and wouldn't use anything else. For mobility and freedom of motion it just can't be beat. I'm using the bauer vapor 8 girdle which is basically the one95 girdle now. I even went so far to buy 5 of the girdles at the time just in case they ever stopped making them. Think I've still got 2 new ones still to use. It does take a little used to having the feeling of not really wearing anything on your lower body but once trying it you won't go back. There are a few gaps where you might get hit but in all the time using them have never been hit in them. This after 11 seasons of use. Hope this helps

[sickwilly 37]

I made the switch recently. I found the girdle/shell to be much more comfortable. I also feel like I have a little more freedom to move. I intentionally bought a shell that's a little loose.

[Evomike1 0]

I chose a girdle b/c I am 6'4" and have really long legs. I could have looked for a 2+ length pant, but they are harder to find.

I chose the CCM girdle and I like it alot. I have found that I can wear it loose and it feels alot like a pant. Almost like a custom leg size pant.

If you find that pants are not covering the space between the top of your shins, go with a girdle.

[Shayno 1]

Thanks alot guys and gals.........never dreamed of getting this much usefull info from 1 question!!! To tell ya the truth, I was under the impression that most Pro players were wearing them? I am in the market for new pants, and was looking at pro return stuff. Most of the pants I found were shell's?

I think I am going to go that way(shell), and was hoping someone could also help with maybe a couple links, of stores where I can buy them. Or even used.....although, now that i think about it.....maybe not used, yuk!!! lol

Thanks again for all the info and opinions!!!!

This site is great!!

Shayno

[eugene8080 0]

I also find the girdles much lighter and more maneuverable. However, they offer less protection and I've gotten some bruises on my side from falling. I think you're ok for the most part with shot blocking though because, they cover those areas, like the font of the thighs very well. A lot of the girdles for ice hockey do not come with a cup holder. The roller ones tend to have a build in cup holder.

If you are concerned about the looks. I find the girdles are very slim looking. I got a pair of Bauer Supreme Sr. Hockey Pant Shell and they fit very tight. Make sure they are very loose so you don't look like a hipster on ice.

Lots of NHLers use girdles now. Bertuzzi, Gaborik, Bernier, Cleary

[calihockeyboy 0]

I have the Reebok 9K (2009) with the ice core girdle system. Great pants. Greater movement, and they don't feel like buckets of water on each leg at the end of game. No issues with protection yet. ;) I won't go back to regular pants.

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

Just to add some balance to the conversation....

I went from pants, to a girdle and back to pants.

Why? While the girdle was trim, light and mobile it offerred significantly less protection, especially in the lower back region. If you evwer lose an edge agaisnt the boards, like in a tight turn, you know why you want this. BOOM! Back hits the boards. The last time I wore my girdle was when some douche bag took me out on my way to the net. My back hit the boards and I was out for three weeks. In the pants I would have popped right up and beat the crap out of him!!!

[Shayno 1]

"That's what she said" lol No really....thanks for the advice.....am now leaning more towards pants because of more protection.....Thanks Again!

[hunterphfr 12]

I was one of the last kids on my team to try Cooperalls in the early 80s. When everybody started switching back to pants over the years I never did. I'm currently wearing the Bauer MP8. With the selection greatly increasing over the last few years I'm looking for a reason to buy a new pair. The freedom of motion, lack of bulk and lightweight makes them really comfortable to play in. I have always been a defenceman and have always stepped in front of shots. In beer league now, but some guys can really crank the puck.

If you look at some of the newer ones like the X60, the new Synergy or the Warrior it would appear the have adressed the issue of back protection. Which I will agree was a little scant in past years. Something I was willing to sacrifice.

Not endorsing or condoning purchasing your gear from them, but this is probably one of the best selections of the available girdles on the market tody:

http://www.hockeymonkey.com/inline-girdles-sr.html

The majority of the pants on the page are designed for ice and not roller hockey.

[Katzenjammer 1]

If you look at some of the newer ones like the X60, the new Synergy or the Warrior it would appear the have adressed the issue of back protection. Which I will agree was a little scant in past years. Something I was willing to sacrifice.

Girdles seem to have really improved in their protection.

The X-60 girdle seems to have almost identical padding to the pant; same thing with the TotalOne girdle.

At this point, the main difference at this point seems to be fit and feel.

[voxyledbetter 9]

Girdles seem to have really improved in their protection.

The X-60 girdle seems to have almost identical padding to the pant; same thing with the TotalOne girdle.

At this point, the main difference at this point seems to be fit and feel.

I recently bought the x60 for roller hockey cause I prefer a little extra protection than a roller girdle, and its crazy protective! I love the protection it has in the back, couple games ago I played forward on the powerplay battling in front of their net, took a couple cross checks and shoves to the lower back, girdle took it all.

[Joshison 1]

I tried to switch to a one95 girdle and it just wasn't for me. I didn't feel like I had more motion at all, I just felt extremely uncomfortable but thats just me.

[Katzenjammer 1]

It's def tighter fit - so the fit prolly has to be more exact

[halfmoonyote 0]

I've always preferred girdle/shell over pants. As noted several times it's all PP. I honestly don't know how anyone plays in traditional hockey pants. They've always seemed bulky to me. But definitely all comes down to personal preference.

One thing I will mention regarding girdles is this...I prefer the Easton/Tackla/Eagle '1 piece, pull up' style girdle over the 'wrap around' Bauer incarnates with the adjustable thighs. To me, you can never get those things set just right and they just feel sloppy. I also think there are more non protected gaps in the Bauer girdles than the aforementioned. The 1 piece style give a more form fitting, secured fit and it provides excellent mobility with good protection.

All that said, nothing will fully protect you from pucks. A puck always seems to find it's way between padding. I've blocked shots on the inside of my thigh that left me purple for 2 weeks.

[mfd1068 0]

I'm interested in the Bauer Totalone girdle. Saw it at my LHS and was shocked at how light it was. Question, do most get the same size shell as the girdle, L Girdle, L shell for example or one size up? Is it more PP?

[scorer75 9]

I use both, depending on my mood.

As others have said, girdles are a bit free-er, pants offer more protection, especially on the inside of the legs.

Many players do use girdles for ice, especially if you play for different teams and you or the league cares about matching uniforms. That was one of the major considerations for me, the ability to change shell colors.

My experience says most guys who go to girdles don't come back to pants, and guys who use girdles and go to pants do sometimes switch back. YMMV.

[mwerth 5]

I'm another who went from pants to girdle then back to pants.

The girdle for me was HOT sitting so close to my skin. I wore the Bauer vapor girdle back when, it was the first with the wrap design. It looks like the TotalOne girdle is essentially the same concept, so I would expect similar results.

The thigh and tailbone pads are also less significant with girdles, and I find the sides/kidney pads of girdles to sit much higher on my waist than traditional pants, even when the belts are in the same spots.

That said, pants are certainly heavier and a bit more restrictive. It might be worth experimenting with a buddy's gear or finding a cheap used version before buying a new one.

[mfd1068 0]

I just purchased the Bauer TotalOne girdle and shell. I've played in it twice now. It is very light and has excellent mobility, better than my pants (vapor X:40's). I really like the fact that the hip pads stay on your hips. The pants definitely have better back protection but that comes with a slightly bulkier feel. I had no issues with heat build up. The wrap system is adjustable and the belt holds the girdle in place. So far, The thigh pads sit just over the pad of the shin pads and there is no restriction. I have not noticed any movement from the thigh pads. Overall, very happy with the set up. Not many shops in my area actually carry girdles. The TotalOne and Vapor were the only brands my LHS carries. I would have liked to try the warrior girdle to compare the fit.

[Katzenjammer 1]

Funny, I also just came from my LHS and was debating between TotalOne Pants - and TotalOne/V60 Girdle and shell.

When I compared them with the TotalOne Pants, it seems to me the girdles had an immediate heat isue and, even more importantly, the girdles felt REALLY binding. That they are more binding makes sense: the girdle is merely taking the pads and snugging them up close to your body via the wrap material. Whereas the TotalOne pants are light and sort of move with your body.

The only advantage I can see with the girdles is that they look better - which isn't all that important.

Of course, it's only my opinion and experience. Maybe it depends upon body shape.

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