A&R Shin straps vs Shin Sleeves ??

[LAK5656 1]

I'm over buying shin tape every other week. LHS has both the A&R Shin straps and the A&R Shin sleeves. Both have solid reviews, anyone have a preference? I've been sort of leaning towards the straps just for the fact that you can adjust them, and i like my shins pretty tight. On the other hand, the sleeves have great reviews and seem to be more popular from what i'm seeing. 

Anyway, any suggestions either way would be appreciated.

[althoma1 575]

I tried some straps years ago (forget the brand) and they were OK, but could shift a bit when you slide your socks on and after a while the Velcro would wear out. I've used Hogan Hockey cut resistant shin tights for the past four years or so and they're still going strong. They keep my pads in place and don't shift around. The extra cut protection is a nice bonus.

 

I have no experience with the A&R tights, but have noticed a lot of other refs use Viceroy tights and those seem to stretch out fairly quickly. The Hogan tights I use have held up quite well - they're about $10 more than the Viceroy ones and I can only find them online so there is a cost to ship them as well, but I've found them to be durable and the cut resistance adds some piece of mind.

[start_today 773]

I got sets of both around Xmas. I use them under player socks, not for reffing.  I felt like I couldnt get the straps as tight as I wanted, and couldn't them in the right spot. I gave up on the straps after a few games. 

 

I have the A&R shinsleeves now, and some other brand that felt like more of a "wicking" material before. I like both, but I feel like the general sleeve part starts to rip and separate from the elastic at the top. I'm also not responsible and tend to lose them. 

 

But, even buying one pair of these a year is less expensive than buying X roles of tape over a year. And less environmentally crappy than throwing away a foot of plastic tape every game. 

[mc88 160]

Keep using tape, or make your own straps. It's super easy and you can customize it to your shin diameter.

 

I found the sleeve to be cumbersome to put on, and it felt O.K., in terms of tightness. The straps were "meh," because they are made as a one size fits all, and I found them too be too long in length. 

 

If I were to make my own, I would use at least use webbing and some Velcro... and maybe even an oval webbing loop to create a latching system...  similar to this:

 

The webbing is super durable and it doesn't stretch, so you'll get a MUCH tighter feel than you'll get with elastic.

 

[mc88 160]

Or... if you don't want a metal ring to show (or at all), then just create a hook Velcro tab (like above) and have it fold over to the fuzzy Velcro sewn onto the webbing. However, it may not hold as well/feel as tight as tape.

[chk hrd 164]

I've used shin tights for years, they work great and I don't have to use extra tape. They keep my shin pads in place just fine, never had a problem with them.