Hockey Gear Help

[smiley37 0]

I am a girl joining a travel A team. I am looking for new gear for more protection. I am also willing to look on Sidelineswap for older models also. My old is different pieces from Play It Again Sports, Sidelineswap, and neighbors. I don't have much experience buying new gear since its just guessing if it will fit and being okay with it. I want my gear to fit me properly. I am in the market for new shoulder, elbow, and shin pads, as well as pants/girdle. I think Bauer is my brand but I am open to using other brands also. I am not sure if I should look into Supreme or Vapor because I want protection since I block shots a lot. I play center, wing, and defense and I am a very fast skater. Definitely want very protective shin pads because I have been injured by a hard shot between the skate and the shinguard and that was not fun. For the breezers, I have had a hard time finding ones that fit me. I used the Supreme 2s Pros as my first pants, some random Bauer one on Sidelineswap that was too big, and I am using CCM pants from I don't know how long ago that fit the length but I have to keep tightening the strap on the ice since the waist seems too big. As a girl I don't know what pants will fit well, and I have looked up the CCM women's gear and many have submitted bad reviews on the fit and protectiveness. Thought a girdle would work since its tight fitting and would fit to my body snuggly so the pants don't fall while playing. I plan on going to a pro shop to try some gear on but would like to have an idea of what to try first. Any knowledge on this topic is helpful. Thanks!

[shoeshine boy 241]

adult female player here. I switched to a girdle about 6 years ago and I'll never go back to regular pants. I like the Bauer wrap-style girdles. I can adjust the waist and thigh sections as tight or as loose as I want.

if you have the chance, check out some Stark MFG equipment: https://starkhockey.com/collections/women-s

one thing I've always hated about Bauer women's gear is their ridiculous sizing:

WOMENS X-W PANT	XS	12+ YEARS	90-110LB	4'7"-5'1"	24-27"
	S	12+ YEARS	100-130LB	4'11"-5'5"	26-29"
	M	15+ YEARS	120-150LB	5'3"-5'9"	28-31"
	L	15+ YEARS	140-170LB	5'7"-6'1"	30-33"

 

this would put my SO, who weighs around 135 in a large. seriously?

[smiley37 0]

8 minutes ago, shoeshine boy said:

adult female player here. I switched to a girdle about 6 years ago and I'll never go back to regular pants. I like the Bauer wrap-style girdles. I can adjust the waist and thigh sections as tight or as loose as I want.

if you have the chance, check out some Stark MFG equipment: https://starkhockey.com/collections/women-s

one thing I've always hated about Bauer women's gear is their ridiculous sizing:

WOMENS X-W PANT	XS	12+ YEARS	90-110LB	4'7"-5'1"	24-27"
	S	12+ YEARS	100-130LB	4'11"-5'5"	26-29"
	M	15+ YEARS	120-150LB	5'3"-5'9"	28-31"
	L	15+ YEARS	140-170LB	5'7"-6'1"	30-33"

 

this would put my SO, who weighs around 135 in a large. seriously?

I will look into the Stark hockey gear.

Looking at the Bauer girdles and see two options. Do you like the ACP Elite or the ACP Pro? 

I agree the women's sizing was crazy and didn't even want to check it out, its like a joke

[Jbear 113]

I think going to a good shop with patient and experienced employees is the best thing you can do at the outset. Later you can start buying online (SidelineSwap is AWESOME).  I find that I spend an average of an hour fitting players for protective gear if they need multiple items. My recommendation is not to lock yourself into any one brand and choose with your eyes closed. There's always a mobility/protection trade-off, but if you're patient, you don't have to give up too much of either.  I would take all the marketing with a grain of salt.  For example CCM markets Jetspeed as mobile and Tacks as protective.  FT6 Pro pants are more protective (IMO) than AS-V Pros.  It's more important that your gear fits properly and accommodates your individual mechanics than what the catalog says.  Try as many brands and families as you can and put together a package that works for you. 

When I have kids that I coach who come with stuff that's not right for them.  Often they've made decisions with their eyes.  They got what they thought looked cool, or it's what Connor uses, or the coach said to get it, or the blurb online was convincing. All that matters is that it fits you correctly and works with your mechanics. 

Anyway...that's my opinion. Good luck!

[smiley37 0]

1 hour ago, Jbear said:

I think going to a good shop with patient and experienced employees is the best thing you can do at the outset. Later you can start buying online (SidelineSwap is AWESOME).  I find that I spend an average of an hour fitting players for protective gear if they need multiple items. My recommendation is not to lock yourself into any one brand and choose with your eyes closed. There's always a mobility/protection trade-off, but if you're patient, you don't have to give up too much of either.  I would take all the marketing with a grain of salt.  For example CCM markets Jetspeed as mobile and Tacks as protective.  FT6 Pro pants are more protective (IMO) than AS-V Pros.  It's more important that your gear fits properly and accommodates your individual mechanics than what the catalog says.  Try as many brands and families as you can and put together a package that works for you. 

When I have kids that I coach who come with stuff that's not right for them.  Often they've made decisions with their eyes.  They got what they thought looked cool, or it's what Connor uses, or the coach said to get it, or the blurb online was convincing. All that matters is that it fits you correctly and works with your mechanics. 

Anyway...that's my opinion. Good luck!

Thanks for the input. I will definitely go the a pro shop with an open mind. I know I will definitely try the girdles on though since they were a good fit for shoeshine boy.

[marka 519]

Howdy,

My only possibly useful advice is that my wife loves her Stark gloves.  They very much do what they say, in that they have the 14-ish length fingers with a 12 or 13 width hand (compared to typical glove sizes) that she needs.  If they're making other gear, I would definitely recommend giving them a look.  My wife has also struggled to find other appropriate gear, but I expect her problems won't match yours... We're both a little older and a little wider than the typical teenage hockey player.  🙂  There's enough variety in mens gear that I can find stuff, but womens gear seems to only be made for extremely in shape people.

My only other suggestion would be to reach out to any d1 womens hockey programs in your area and ask to speak to their equipment manager for suggestions.

Mark

Edited June 21, 2023 by marka

[start_today 757]

Most women I play with, including my wife, use all men’s equipment. It’s just a matter of trying on different models and sizes and seeing what works.   

A lot of women’s equipment seems like it’s designed as an afterthought, and is sized by people who have never actually seen a female person in real life. 

[smiley37 0]

13 hours ago, marka said:

My only other suggestion would be to reach out to any d1 womens hockey programs in your area and ask to speak to their equipment manager for suggestions.

Not sure if this is possible but I will make sure to try on as much gear as I can and see what fits when I go to a shop

[shoeshine boy 241]

On 6/20/2023 at 2:02 PM, smiley37 said:

 

Looking at the Bauer girdles and see two options. Do you like the ACP Elite or the ACP Pro? 

I agree the women's sizing was crazy and didn't even want to check it out, its like a joke

I am using a Bauer Total One which is a few years old. I do have a Bauer ACP Pro and it is excellent and I love the ability to adjust the length.

[Jbear 113]

When I was considering a girdle, I found thigh, hip, and kidney protection to be good in all (best in Super Tacks), but tail and hip flexor (this is pants too but.. we have to stride) padding to be lacking significantly. Be sure to evaluate that based upon your needs.  If I find something I like a lot that's lacking in one area, I will mod it or have it modded. It is not difficult to add foams or pe inserts.

[smiley37 0]

1 hour ago, Jbear said:

When I was considering a girdle, I found thigh, hip, and kidney protection to be good in all (best in Super Tacks), but tail and hip flexor (this is pants too but.. we have to stride) padding to be lacking significantly. Be sure to evaluate that based upon your needs.  If I find something I like a lot that's lacking in one area, I will mod it or have it modded. It is not difficult to add foams or pe inserts.

I will make sure to check out the padding to see if its good for my play. I don't fall much but when I do its a big tumble so thanks for the heads up.