Pros & Cons of youth equipment kits

[CigarScott 132]

Greetings all,

My twin 2 year olds are going to be starting learn to play hopefully in the next year and I'd like to get them on the ice in some stick n pucks sooner than that. I'm trying to weigh my options for how to outfit multiple kids without having to sell a kidney.

I've looked at the Bauer VAPOR X-TEND PROTECTIVE KIT and the comparable kit from Sherwood as well as True. I like how Bauer expands in size so it should, in theory last several years but I also like Sherwood being built into base layers which we'd have to buy anyways and it should be more mom-proof in case she has to help dress them. Anyone have any experiences with these or any other gear for your little ones? Should I look at going one these routes or try buying used?

We have a relatively small hockey community where I live so used gear isn't as plentiful as it would be in, say Toronto or Boston and I don't think buying on Ebay or Sideline Swap will be that cost-effective once factoring in shipping costs.

[xstartxtodayx 340]

When my kids were little we just started with used stuff.  They don't outgrow everything too quick, the skates yes, but things like pants/elbows/shoulders not so quick.  Also if you're doing a LTP program usually they supply all of the gear head to toe as part of the cost (when my kids were little it was $150 for the program and that included all of the gear too, it was a bargain).  So hold off on buying everything til you know the gameplan.  If the kids haven't been on ice yet I'd suggest some skating lessons to start since a solid skating foundation will help a ton when they start the LTP (since they don't really teach basic skating too much).  I would scour FB marketplace and CL for gear, SLS is tough since some people try to make a profit off of their free LTP gear lol, but hey a mix of SLS/ebay/FB and CL is a good start.

[krisdrum 223]

They didn't have stuff like this when my kid was that age, so no direct experience.  We spent a lot of time in a local used hockey store getting him stuff as he grew.  It felt like every month or so we were getting something or trading up.  The Bauer not having shins included would likely be a deal breaker for me compared to the Sherwood for the same price.  And I do like the ease of use aspect of just 2 integrated pieces of equipment.  Based on a quick review, I'd go for something like the Sherwood over the Bauer.  I recall Bauer had a "Prodigy" line, that was more similar to the Sherwood stuff.  Might be worth looking into.  Probably find used for a decent price.  

You didn't ask, so feel free to ignore ... but are you planning to get them separate skate lessons prior to learn to play or in addition to?  My son didn't have full equipment and a stick on ice with him for nearly 2 years of skating and I think he is a far better player today because of it than if we had put him directly into learn to play.  His skating has been an advantage throughout his time in the sport.  Now granted we've continued to put significant focus on that as he grew up, so it is a bit murky to look back, but as an adult learning to play, I can fully appreciate the increased capability and enjoyment I've gotten as my skating has gotten better compared to other hockey specific skills.    

[BenBreeg 489]

Is your learn to play one of the nhl ones?  They give head to toe equipment.

[VegasHockey 1261]

21 hours ago, CigarScott said:

Greetings all,

My twin 2 year olds are going to be starting learn to play hopefully in the next year and I'd like to get them on the ice in some stick n pucks sooner than that. I'm trying to weigh my options for how to outfit multiple kids without having to sell a kidney.

I've looked at the Bauer VAPOR X-TEND PROTECTIVE KIT and the comparable kit from Sherwood as well as True. I like how Bauer expands in size so it should, in theory last several years but I also like Sherwood being built into base layers which we'd have to buy anyways and it should be more mom-proof in case she has to help dress them. Anyone have any experiences with these or any other gear for your little ones? Should I look at going one these routes or try buying used?

We have a relatively small hockey community where I live so used gear isn't as plentiful as it would be in, say Toronto or Boston and I don't think buying on Ebay or Sideline Swap will be that cost-effective once factoring in shipping costs.

They are good for LTP kids, especially at that age. 

[CigarScott 132]

2 hours ago, BenBreeg said:

Is your learn to play one of the nhl ones?  They give head to toe equipment.

Not any longer. Trust me, I wish it was.

[CigarScott 132]

10 hours ago, krisdrum said:

They didn't have stuff like this when my kid was that age, so no direct experience.  We spent a lot of time in a local used hockey store getting him stuff as he grew.  It felt like every month or so we were getting something or trading up.  The Bauer not having shins included would likely be a deal breaker for me compared to the Sherwood for the same price.  And I do like the ease of use aspect of just 2 integrated pieces of equipment.  Based on a quick review, I'd go for something like the Sherwood over the Bauer.  I recall Bauer had a "Prodigy" line, that was more similar to the Sherwood stuff.  Might be worth looking into.  Probably find used for a decent price.  

You didn't ask, so feel free to ignore ... but are you planning to get them separate skate lessons prior to learn to play or in addition to?  My son didn't have full equipment and a stick on ice with him for nearly 2 years of skating and I think he is a far better player today because of it than if we had put him directly into learn to play.  His skating has been an advantage throughout his time in the sport.  Now granted we've continued to put significant focus on that as he grew up, so it is a bit murky to look back, but as an adult learning to play, I can fully appreciate the increased capability and enjoyment I've gotten as my skating has gotten better compared to other hockey specific skills.    

Yes, they're allowed to do skate lessons at our rink at 2 1/2 years old and typically 4 for LTP but they said that my boys will probably be allowed to start at 3 since they're already rink rats.

[raganblink 82]

In my career I have sized up approximately U8s 4,500 times. More or less. The ratio was approx this - 

1,500 out of a box starter kits in Youth sizes

3,000 kids one piece at a time

 

From fitting properly, we were able to get most of those 3,000 kids into properly fitted gear. Some parents were insistent in buying something too big "so they can grow in it" , or they came in in May when I haven't received a pair of youth medium elbow pads in 3 months and we have to go with a large. Of those 1,500 kids who got sold a starter kit, I probably changed sizes over 200 times. Usually because the kid is too fat. But some of the brands have been very awful in scaling of sizes, ie elbow pads too big compared to the shoulder pad size, or shin guards with straps too short, or pants too big, etc. The others I fitted I doubt half of them fit great for every piece, I am positive a lot of mis-sized gear is out there with it. 

The core issue of those starter kits is in order for them to be financially feasible for the LTP market & retailer to have a "kit", is this is made as cheaply as possible in order to make margins, as it is razor thin at this level of equipment. This gear therefore has faults such as sizing inconsistencies or issues with the product itself being defective. It does accomplish its goal though - it gets more kids into hockey by introducing players at a lower barrier. It serves a valuable purpose that cannot be overlooked.

 

Stating that, I have yet to find a full set of youth kits that are proportionate w/ good quality at that right price. There are better kits than others, however, if you can afford it, my recommendation is to size each piece of equipment individually. A lot of LHS do deals as in "Buy X amount of youth gear get % off" or something similar. It rarely goes on sale but when it does, buy the next size up of what your player has right now if they like it. Don't get greedy, just get the next size up on sale. Youth gear discounted is dirt cheap.

[VegasHockey 1261]

6 hours ago, raganblink said:

In my career I have sized up approximately U8s 4,500 times. More or less. The ratio was approx this - 

1,500 out of a box starter kits in Youth sizes

3,000 kids one piece at a time

 

From fitting properly, we were able to get most of those 3,000 kids into properly fitted gear. Some parents were insistent in buying something too big "so they can grow in it" , or they came in in May when I haven't received a pair of youth medium elbow pads in 3 months and we have to go with a large. Of those 1,500 kids who got sold a starter kit, I probably changed sizes over 200 times. Usually because the kid is too fat. But some of the brands have been very awful in scaling of sizes, ie elbow pads too big compared to the shoulder pad size, or shin guards with straps too short, or pants too big, etc. The others I fitted I doubt half of them fit great for every piece, I am positive a lot of mis-sized gear is out there with it. 

The core issue of those starter kits is in order for them to be financially feasible for the LTP market & retailer to have a "kit", is this is made as cheaply as possible in order to make margins, as it is razor thin at this level of equipment. This gear therefore has faults such as sizing inconsistencies or issues with the product itself being defective. It does accomplish its goal though - it gets more kids into hockey by introducing players at a lower barrier. It serves a valuable purpose that cannot be overlooked.

 

Stating that, I have yet to find a full set of youth kits that are proportionate w/ good quality at that right price. There are better kits than others, however, if you can afford it, my recommendation is to size each piece of equipment individually. A lot of LHS do deals as in "Buy X amount of youth gear get % off" or something similar. It rarely goes on sale but when it does, buy the next size up of what your player has right now if they like it. Don't get greedy, just get the next size up on sale. Youth gear discounted is dirt cheap.

As far as kits go, the new Bauer kit is one of the best I have seen. For any player under the age of 4 I think it would be more than sufficient. 

https://www.bauer.com/products/vapor-xtend-youth-kit

[krisdrum 223]

22 hours ago, krisdrum said:

The Bauer not having shins included would likely be a deal breaker for me compared to the Sherwood for the same price. 

I actually saw these and the True in person last night (needed a sharpening) and was wrong, they do include shins (the online retailer I looked at yesterday did not mention the shins) and looked like a nicer set compared to the True for the same money.  A bit more attention to detail and from my perspective - superior protection design from lessons learned over the years.  

[marka 519]

Howdy,

13 hours ago, CigarScott said:

Not any longer. Trust me, I wish it was.

Really?  I'm almost positive that the Crosby Learn to Play around here still has the 'free equipment' part of the deal...

checking...  Yeah.  Still head to toe gear:

https://www.nhl.com/penguins/community/learn-to-play

Of course, this doesn't do much good if that's not available to you, but I thought this was the standard.

 

That Bauer extend stuff looks pretty sweet!  Certainly seems like a good option.

Mark

[CigarScott 132]

59 minutes ago, marka said:

Howdy,

Really?  I'm almost positive that the Crosby Learn to Play around here still has the 'free equipment' part of the deal...

checking...  Yeah.  Still head to toe gear:

https://www.nhl.com/penguins/community/learn-to-play

Of course, this doesn't do much good if that's not available to you, but I thought this was the standard.

 

That Bauer extend stuff looks pretty sweet!  Certainly seems like a good option.

Mark

The closest rink to me that does the NHL Learn to Play with free gear is almost 2 hours away. My rink used to do it, no idea why they don't any longer.  https://www.nhl.com/predators/fordicecenter/little-preds-learn-to-play

[ProfessorBarDownski 9]

I’m having a nightmarish issue with sideline swap right now. I sold a pair of personal bauer pro custom sticks on Jan 8th from Toronto and their destination is to some buyer from Lincoln NE. The last update I got from USPS was on January 17th saying sticks are on the way.. made some calls to USPS and they say they don’t know where the sticks location is, the buyer is investigating this as well, she purchased these sticks using up her whole monthly wage for her son who’s left with no sticks and cant afford to buy him a stick and she’s not even cancelling the order because she doesn’t want to screw me over. I’ve sold  a stick before on SLS and it got to its destination fine and I got paid. They are holding a big sum of money that’s supposed to be released to me. Had to sell them to pay some bills. Does anyone have any ideas of what must have happened to the package?

Edited February 3 by ProfessorBarDownski

[xstartxtodayx 340]

11 hours ago, ProfessorBarDownski said:

I’m having a nightmarish issue with sideline swap right now. I sold a pair of personal bauer pro custom sticks on Jan 8th from Toronto and their destination is to some buyer from Lincoln NE. The last update I got from USPS was on January 17th saying sticks are on the way.. made some calls to USPS and they say they don’t know where the sticks location is, the buyer is investigating this as well, she purchased these sticks using up her whole monthly wage for her son who’s left with no sticks and cant afford to buy him a stick and she’s not even cancelling the order because she doesn’t want to screw me over. I’ve sold  a stick before on SLS and it got to its destination fine and I got paid. They are holding a big sum of money that’s supposed to be released to me. Had to sell them to pay some bills. Does anyone have any ideas of what must have happened to the package?

Not sure why this would go in this thread but sounds like you need to file a claim with USPS, only the shipper can do that, from there they'll try to locate and if you had insurance you;ll get everything back one way or another.  The seller is not out any money as SLS doesn't take their payment until they approve the swap.  You can also reach out to SLS but I've heard they're pretty terrible with stuff like this.  There's a whole thread dedicated to SLS issues on sports2k so maybe someone over there might have more insight (there's a lot of members there that sell a ton on SLS).  One thing.. if you're in Toronto how can you ship with USPS?  Don't you ship Canada Post who them transfers to USPS?  If so I would include whomever actually accepted and was paid for the shipping.

[ProfessorBarDownski 9]

50 minutes ago, xstartxtodayx said:

Not sure why this would go in this thread but sounds like you need to file a claim with USPS, only the shipper can do that, from there they'll try to locate and if you had insurance you;ll get everything back one way or another.  The seller is not out any money as SLS doesn't take their payment until they approve the swap.  You can also reach out to SLS but I've heard they're pretty terrible with stuff like this.  There's a whole thread dedicated to SLS issues on sports2k so maybe someone over there might have more insight (there's a lot of members there that sell a ton on SLS).  One thing.. if you're in Toronto how can you ship with USPS?  Don't you ship Canada Post who them transfers to USPS?  If so I would include whomever actually accepted and was paid for the shipping.

I hit the search button looking for topics on sideline swap, thought I’d post it here instead of a new thread since it’s being mentioned here in some way. But yeah I’m ahead of that the case is being investigated. Thanks .