Armor

[adaven]

 I am going to buy some armor for my son. I would like to know if there is a type or kind of armor that is seriously protective, not too heavy, and softshell. Or any combinations of these. I use D30 but it is heavy. What do you use that you like or recommend? Thanks

[Kane]

Consider the Tech Air 5 air vest from Alpinestars. They claim its back protection is equivalent to 18 CE level back protectors. Kind of pricey, about the same as a good helmet. I’m getting one as soon as I have enough cash flow in a few weeks.
Lots of vids on YouTube of the vest in action with racers and crash test dummies.

[twowheeladdict]

I am going to buy some armor for my son. I would like to know if there is a type or kind of armor that is seriously protective, not too heavy, and softshell. Or any combinations of these. I use D30 but it is heavy. What do you use that you like or recommend? Thanks

D30 is the lightest protective armor I know of.  I have some older jackets with lighter armor, but I'm sure it is not as energy absorbent.  Hard outer shell with light foam is probably lightest.

Of course no armor is good if it doesn't stay in place during a get off.

[Lumpy Idle]

D30 is the lightest protective armor I know of.  I have some older jackets with lighter armor, but I'm sure it is not as energy absorbent.  Hard outer shell with light foam is probably lightest.

Of course no armor is good if it doesn't stay in place during a get off.

i scaled up to d30 a numbers of years ago. yeah, it is noticeably heavier than the flimsy crap that comes with most of your jackets but i figured the tradeoff was worth it.  the factory stuff for most jackets is about as protective as duct taping a yoga mat to your shoulders (and not even one that was coiled up!)  my jacket and pants are first-gear stuffed with d30. another excellent choice would Sas-Tech as used on scorpion gear and others. scorpion makes some nice stuff and they are not overly pricey.

https://www.scorpionusa.com/exo-wear-technical-features/

[AJ Huff]

TImely topic because I too want to upgrade or add armor to my jacket and maybe pants. But I don't really understand the classifications and nomenclature. I know the First Gear over pants I have I can't ever seem to get the knees pads on my knees. I have a pair of Bohn knee guards that I wear with jeans. They aren't comfortable but maybe I need to consider something similar.

-AJ

[twowheeladdict]

TImely topic because I too want to upgrade or add armor to my jacket and maybe pants. But I don't really understand the classifications and nomenclature. I know the First Gear over pants I have I can't ever seem to get the knees pads on my knees. I have a pair of Bohn knee guards that I wear with jeans. They aren't comfortable but maybe I need to consider something similar.

-AJ

Unfortunately, gear has to be snug fitting to really do it's job at the moment of impact.  Beyond that, any quality abrasion resistant material will save your skin from being peeled away.  I have found myself dropping down a size from my street clothes to get that snug fit.  Unfortunately, now my street clothes are snug.  LOL!

The armor in my "sporting" gear covers a much larger area than the armor in my "casual" gear even if they both use CE rated armor.  The more area you cover, the greater the chances are that the armor will take the impact and disperse it.

I have seen riding gear and kevlar lined pants that are basically a joke and shouldn't even be sold.  Ok for those who only ride 25 mph neighborhoods I guess. 
I have seen jackets and pants exceed $1000.  I try to be somewhere between the two extremes for the most part, but do chose what I wear based on where and how I plan to ride that day.

[Alfetta]

Perhaps something from the baroque period !

[adaven]

There have been a few advances in technology since the Baroque period. Also, can you imagine the shipping costs? And would it be level 1 or 2 protection? If it were level 2, would you feel as safe as with D30, or the SAS-TEC, or the Dianese "honeycomb? Are all of the D30s equal?

I went to a store to look and the D30 level 2 that they had was about half of the weight of the level 2 that I bought 6 years ago. Has the adherence to the level 2 standards become fluid?

As you guys have pointed out, location of the various pads is critical. But, if you are buying a jacket, how can you be sure that you can adjust enough to compensate for the liners - or what you might have layered under the jacket - so that the positioning doesn't change too much?

Especially if you are buying online

[motogoro]

Armor should be comfortable enough to wear regularly for long periods. 

SAS-Tec didn't work for me.  On paper it sounds great.
Shoulder and elbow pads work just fine.   
I found the back pad to be too stiff and bulky feeling.  And hot. 
The knee pads were heat sinks for the valve covers.  HOT!!

Aerostich TF3 is comfortable in the Roadcrafter suits. 
It's the only armor I've put to the test.  However, it didn't prevent a disconnected clavicle. 

The rest of my experience is extremely dated. 
Knox shoulder, elbow and knee pads in old jackets.   
A "turtle shell" Bohn back protector I should retire but is comfortable. 
Ditto for a "Carbon Kevlar" Bohn.   

[bulwnkl]

…seriously protective, not too heavy, and softshell…

Choose any two.
:-D

I’ve worn older Forcefield Action shorts and pants with the 100J armor. It’s seriously protective, or was at the time, and soft shell, but heavy (and not super-cool).

I have Bohn pants now. They’re super light, soft-shell, and have very good to great coverage, but they’re not _super_ protective.

I have Motoport pants with their upgraded armor. It has great coverage area and is soft shell. It’s not tested against CE standards, but _seems_ to be very good armor. It’s quite bulky, though, and blocks quite a bit of air (since it covers so much of you).

I have a CE Level 2 certified jacket from Spidi. Its armor is light and must be very protective (a CE 2 jacket has to have CE 2 armor), but the armor is hard-shell.

I have an older KomodoGear Ceno racing leather jacket. It has fairly thick SAS-tec soft armor inside, and a leather-covered hard shell outside. It’s very comfy and outstandingly protective (again, at least for the time), but as I said there’s a hard shell over it (sewn into the jacket). It might be heavy, but the whole jacket is a heavy racing jacket, so it’s hard to tell.

Personally, I’m always conflicted between super protective & staying in place, and taking under 20 minutes* to don and doff (I commute to work on the bike many days).

I tried to want D3O (it’s a letter “O,” not the number zero) a few years ago. I’ve heard it’s better now, but at that time its protective qualities changed in heat and cold too much for my use in southern AZ. Forcefield’s changed, too, but not as much as D3O of the time.

*It’s not quite actually 20 minutes, but changing into and out of Bohn under-layer and LD Comfort water shirt, plus outer gear, and so forth makes it _seem_ like 20 mins.