tpalka
December 16th, 2009, 02:27 PM
FWIW, thought I'd share some info on the d3o protective clothing. Check http://www.d3o.com/products.php for more info about d3o itself.
I was looking for something that's flexible and comfortable -- I ride fairly carefully and am mostly afraid of someone slamming into me from behind. The Kjus Impact vest is not as silly as $1200 jackets, and it has 4-5 d3o panels protecting the spine. Hard to test that stuff, but I had my wife beat me with a shovel and the protection seems to work well. Vest is definitely a winter garment, but fairly light and very comfortable.
Since I telemark as well, I picked up the Sessions d3o pant (long underwear really) which has knee, hip, and butt-crack protection with sown-in patches. It feels great. Knees good for telemarking, hip will be good for losing an edge and getting slammed into ice. The patches are well placed.
Today I went skiing with my 2-yo son which means that I was in a super-crouched position holding him by the hips, and none of the protective d3o patches felt in the way. They're very comfortable. Considering the shovel-whacking test they seem to protect well also. I picked up both pieces of clothing for under $350 total, which seems comparable to the stiff protection that I've seen others wear (POC, Dianese, etc).
It's a good way to have some protection for the unexpected without losing the feeling of being free and flexible.
tom.
I was looking for something that's flexible and comfortable -- I ride fairly carefully and am mostly afraid of someone slamming into me from behind. The Kjus Impact vest is not as silly as $1200 jackets, and it has 4-5 d3o panels protecting the spine. Hard to test that stuff, but I had my wife beat me with a shovel and the protection seems to work well. Vest is definitely a winter garment, but fairly light and very comfortable.
Since I telemark as well, I picked up the Sessions d3o pant (long underwear really) which has knee, hip, and butt-crack protection with sown-in patches. It feels great. Knees good for telemarking, hip will be good for losing an edge and getting slammed into ice. The patches are well placed.
Today I went skiing with my 2-yo son which means that I was in a super-crouched position holding him by the hips, and none of the protective d3o patches felt in the way. They're very comfortable. Considering the shovel-whacking test they seem to protect well also. I picked up both pieces of clothing for under $350 total, which seems comparable to the stiff protection that I've seen others wear (POC, Dianese, etc).
It's a good way to have some protection for the unexpected without losing the feeling of being free and flexible.
tom.