Hey all-

I am looking for some knee pads to go over pants for run and gun games. I had a pair of Hellstorm knee pads that served me well. I didn't love the straps but I did love the hard, flat, smooth exterior. They were great for dropping down at a full run and baseball catcher slides into a barrier.

What do you like?

Bruce

Nope, I don't see anything that answers my question.
Clarification?

Bruce

Sorry
No thoughts on knee pads, but having one replaced knee and one bad knee, I figured I would be looking at some knee pad options this year.

Since your looking
Post a comment on any options that seem interesting.

Up front...

I don't participate in firearms competition, but I am a rifle instructor and I also take training courses every year. The following is based on my experiences...

There are many different brands of tactical knee pads, but over the last 20 years or so, I have owned/used the following:

Hatch (Centurion knee pads)

Alta (Superflex Knee Pads)

Arc'teryx (LEAF Combat Knee Cap)

The Hatch Centurion are, in my opinion, marginal at best.

The Alta Superflex are a about the same in price as the Hatch pads, but I found them to be more comfortable and in my case, more durable.

The Arc'teryx LEAF pads are way more expensive (currently about 3x the cost) than the Hatch or Alta pads. In spite of the price difference, I found these pads more durable and more comfortable than the Alta or Hatch pads. They have been my current pad of choice for about the last 8 or 9 years.

So, if you are not going to do a lot of classes/training (or are not going to spend all day wearing pads), I would go with the Alta pads. If it is going to be an all day thing, or, you are planning to do a lot of training classes/time on the range, get the Arc'teryx LEAF pads.

YMMV/Prices higher in AK,HI,PR/IANAL/the dog don't bite/etc

After much research and recommendations by friends, I bought the Arcteryx. I haven’t had a chance to use them yet in a match but they fit well and feel good.

I'm not looking for "all day comfort" though that would be nice. I'm more looking for something that:
1) Can be worn while running short distances and
2) Won't slip off/down/around or grip the ground and stop me dead if I want to slide on my knees, into a barrier.
Wide, flattish, hard, smooth.

Thanks for the information.

Bruce

I grabbed the wrong search result , sorry .
the one I wanted had info about gel something or other and they were , oh I can't remember the price now

The Arcterycx have a rubberish texture to them and probably won't slide well unless in loose dirt ect. Plywood and such, they'll grab.

They are low profile and pretty comfortable with an elastic upper strap and lower non-elastic strap.

I ordered the Blackhawk V2, the new version of the Hellstorm. I hope they are at least equal to the old version.

Bruce

I've used the Altas for around 10 years. They worked, but aren't anything to write home about.

As an expert on kneepads go to Kamala Harris.com!

Windwolf:

You're relatively new here, and none of us wants to be "that guy."

But I'm going to be "that guy" this evening: In general, inserting politics into an apolitical thread is a good way to get on the bad side.

Please don't take this harshly; it's simply something you need to be aware of.

I use US military surplus knee pads and find them quite stout and comfortable for all day use.

I prefer the aforementioned Knee Caps as well, but I don't perform knee-slides, and they are probably not your best choice for that application.

One thing I do with my Knee Caps though, that can be done with any knee pad, may prove useful to you. I sewed four short channels onto each leg of a pair of pants, to prevent any side-to-side or vertical shift of the pad. This allows you to slacken the knee pad straps a bit too, which is nice. Gives the effect of something like a Crye pant, but the versatility of being able to pick the pant, and the pads.

Double Alpha Academy sells some knee pads the uspsa shooters seem to like/use