By Jim Bartlett
What Skateboard Protective Gear Do I Need?
1. A Good Quality Skateboard Helmet
The consequences of a serious head injury make skateboard helmet safety your first priority. Skateboarders fall a lot, especially as you learn new moves and tricks. Depending upon your speed, distance to the ground, ground hardness (a wooden ramp vs. a concrete barrier), and other factors, you can suffer a serious head injury.
Important skateboard protective gear notice: there is currently no US law that requires manufacturers to meet a specific safety standard for a skateboard helmet. The ASTM certification is voluntary, not mandatory. So, a skateboard helmet may or may not carry the ASTM certification.
If you are in the market for a skateboard helmet, look for these features:
Buy a helmet from a reputable manufacturer, such as Bell, ProTec, SixSixOne or Giro. The established companies have the resources to design and warrant their skate helmets.
Check to see if the helmet is ASTM F-1492 certified, as proven by an ASTM certification sticker on the inside of the helmet. Although not required, this is nice to have. For additional protection, you may want to look for a helmet that is dual certified to both the ASTM F-1492 skateboard and the CPSC bicycle standards.
Don't mess with skateboard helmet safety. Get yourself a good quality skateboard helmet. Make sure it fits well, feels good, and looks good. Then, WEAR IT!
2. Skateboard Knee Pads / Skateboard Elbow Pads
A good pair of skateboard knee pads and skateboard elbow pads will help absorb impacts and prevent nasty abrasions from sliding on rough surfaces. Skate Pads Combo Packs are an inexpensive way to outfit yourself with knee and skateboard elbow pads, and several also include skate wrist guards.
3. Skate Wrist Guards
Skateboard injury statistics show that wrist injuries are the most common skateboarding injury. When you fall, your natural reaction is to reach for the ground. This places large impact forces on your wrists and causes lots of injuries.
Good quality skate wrist guards will help prevent a wrist injury. The two basic types are:
Skate wrist guards with no fingers
Skateboard gloves with integrated wrist guardsBoth types have splints underneath the leather that absorb the impact and reduce the chance of a wrist injury.
4. A Pair of Padded Skate Shorts
Padded skate shorts help protect your butt, tailbone, hips, and thighs from impact and abrasions. Padded skate shorts are very popular with our customers, as they make falling much less painful and reduce soreness. Trust us, you'll really appreciate padded skate shorts after a day on the street or at the skate park! Plus, you can be covert and hide them under your shorts, so no one will know...
5. Skateboard Ankle and Shin Guards
If the plan is to ride hard at the park near rails, structures, or other inflexible objects, consider some ankle and shin guards to prevent big black and blue spots from appearing all around your lower legs.
This checklist will help you select the right skate pads and skateboard protective gear. Before you drop in...get protected!
Jim Bartlett is the president of XSportsProtective, a leading online retailer and expert on skateboard protective gear, including skateboard helmets, such as Bell, Giro, SixSixOne and ProTec skateboard helmets; skate pads, skate wrist guards and much more. Find out more at http://www.XSportsProtective.com.
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