Gear that Fits
1 Apr 2007 by jess
I am not a small girl, but I am also all girl, with wide hips and a proportionally small waist and a large chest. This has lead to some problems in finding gear that fits. It came close to preventing me from attempting to learn to play — I would hate to think that other women will choose not to play because they can’t find gear that fits properly!
I looked all over for reviews and sizing information for various items and didn’t find much. My hope is that by listing what gear I have tried and how it fits, that I can help someone else later on.
I’ll be updating this as I try different gear and as my size changes. Right now (1 April 2007) I am shopping around for women’s shoulder pads to accommodate my bust.
- Pants:
- Louisville TPS FP104 Women’s Hockey Pants (XL): These are the first women’s sized pants I put on and I love them. They don’t bind, they fit me properly all over, and they don’t hinder my mobility. I love these pants! I found them at hockeygiant.com.
ITech 6600 Pro Women’s Hockey Pants (XL): While these are cut well for the difference between my proportionally small waist and large hips, the placement of the padding feels awkward and the crotch is cut low, as men’s pants are, which hinders my mobility. They are inexpensive compared to the TPS pants, however. I also found these at hockeygiant.com (but they can be found cheaper elsewhere).
- Pelvic Protector:
- Shock Doctor 278 Women’s Loose Hockey Shorts with Pelvic Protector (XXL): This is the first pelvic protector I’ve tried and it fits, though the shorts are a little tight across my hips. I think I will always get a 3-in-1, the convenience of velcro for my socks is worth it.
Hey,
This post came up when I was searching for a size chart to explain what clothing/waist sizes the shock dr. sizes correspond to. I’m looking to buy the system online, so that really eliminates the option to try it on before buying. If you don’t mind answering a semi-rude question, what size pants are you? I too have big hips, so I wear a size 14 (US), and I’m wondering if I need to go for the XXL or the XL. Any advise you could give me would be appreciated!
Lisa
I was just talking with a woman hockey player last night about this. It has been my experience that most of the women’s specific equipment is definitely geared more towards the fun/recreational player. Every time something new “women’s specific” comes out (shoulder pads, pants) we jump on them but they rarely sell. Most of the younger women we have in (say younger then high school) tend to have their parents wanting armor so they choose full check “boys” equipment. The competitive ladies (high school, college, etc) tend towards Tackla girdles which offer full protection and are cut a little shorter in the leg yet fit women’s hip structure very well….ok, sorry I was drifting. I would tend to agree that of the women’s pants, the TPS is the best of the bunch