aluminum leg pads or the velcro strap pads

[jsteel80]

L pads just arent cutting it anymore. i'm thinking of getting either the aluminum leg pads or the velcro straps. i have also seen on other theards that "geckos" ( i think thats right) are pretty good. i dont have a whole lot of meat on my legs so im looking for comfort and protection from the climber shank digging into my leg. also with any suggestion, maybe let me know a good place to order the product.
thanks

 

[Grace Tree]

I have the aluminum. Other climber has velcro super wraps. I like the aluminum but if I'm not wearing high boots they wear on my shins. Other climber had a bad twisting problem and the super wraps cured that and he likes them. Only drawback with them that I see is that the ends of the wraps sometimes come unvelcro'd. Doesn't seem to be a big deal for him.
Phil

 

[RedlineIt]

I've got the alloy Geckos and I really like them. Comfy and light.

But...if your not set to dish out for all new Geckos and your climbers are not needing relacement aside from the L-pads, the aluminum wraps are great, they still get a thumbs up from me. Around here, they got the nickname "Cadillac pads".

The foam backing will wear out eventually, just scrape it off, get some new chunks of dense closed cell foam and a can of spray glue, back in business in no time. In fact if your shins and calfs are of truly small diameter, you could glue in some extra comfort with two layers of foam right from the start.


RedlineIt

 

[Fireaxman]

I'll put in a plug for the "Ultra Stiff Wrap Pad" Wesspur sells page 49 of their 2007 catalog. It has a heavily padded steel shin cup. WONDERFUL improvement over my old Klein L pads.

 

[2FatGuys]

I use the "Super Climber Pads" shown in the Wesspur catalog. They are much stiffer and better padded than those old L-pads, but don't include the preformed shape. I have large calf muscles from years of backpacking and mountain biking and the pads with steel inserts or aluminum just didn't seem to conform to my legs and felt like they dug into the inside-back of my calves. I will say most guys love the metal versions. I almost went with the velcro for infinite adjustability, but opted out for the VERY thick padding of the pads I bought.

 

[polingspig]

Here is the answer.

jsteel80,
I am of the opinion that you should buy these pads:

Super Wrap Pad/with Steel insert

You can get them here: www.wesspur.com

Then you should post on this thread how they feel so I will know before I buy them.

You might not be able to tell, but I am really thinking of your needs and not my own curiosity here.

 

[hammer0419]

I have been using the Buckingham Velcros without aluminum insert for 10 years now and love them.

 

[mudguts]

My Buckingham 4" velcro cinch and metal insert are comfy. I like them with my 10" boots.
http://fwlsp.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=22G

 

[reachtreeservi]

I use the "Super Climber Pads" shown in the Wesspur catalog. They are much stiffer and better padded than those old L-pads, but don't include the preformed shape. I have large calf muscles from years of backpacking and mountain biking and the pads with steel inserts or aluminum just didn't seem to conform to my legs and felt like they dug into the inside-back of my calves. I will say most guys love the metal versions. I almost went with the velcro for infinite adjustability, but opted out for the VERY thick padding of the pads I bought.

Thanks fecrousejr, I was trying to decide between the caddies pad, the Velcro wrap pad , or the super climber pad. I have the same problems with calf muscles being too large. Ordered the super climber pads today ...

 

[reachtreeservi]

Thanks fecrousejr, I was trying to decide between the caddies pad, the Velcro wrap pad , or the super climber pad. I have the same problems with calf muscles being too large. Ordered the super climber pads today ...

I wore the super climber pads today for the first time , on a removal. All I can say is Wow. I should have my head examined for using
those stock L pads for so long. What was I thinking, man ?

I was thinking about getting a second set of climbers and setting one pair up with long gaffs and one pair with shorts, instead of changing the gaffs out like now. Thought I'd try the Velcro wrap pads on the new set, but I honestly couldn't imagine it getting much better. Think I'll stay with the super climbers until I can climb on someone else's velcro wraps or caddies.

If you are climbing on the old L pads, $45.00 can change your life!