What Are The Best Knee Pads For Longboarding and Downhill?

Updated August 2021

“Which knee pads are good for downhill skateboarding” is one of the most frequently-asked questions in downhill Facebook groups.

I don’t need much from my pads. They just need to actually protect my knees when I fall, be reasonably comfortable to wear, and last through more than a few crashes. This combination of features has proven surprisingly hard to find.

The available options break down into roughly three categories: very low profile pads made with dense non-Newtonian foam that hardens on impact (G-Forms), “vert” style hard-cap knee pads that are designed for ramp and bowl skating, and more-substantial non-Newtonian pads built for mountain biking or snowboarding. I personally believe that mountain bike and snowboard pads provide the best protection of all the three.

Very low profile pads consist of a roughly 3/8” thick polyurethane pad glued and sewn to a thin lycra sleeve. I am not a fan of this style of pads because they do not actually protect you from impacts or abrasions and tend to get ruined the first time you fall on them. Some years ago I got a pair from the leading brand for free, wore them under sturdy pants, and nonetheless lost a chunk of my knee the first time I fell in them. While I was bummed about the hole in my knee, I would have been considerably more bummed if I had paid the $60 retail price because the pad itself was completely shredded. While this type of pad is theoretically better than nothing and might be good for other applications, I think they simply aren’t durable or protective enough for downhill skateboarding.

The leading brand of very-low-profile pads is G-Form ($59), which also makes a newer “Rugged” version ($79) with a textile covering on the foam. Demon makes a slightly less expensive version, which they call the “Smartskin D3o" ($39). TSG’s version ($59) features a back of the knee cutout and some additional padding.

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Hard cap “vert” style pads like 187 Pros ($99), while great for transition, are not designed for downhill and tend to fail in downhill crashes. The caps, which slide easily over smooth concrete and wood skatepark surfaces, often catch on asphalt and pull the pad down due to insufficient elastic at the top, exposing your bare knee to the pavement, and the lower straps frequently shred during low-sides. While they’re not all bad–Smith Scabs ($69, nice) have worked well for me thanks to their stiff, adjustable top strap and riveted-on cap and some guys swear by the lower-profile 187 Fly kneepads ($35)–I don’t love hard caps because they’re quite bulky and knee sliding at high speed is a great way to smack into a guard rail, a tree, or an oncoming car.

A notable exception here is the Kevin Reimer-designed TSG DHP (€120), a hard cap pad specifically designed for downhill. It features low profile padding, extended caps to cover high-wear areas that typically shred on vert pads, and beefy straps. While I have never personally tried them (I am not a knee slide guy), Kevin is an excellent product designer and I hear great things. Note that these are expensive and often available exclusively from the manufacturer. June 2021: update: they are in-stock at Muir Skate here and also Amazon.

In my experience, the best knee pads for downhill skating are d3o mountain bike/snowboard pads. Similar to the knee pads in modern racing leathers, I find this style to be an ideal balance between bulk, flexibility, and protection: they fit under my pants, protected my knees when low-siding on hands-down slides, and did their job on a brutal stand-up high side to knee bash. In a word, they are trustworthy.

Before I switched to wearing leathers full-time, I wore Demon Hyper Knee x D3o ($59) pads that featured a kevlar-covered d3o main pad stitched to a pull-on neoprene sleeve, with a few additional smaller pads to protect the sides of the knee. After riding the same pair for about two years, they proved durable, affordable, comfortable, and protective. There are similar models from TSG ($59), POC ($119), Fox Racing ($74), DaKine ($89), IXS ($115, available in kids sizes), and other brands with various strap and vent configurations.

The weak point was the kevlar on the knee, which ripped during a low-side crash; but that was easy enough to fix*.

Newer models add a molded plastic cap on the outside of the knee for impact protection and durability, but tend to cost about twice as much. Options include the TSG Patrol A ($129, which I have tested myself and found to be excellent), TSG Tahoe Cap ($129, similar to the Patrol A, but built on a pull-on sleeve instead of with wrap-around straps), Fox Racing Launch ($129), POC VPD System Lite ($129), G-Form E Line ($110, with a zip sleeve and wrap around straps), and the DaKine Mayhem ($109).

(Though superficially similar, Sector 9 Gaskets do not have the same d3o padding and durable fabrics as mountain bike pads. I got a pair for free and much preferred the Demon pads.)

All Around Best: TSG Tahoe Cap

Best Value: Demon Hyper Knee X D3o

Best for knee-sliders: TSG DHP

*Bish’s tear mender is an incredibly effective latex-based fabric glue that makes patching cloth or leather easy, quick, and fast. I cannot recommend it highly enough.)