[trvsklsy]

what do you guys think of 661 chest protectors. i am looking at getting either a Defender, a Straight Jacket, or a Race Jacket. I dont really need something as much as a pressure suit, or assault pressure suit. help me out please. which will offer the best protection for chest, shoulders, and back. Oh yea i will be doing a little bit of racing mostly just trail riding with the occational hucking. thanks

 

[TNC]

Opinions and types of hard armor.

what do you guys think of 661 chest protectors. i am looking at getting either a Defender, a Straight Jacket, or a Race Jacket. I dont really need something as much as a pressure suit, or assault pressure suit. help me out please. which will offer the best protection for chest, shoulders, and back. Oh yea i will be doing a little bit of racing mostly just trail riding with the occational hucking. thanks

You'll get some differing opinions on hard plastic armor vs. padded armor and full body suits. Many are under the impression that all hard or MX-style armor is only good for roost protection and such--and for some of the equipment out there that's true. However, some of the better stuff has padding and foam standoffs on the inside of the plastic that absorb big time get-offs, even from dirt motors. I posted some pics of an Answer Apex body armor set with attached Fox elbow guards. I've always attached my elbow guards in this fashion--you don't have to cinch them down too tight to kept them from slipping down in rough terrain. This kind of armor can be worn in fairly hot conditions without having a heat stroke. The full suit padded DH suits do offer more overall protection, but it's tough to do much pedaling in them or wear them in hot conditions. The venting on the hard sets can vary greatly also. This Apex set and some others have lots of venting for a wider temperature use. One of the pics of the shoulder cup shows the aftermath of a hard get-off into a rock pile on Porcupine Rim at Moab. A broken collar bone would have most likely been the result. This set has some well designed hard foam standoffs to keep the armor off of your body for heat dissipation and energy absorption. The hard stuff works well if you get plenty of vents and some form of standoffs designed into it.