Tony777, the type of protective gear that would work best for you really depends on the type of riding you are (or will be) doing, as already mentioned. The images in post #3 are really intended for hard-core downhill riding.
For lighter (cross-country) trail riding, most people don't regularly wear them. They might help during one's "learning" period, when falls are more common, but you eventually get good enough to not need them on routine rides. That doesn't mean that they're not worthwhile during that learning period though, or even after you gain experience and you'll be doing a ride that you expect might be beyond your skill level or on which you plan to take some extra risks.
In terms of specific suggestions, I've had good luck with Fox gloves. But, it's much more important to find a good fit rather than trying to stick with any particular brand preference. The only reason I wear the pair of Fox Digit gloves that I currently do is that they were one of the rare pairs that fit my long fingers well (size XXL). And, yes, they do have velcro straps on the wrists; as do most others.
One curious detail that might not be initially obvious to you when selecting gloves is a trade-off between finger protection and palm padding: Pretty much all gloves that feature substantial palm padding are half-finger models, and all full-finger gloves have either flimsy palm padding or almost none at all. I don't know the reason for this, and no bike store sales person that I've asked has been able to explain it to me (or was even aware of it).
Finally, while I did say that most XC riders don't wear arm/shin guards regularly, I qualify as one of the exceptions of that. I've been wearing knee pads regularly on all rides for about a year. My aim is not so much protection from falls, but protection from hitting my knee on the handlebar (which, I've found, can be pretty injurious...) and to keep my knees warm on cold morning rides (not good for the knee joint). For that, I'd been using Six Six One Veggie Wraps until recently. The fit was "problematic", to say the least. And they had developed a stink that no amount of washing or chemical soaking could get rid of. (I blame that at least partly on their material selection.) I've recently switched to a pair of Fox Launch Pro knee pads. Boy, what a difference! The fit is first class. The fastening mechanism is first class. There's a bit more of a pinching sensation behind the knee, but it hasn't bothered me significantly so far. And no sign of any chronic stink (though they're still a bit new). If you're thinking of such lightweight XC knee pads, these would be highly recommended. (They don't provide much shin protection, though.)
