Well, I've been contimplating, since I got my Douglas-Douglas last year, of removing the extra pad over the shoulder. I found it to be very bulky, made my plate coat fit very different, and I don't feel it added THAT much extra protection. So I finally removed it yesterday. Felt much better last night behind the plate in an 18U showcase game. I think I spent extra money on something that's not going to come into play.