Big (long) Shin Guards?

[Mike Prince]

Anyone have a source for some extra long shin guards (>19")?  I currently have the 18.5 Champro Pro triple-knee model and have battling with them for 2 years.  Tired of my knee being in the "second" cap after a few innings.  It's not a fitting issue, the straps are cinched down tight.  The problem is that the center of my kneecap to my ankle is over 20".  Wilson has an 18/19" model. Honigs has a 19" model, and everyone else seems to max out at 18.5".

[Thunderheads]

Anyone have a source for some extra long shin guards (>19")?  I currently have the 18.5 Champro Pro triple-knee model and have battling with them for 2 years.  Tired of my knee being in the "second" cap after a few innings.  It's not a fitting issue, the straps are cinched down tight.  The problem is that the center of my kneecap to my ankle is over 20".  Wilson has an 18/19" model. Honigs has a 19" model, and everyone else seems to max out at 18.5".

Mike,

The only thing I could think of would be to contact Jeff Cook at Douglas to see if they could accommodate.  They will totally customize CPs, why couldn't they do shins ?!?!

[slo8140]

Douglas makes great shins. I would recommend that as well.

[Mike Prince]

Makes sense - love my Douglas CP and I do have Jeff's email address.  Thanks

[Mike Prince]

Actually Douglas has a 20" on their site - order is being placed.  Can't believe I didn't check there first.

 

(edit - holy crap, $35 for UPS Ground shipping...well this won't be cheap, but hopefully it works)

[Thunderheads]

YOUR WELCOME!!!    

[slo8140]

There shipping was a little high when I ordered my stuff, but it is always more than I think it will be when I take stuff to the UPS store.

[Mike Prince]

Seemed high to me, but I've also become conditioned to Amazon lately where I can buy a utility pole but as long as it's more than $25, they ship it for free.

 

Just a bit surprising considering the cost of the shin guards.  Oh well, I'm all in for $220 now, hopefully these are the magic ticket and they arrive in time for next week's games.  I was fortunate enough to get my Douglas CP from Jeff when they were only $100 so this evens things out a bit LOL.

[slo8140]

They are my favorite shin guards. The only thing I don't like about them is that they only have one D-Ring on the side where the straps attach and it is stitched on...so if you need to replace a strap you have to cut it off and find someone that can stitch through the thick elastic.

 

I was going to put a pair of delta-flex shin guard straps on mine, but I have no do to the difficulty it would entail. Not sure why they did the straps that way.

[Mike Prince]

Got email from Douglas this afternoon with UPS tracking number; hopefully these make it in time for my game Thursday night (by coincidence I have the dish).  Looking forward to these as being 6'4" with long legs can present some gear selection issues from time to time.

 

Especially when you are a gear junkie.

[Mike Prince]

Today is the day.  I am a "home office" employee for my real job so as I sit at my desk/computer developing a new distribution network for my client (coincidentally a manufacturer of high end baseball/volleyball/running/golf equipment) I have a perfect view of the street in front of my house.  Unfortunately our area is served by at least 3 different UPS depots so I have already seen the early truck come from one of them and FedEx has already been by.  This is killing me!

 

Hoping they get here earlier rather than later - I have a 6PM game and I have the plate, would love to use these tonight...

 

(plus if they get here before my wife gets home from school I can "fly under the radar" with these... )

[Mike Prince]

And they are here!  Seem to fit well, I will have to work with the straps when I get to the field and get dressed.  I'll have to find the athletic tape in my gear bag to tape the straps down once I get them adjusted, don't like how the excess flops around (I remember having to do this on my original CP harness before I got a Delta-Flex).

 

Lots to like about these though.  Ankle protection seems great and the flaps stay down thanks to the lower strap.  Knee protection is also very good.  Zero venting in the padding or shell so we'll see how these do if it ever warms up here.

 

With my luck I'll have good F2's tonight and won't get hit (never thought I would say that!)

[Marcus6]

The Douglas guards are very very expensive but a quality product

[Mike Prince]

I wore these for my game last night.  Very impressed with the fit and quality.  Once I had them on they stayed put and I did not think about them one bit (unlike all previous too-short shin guards I have had which have crept towards my shoes as the game goes on).  Took a minor shot to the ankle and only noticed this because there was a small scuff in the plate.  Felt very solid and well-protected.

 

Not overly impressed with the actual straps though.  These adjust at the buckle end but there is nothing to contain the excess strap.  I taped them down but left a bit of excess exposed on one of the lower straps and it snagged on my pant leg a time or two.  I am going to have a look at these and see if I can re-route the straps through the buckle so that the excess strap exits the buckle on the inside (vs. the outside).  That way the excess material will be held down by the strap.  Unfortunately as slo8140 has mentioned Douglas has chosen a unique strap configuration so they are difficult at best to replace.

 

In hot weather it seems like these will be very warm.  Game time temperature was in the high 50's last night and these definitely kept my shins warm (a bit sweaty).

 

Hard to give these a strong recommendation to others given the high cost (I spent more on these than my CP and mask combined), but for me these are perfect due to the availability of the long length.  They are very nice shin guards no doubt and nicer than anything I have used previously, but if I could wear a smaller size I probably would choose a less expensive set.

[noumpere]

  These adjust at the buckle end but there is nothing to contain the excess strap.  I taped them down but left a bit of excess exposed on one of the lower straps and it snagged on my pant leg a time or two.  I am going to have a look at these and see if I can re-route the straps through the buckle so that the excess strap exits the buckle on the inside (vs. the outsid.

 

Take the excess and just wrap it over the top of and then behind the strap itself.  The tension on the strap will keep the excess in place and it shouldn't snag.

[slo8140]

I taped the excess straps and have never had a problem. I wore mine all summer in the Texas heat last summer and had no issues. My shins being hot is really not a big deal. If they would work on the straps these would be just about perfect. Not sure why the price point is so high, but to me they are worth it. Much lower profile and weight than the wilson gold shins that are the best alternative where protection is concerned.

 

If only All-Star could find a way to prevent the flyaway at the ankles.