Needing West Vest Shoulder Pads

[Umpiresrock74]

@MadMax @Slippery Fish

 

Guys, I am so excited to anounce that after working with Mad Max and Slippery Fish these last few months have finally payed off. I was informed by my upholster yesterday that the chest protector pad will be ready any day! Can't wait to update with photos! 

[Umpiresrock74]

It is finished. @MadMax @Slippery Fish. Max, I will let you explain and take it away. 

[MadMax]

It looks phenomenal. You and your team have really outdone yourselves. 

Umpire community – this is the way a WestVest Platinum should be padded, and function. Both of the beneficial features of the Platy are emphasized by this design, and it eliminates those flaws and failures that suppressed and hamstrung the original Platy’s benefits. 

The Platy is one of the two best CPs at completely covering the clavicles (collarbones; the other being the All-Star CPU4000). This is due to the two shoulder arch plates starting at the torso and then curving up, uninterrupted, over the shoulder. Due to Wilson’s undisciplined storage and shipping practices, these plates often get flattened out in transit, and the end-user often has to retrain the curve back into the plate, or just “deal with it”, and over-torque the (woeful) stock harness to hold the curve while wearing it. The stock foam vest is one continuous object, further resisting that desired curve. Thus, we (I designed, Michael produced) infused articulated seams into the pads so the pads follow the curve instead of resisting it, and reducing “bunch-up” bulk. 

Unlike its bulkier sibling, the Gold, the Platinum’s stock open-cell foam was only 3/4” (instead of the Gold’s 1”… which, super-curious, is befuddling… as they both have the MLB logo on them… which means that 3/4” is “adequate” for “MLB speeds”… so why is the Gold such a fat-fellow at 1”?? Hmmmm??), and it included closed-cell segments at the armpits and flanks. Our design removes the armpit segments, which only complicate the fit of shirts, and reduces the foam thickness down to just at 1/2”. 

Instead of crude, cheap, irritating nylon, Michael employs a softer, technical mesh fabric. Much better feel, and much better performance on moisture-wicking. I strongly recommend to stop using caustic cleaning sprays (Lysol, etc.), and instead use a Febreze, OdoBan (my preferred product), or a sprayable soap. Your CP ain’t supposed to be clad in camping tent nylon; it’s supposed to be as comfy as camping underwear. 

The outer skin (facing) can be, and is, nylon, but again, Michael has been very accommodating in using custom colors. Live a little, guys! Everything doesn’t have to be black! 

The shoulder pauldrons are one of the primary contributing factors to the “hulking linebacker” look that one gets when wearing a Wilson CP. This is because Wilson uses a fairly flat (or shallow) shell shape for the pauldron, and then, in the case of the Platy, they Velcro-tab the pauldron pad to it… but that pauldron pad is, itself, that same bulky, formless, shapeless open-cell upholstery foam! So, I designed a “domed danish” that has an outer ring of open cell foam around a center shape of closed cell foam, so it cups the wearer’s shoulders instead of just laying atop them. This will greatly improve shirt-fit, and contribute mightily to the “low-profile”, sleek look. 

Gone is that stoooooooopid, completely unnecessary billow pad. 

Lastly, you’ll notice the main torso pad is in two split halves. A secret feature to the Platy is that it can be resized in or out, by width. It does require the securing rivets to be killed, some new holes drilled, and Chicago screws to fasten the plates back together, but it can be done. Thus, the pad could be, should be, and was done as two separate halves, with no loss of protection. This gap also introduces a heat-channel, chimney effect, further promoting ventilation beyond the smothering heft of the original stock model. 

I’m eagerly awaiting @Slippery Fish’s trying it out for the first time, and his feedback. 

[Jimurray]

59 minutes ago, MadMax said:

It looks phenomenal. You and your team have really outdone yourselves. 

Umpire community – this is the way a WestVest Platinum should be padded, and function. Both of the beneficial features of the Platy are emphasized by this design, and it eliminates those flaws and failures that suppressed and hamstrung the original Platy’s benefits. 

The Platy is one of the two best CPs at completely covering the clavicles (collarbones; the other being the All-Star CPU4000). This is due to the two shoulder arch plates starting at the torso and then curving up, uninterrupted, over the shoulder. Due to Wilson’s undisciplined storage and shipping practices, these plates often get flattened out in transit, and the end-user often has to retrain the curve back into the plate, or just “deal with it”, and over-torque the (woeful) stock harness to hold the curve while wearing it. The stock foam vest is one continuous object, further resisting that desired curve. Thus, we (I designed, Michael produced) infused articulated seams into the pads so the pads follow the curve instead of resisting it, and reducing “bunch-up” bulk. 

Unlike its bulkier sibling, the Gold, the Platinum’s stock open-cell foam was only 3/4” (instead of the Gold’s 1”… which, super-curious, is befuddling… as they both have the MLB logo on them… which means that 3/4” is “adequate” for “MLB speeds”… so why is the Gold such a fat-fellow at 1”?? Hmmmm??), and it included closed-cell segments at the armpits and flanks. Our design removes the armpit segments, which only complicate the fit of shirts, and reduces the foam thickness down to just at 1/2”. 

Instead of crude, cheap, irritating nylon, Michael employs a softer, technical mesh fabric. Much better feel, and much better performance on moisture-wicking. I strongly recommend to stop using caustic cleaning sprays (Lysol, etc.), and instead use a Febreze, OdoBan (my preferred product), or a sprayable soap. Your CP ain’t supposed to be clad in camping tent nylon; it’s supposed to be as comfy as camping underwear. 

The outer skin (facing) can be, and is, nylon, but again, Michael has been very accommodating in using custom colors. Live a little, guys! Everything doesn’t have to be black! 

The shoulder pauldrons are one of the primary contributing factors to the “hulking linebacker” look that one gets when wearing a Wilson CP. This is because Wilson uses a fairly flat (or shallow) shell shape for the pauldron, and then, in the case of the Platy, they Velcro-tab the pauldron pad to it… but that pauldron pad is, itself, that same bulky, formless, shapeless open-cell upholstery foam! So, I designed a “domed danish” that has an outer ring of open cell foam around a center shape of closed cell foam, so it cups the wearer’s shoulders instead of just laying atop them. This will greatly improve shirt-fit, and contribute mightily to the “low-profile”, sleek look. 

Gone is that stoooooooopid, completely unnecessary billow pad. 

Lastly, you’ll notice the main torso pad is in two split halves. A secret feature to the Platy is that it can be resized in or out, by width. It does require the securing rivets to be killed, some new holes drilled, and Chicago screws to fasten the plates back together, but it can be done. Thus, the pad could be, should be, and was done as two separate halves, with no loss of protection. This gap also introduces a heat-channel, chimney effect, further promoting ventilation beyond the smothering heft of the original stock model. 

I’m eagerly awaiting @Slippery Fish’s trying it out for the first time, and his feedback. 

That neck opening looks small. I had to get a seamstress to modify my Team Wendy. Might have the same issue with this.

[Umpiresrock74]

16 hours ago, Jimurray said:

That neck opening looks small. I had to get a seamstress to modify my Team Wendy. Might have the same issue with this.

Hello, per the picture it looks small, but once tried on it is fairly big. 

[Umpiresrock74]

16 hours ago, Jimurray said:

That neck opening looks small. I had to get a seamstress to modify my Team Wendy. Might have the same issue with this.

 

17 hours ago, MadMax said:

It looks phenomenal. You and your team have really outdone yourselves. 

Umpire community – this is the way a WestVest Platinum should be padded, and function. Both of the beneficial features of the Platy are emphasized by this design, and it eliminates those flaws and failures that suppressed and hamstrung the original Platy’s benefits. 

The Platy is one of the two best CPs at completely covering the clavicles (collarbones; the other being the All-Star CPU4000). This is due to the two shoulder arch plates starting at the torso and then curving up, uninterrupted, over the shoulder. Due to Wilson’s undisciplined storage and shipping practices, these plates often get flattened out in transit, and the end-user often has to retrain the curve back into the plate, or just “deal with it”, and over-torque the (woeful) stock harness to hold the curve while wearing it. The stock foam vest is one continuous object, further resisting that desired curve. Thus, we (I designed, Michael produced) infused articulated seams into the pads so the pads follow the curve instead of resisting it, and reducing “bunch-up” bulk. 

Unlike its bulkier sibling, the Gold, the Platinum’s stock open-cell foam was only 3/4” (instead of the Gold’s 1”… which, super-curious, is befuddling… as they both have the MLB logo on them… which means that 3/4” is “adequate” for “MLB speeds”… so why is the Gold such a fat-fellow at 1”?? Hmmmm??), and it included closed-cell segments at the armpits and flanks. Our design removes the armpit segments, which only complicate the fit of shirts, and reduces the foam thickness down to just at 1/2”. 

Instead of crude, cheap, irritating nylon, Michael employs a softer, technical mesh fabric. Much better feel, and much better performance on moisture-wicking. I strongly recommend to stop using caustic cleaning sprays (Lysol, etc.), and instead use a Febreze, OdoBan (my preferred product), or a sprayable soap. Your CP ain’t supposed to be clad in camping tent nylon; it’s supposed to be as comfy as camping underwear. 

The outer skin (facing) can be, and is, nylon, but again, Michael has been very accommodating in using custom colors. Live a little, guys! Everything doesn’t have to be black! 

The shoulder pauldrons are one of the primary contributing factors to the “hulking linebacker” look that one gets when wearing a Wilson CP. This is because Wilson uses a fairly flat (or shallow) shell shape for the pauldron, and then, in the case of the Platy, they Velcro-tab the pauldron pad to it… but that pauldron pad is, itself, that same bulky, formless, shapeless open-cell upholstery foam! So, I designed a “domed danish” that has an outer ring of open cell foam around a center shape of closed cell foam, so it cups the wearer’s shoulders instead of just laying atop them. This will greatly improve shirt-fit, and contribute mightily to the “low-profile”, sleek look. 

Gone is that stoooooooopid, completely unnecessary billow pad. 

Lastly, you’ll notice the main torso pad is in two split halves. A secret feature to the Platy is that it can be resized in or out, by width. It does require the securing rivets to be killed, some new holes drilled, and Chicago screws to fasten the plates back together, but it can be done. Thus, the pad could be, should be, and was done as two separate halves, with no loss of protection. This gap also introduces a heat-channel, chimney effect, further promoting ventilation beyond the smothering heft of the original stock model. 

I’m eagerly awaiting @Slippery Fish’s trying it out for the first time, and his feedback. 

Thanks max! It was a lot of fun working on this! And I plan to bring this to the table as a option for future customers!

[Slippery Fish]

Hello All!

After several months of scheming, crafting, and a literal hurricane, the time has come! I’ve gotten everything sized right, fitted it with a brand new Ump Life harness, and tomorrow, I will be taking this CP on it’s maiden voyage!

[Slippery Fish]

Back with my post-game review!

First, I want to thank Max for all the time he put into working with myself and Michael on designing this project. Second, I want to thank Michael working with me through this process. I asked for a lot of novel things and extra customization, and he delivered!

I’ll start with the things I liked. I love the new bicep pads, they fit wonderfully under my shirt without looking too bulky but still providing that extra protection. I also like the slenderness of the pad itsself. It was 60 degrees last Saturday so I didn’t have a good test in the heat, but I anticipate that it will be much cooler than the old foam. I also had Michael make the pad narrower than it was before, and the arm mobility I have vs before the refurbish has improved quite a bit.

All that being said, I am unfortunately struggling to get it to fit me well. Specifically, I can’t seem to get it to stay snug against my body, particularly up at the collar bones and neck

 

 

when I get down into my stance. I took a video to hopefully show what I mean, I don’t know if the issue is visible from that angle or not. I did a couple of games in a row and it became more pronounced the longer I wore it.

I’ve tried pulling the harness straps as tight as they would go, and that helped some, but then I couldn’t get it back off without flipping it around and loosening the straps.

I’m open to any ideas to try! I suppose it’s possible that a Platinum CP is just too big for me, but I’d like to exhaust my other options before moving on to a different piece of equipment.

 

[MAUmpire]

Others have more experience but I have worn a lot of catcher's chest protectors, so I'll chime in here. It's hard to tell from the video but it looks like you have a lot of adjustment to go, particularly on the lower two straps. From the video it looks to me like most of what you describe as the falling away from your body is actually not at the collarbone area but the bottom of the chest protector wanting to swing freely. I would start by tightening the lower straps -- then you will get a tighter fit without tightening the top straps too much to fit over your head.

If that doesn't work, I'm a big fan of the All-Star Delta Flex harness (again, from my playing days). You can go to Play It Again Sports and pick up a used All-Star (or Under Armour) catcher's chest protector to cannibalize the harness for like $20 if you don't want to buy one new. It's the original version of this type of neoprene harness that Wilson, etc. have made their own versions of. 

I'd be surprised if you can't get a good fit with enough tweaking, the neoprene harnesses work really well (and I say this as a thinner person who is used to cinching down equipment straps as much as possible).

[ump7tony]

Slippery Fish...  I've been modifying umpire gear for years. While your modified CP looks good, I can see several areas that are causing your issues. First...the attachment points for the harness are not ideal, especially the lower connections that can hold the pad tight but don't attach to the plastic plates at all. If the pad design eliminated the "T-Hooks", heat forming the plastic plates to conform to your body will help snug up the lower area of the pad. Your adjustment of the harness is way too high, causing the looseness at the neck and the belly. Adjust the upper harness straps to lower the center mounting piece. Then tighten the lower strap to pull the CP tightly against your belly. Then adjust the upper straps to pull the neck area snug. To get a really form fitting Cp, heat form the shoulder/clavicle plastics and the chest and belly plastics to conform to your body.

FYI...heat forming can be done with a hair dryer or industrial heat gun. I apply hand pressure to cold bend the plastic to the desired shape, then apply heat carefully until the plastic "yields" ( you'll feel the plastic resistance reduce significantly). At that point, remove the heat and hold the plastic in the desired shape until it cools enough to touch. I use a flexible ice/chill pad to speed up the cooling. It may take a time or two to get the bend exactly right, but once it is,  the CP will fit like a glove...snug everywhere...and won't move around as you work your game. 

DM me if you'd like a more detailed description of the forming process. It's a bit of work, but the final result will be a great improvement over where you are now.