We are walking through the woods, inside of the building and all the sudden we need to kneel. Unfortunately, there might have been a shard, which could get into our knee. Not really nice feeling, is it ? But we can avoid such situations quite easily. We won´t be either kneeling or we can be smart and start using knee pads, which can be of course used as a prevention too. They can be used in combat, during work, training session or for other outdoor activities. What we need to know, however, is how do they look like, what they consist of and what options do we have. This article will help us with it.
Shell, strap and insertion
Knee pads are virtually part of the equipment that can absorb impact and therefore passively protect our knees. They protect from shocks, abrasion, but also from penetration of sharp objects through the skin, like nails for example. Knee pads can be considered an ideal means of protecting our health. They can be divided into the two main groups. The first are those that are buckled over the clothing. These can be comfortably attached and detached and usually offer better protection thanks to the solid outer shell. The second group of pads are those, that are inserted into special knee pad pockets. Their big advantage is great stability. So which one to choose?
Outer is better ?
The first group of pads are probably still more widely used. We don´t see them only with the military, but also during sports, where there is a risk of injury caused by falls. They consist of more layers. Outer layer is made from very solid plastic and its task is to make sure that no object get to the knee. It protects from stones, shards, nails or anything else that could cause mechanical injury. Underneath there is a so-called anti-shock layer, which is usually made of foam, neoprene or similar. This layer absorbs energy when falling or impact and therefore impacts are not as hard. It may feature a rubber coating that prevents sliding. The last part is fastening system. Those are elastic, fully adjustable straps, that are firmly secured on one side and can be fasten using buckle or snap button on the other. There are usually two straps, but sometimes even three and they always have to be fasten and unfasten. Despite all the efforts of manufacturers, some of the pads often slide and need to be constantly adjusted. If there was only other solution..
Inserted and more stable
The second variant is bit more specific. Not by its shape but rather by placement as they are inserted into special knee pad pockets. There are two different types of these pads. The first group acts as an anti-shock only as the protection is not good enough against penetration of objects. They are usually made from neoprene or similar materials. The second type is more popular as the padding is more solid. They fit into the combat pants, we can often see them in the Multi-Cam pants of U.S. Army. The big advantage is their fixation. Thanks to the pocket, they remain in the right position and we get really important feeling of comfort and safety.
Which ones to choose ?
The answer is quite simple. We choose those, that we can use (accommodate). It is great that inserted ones are more stable and provide better comfort, but we need to have special clothes that allow us to use them. The "standard" pads can be buckled over the more types of clothing without needing any special pockets. On the other hand, however, they can slip. We should always watch out how solid is the padding as it can save many lives.