Best *Physical Stores* for Protective Gear for Skinny Dudes

[AtlasP]

I'm looking for physical stores (skate/motorcycle/whatever) where I can try on a wide selection of protective gear (armored pants/jeans, jackets/hoodies, body armor, etc) with sizes for skinny dudes in stock. Doesn't matter where in the US/I will travel for it. (Airline million miler.)

• Tired of ordering things online that don't fit (even after going over the sizing guides with a fine-tooth comb).
• Tired of going to motorcycle gear shops that only have gear for buff guys or else middle-aged fat dudes.
  • Yes I've had them order things to their store for me to try on.. only to have it not fit. And I can't just have them order a dozen different brands/styles/sizes for me to keep trying things.
• Tired of going to skate shops that have 400 boards/wheels but only a few cheap pairs of wrist guards (which I already have/don't need) and maybe one armored hoodie in XXXL.

Is there /any/ physical location with a wide selection of gear for people like me in the whole damn country? I'm thinking maybe a more European or Asian-style motorcycle shop that specializes in gear for thinner European/Asian physiques? Or some magical skate shop? For reference I'm 5'9", weigh under 150lbs, and already have to buy most of my regular clothes from European or Asian stores (think Zara, H&M, Uniqlo, etc) because almost everything in American clothing stores is laughably oversized.

(Sorry for tone, extremely frustrated on this topic as I just bought and had to return yet another $700 worth of multiple pieces none of which fit properly. Help!)

Edited August 16, 2019 by AtlasP

[ir_fuel]

7 minutes ago, AtlasP said:

Tired of going to motorcycle gear shops that only have gear for buff guys or else middle-aged fat dudes.

• Yes I've had them order things to their store for me to try on.. only to have it not fit. And I can't just have them order a dozen different brands/styles/sizes for me to keep trying things.

This is so frustrating. Had it happen a couple of times too. You order things in a physical shop, they takes weeks to arrive, and when trying them on they don't fit. And sometimes you get a bit pressured into taking them anyway. Or you can order other brands/sizes/models and the waiting starts again.

7 minutes ago, AtlasP said:

I'm thinking maybe a more European or Asian-style motorcycle shop that specializes in gear for thinner European/Asian physiques? Or some magical skate shop? For reference I'm 5'9", weigh under 150lbs, and already have to buy most of my regular clothes from European or Asian stores (think Zara, Uniqlo, etc) because almost everything in American clothing stores is laughably oversized.

Maybe fly to Europe for shopping?

Just converted your weight + height to dimensions I understand. Apparently they are the same as mine.

[chrisjunlee]

7 hours ago, AtlasP said:

I'm looking for physical stores (skate/motorcycle/whatever) where I can try on a wide selection of protective gear (armored pants/jeans, jackets/hoodies, body armor, etc) with sizes for skinny dudes in stock. Doesn't matter where in the US/I will travel for it. (Airline million miler.)

• Tired of ordering things online that don't fit (even after going over the sizing guides with a fine-tooth comb).
• Tired of going to motorcycle gear shops that only have gear for buff guys or else middle-aged fat dudes.
  • Yes I've had them order things to their store for me to try on.. only to have it not fit. And I can't just have them order a dozen different brands/styles/sizes for me to keep trying things.
• Tired of going to skate shops that have 400 boards/wheels but only a few cheap pairs of wrist guards (which I already have/don't need) and maybe one armored hoodie in XXXL.

Is there /any/ physical location with a wide selection of gear for people like me in the whole damn country? I'm thinking maybe a more European or Asian-style motorcycle shop that specializes in gear for thinner European/Asian physiques? Or some magical skate shop? For reference I'm 5'9", weigh under 150lbs, and already have to buy most of my regular clothes from European or Asian stores (think Zara, H&M, Uniqlo, etc) because almost everything in American clothing stores is laughably oversized.

(Sorry for tone, extremely frustrated on this topic as I just bought and had to return yet another $700 worth of multiple pieces none of which fit properly. Help!)

Doesn’t exist. The whole masculine box trunk sizing of Americans. Costco sizing.

$700 worth? I easily go through $2k of returns per order 😆. The bracket method is real, I feel your pain.

I’ve had good luck with Alpinestars and Dainese. But 5’9 150lbs is pretty skinny, you’re going to have to deal with bulk. 

Edited August 16, 2019 by chrisjunlee

[Darrell Wesh]

On 8/15/2019 at 6:27 PM, AtlasP said:

I'm looking for physical stores (skate/motorcycle/whatever) where I can try on a wide selection of protective gear (armored pants/jeans, jackets/hoodies, body armor, etc) with sizes for skinny dudes in stock. Doesn't matter where in the US/I will travel for it. (Airline million miler.)

• Tired of ordering things online that don't fit (even after going over the sizing guides with a fine-tooth comb).
• Tired of going to motorcycle gear shops that only have gear for buff guys or else middle-aged fat dudes.
  • Yes I've had them order things to their store for me to try on.. only to have it not fit. And I can't just have them order a dozen different brands/styles/sizes for me to keep trying things.
• Tired of going to skate shops that have 400 boards/wheels but only a few cheap pairs of wrist guards (which I already have/don't need) and maybe one armored hoodie in XXXL.

Is there /any/ physical location with a wide selection of gear for people like me in the whole damn country? I'm thinking maybe a more European or Asian-style motorcycle shop that specializes in gear for thinner European/Asian physiques? Or some magical skate shop? For reference I'm 5'9", weigh under 150lbs, and already have to buy most of my regular clothes from European or Asian stores (think Zara, H&M, Uniqlo, etc) because almost everything in American clothing stores is laughably oversized.

(Sorry for tone, extremely frustrated on this topic as I just bought and had to return yet another $700 worth of multiple pieces none of which fit properly. Help!)

Are you looking for perfect? Most armored clothing won’t be perfect. Look for ones with adjustable pad placement so it can suit your body. If it’s a little long or short or  bulky in the stomach that should be fine as long as the protective pads are in the right places(adjustable pads)

Deal with the bulk or don’t buy protective clothing but protective standalone gear. Most people don’t have stealthy shirts and pants that conceal their armor. They just wear elbow and knee pads with broad coverage over regular clothes. Many have book-bags with a back protector built in as well. You don’t need a motorcycle jacket or motorcycle pants.

 

[AtlasP]

Thanks for some dialog in here.

I've found armored jeans with decent kneepads that fit pretty perfect and didn't even look too bulky, but unfortunately the kneepads weren't quite in the right place (they were slightly too high) and sadly didn't have adjustable pad placement. Up to that point I figured it might not be possible to find such a thing/fit, but they were *so close* that now I do think I might find what I want, I just need to figure out where.

I really like the idea of padding/armor in a shirt/jacket/hoodie/jeans instead of separate pads because I think it looks better and should be easier to just throw on and instantly be protected. Unfortunately this mostly exists in motorcycle-land but which is overkill in the material department (too much focus on abrasion resistance/more than we need on an EUC, resulting in crazy thick/heavy materials, when really we just need it for the pads). Obviously EUCs are too niche to have dedicated clothing, and unfortunately such things haven't taken off in esk8 for 'image' reasons/traditional skater aesthetic, although with the rise of esk8 among dudes in their 30s and 40s this to me looks like a market that could actually take off--armored clothing that looks like regular clothing that isn't too bulky with integrated pads and just a little abrasion resistance in the knees/elbows.