Knee pad reviews and recs

Looking to get a knee pad. First ones that come up in search are send and red chili. I see the send around never heard of the other. Any reviews or other recs?

Send is the only answer. 

I've heard good things about the lasportiva one but it's very pricy, send seems to strike the balance between function, quality and price hence the popularity. 

I have the sportiva pad and have used a few of the send pads. I’m not an elite boulderer by any means, so feel like the differences between them will not make or break my ability to climb. I know there are some crazy strong people on here where those minute differences actually could, but the vast majority of us probably have many other limiting factors on problem rather than the knee pad.

that said, the sportiva one is fairly thick and is clearly elevated a bit above your skin. It’s also very large. The send ones were slimmer and closer to your actual thigh. Send also has some sleeve options which can be nice so you don’t have to fidget with the straps. The sportiva one required me to really crank down on the straps to feel good (as the pad is fairly thick so sensitivity was lower).

I believe they’re all similar price points around $100usd -ish. Not sure what the LS pad goes for in Europe for those abroad as I imagine it’s cheaper. For those who care, send climbing is a small American operation right outside hueco tanks. I’ve visited their tiny retail shop where they do all the sewing in house and they’re really nice too.

I got the sportiva one as a friend had a discount code. Afaik, send doesn’t do discounts unless you’re a hueco guide. Their profit margins are probably pretty slim as a small company.

Send is the way. The main question is which Send kneepad to buy - there are multiple options to choose from. Thick or thin, 2 strap vs 3 strap. All are good, just a matter of how much pad you want on your leg.

If you are new to kneepads and using it for sport climbing at Rumney, there's a reasonable argument for getting the Mini Slim as a starting point. It's the smallest and least bulky option, and as such less to have on your leg for short sport climbing pitches with just a kneebar or two. For long pitches with many kneebars, the additional security of a 3 strap is better though. It depends on preference and application. 

Personally my favorite is still the sleeve style pads and duct tape, though that's an acquired taste.

I think if you plan on climbing kneebar intensive climbs then you really want the send 3 strap thick,  

the 3 straps help hold it on your leg better vs the pad slowly sliding off your leg (note i also tape the top of my pad to my leg which acts as a 4th strap, not everyone does this and it can be thigh shape dependent) 

i used to use the mini slim 2 straps but the two straps was not enough to keep them on my leg and the slim was not enough to protect my thigh on the hard core crawling. I know its personal preference however I personally find these pads to not work well for me and are a bit dissapointing.  I had my slim minis stolen from the crag while I was climbing once and it didnt take me that long to get over it  because I didnt love them. That being said Ive seen some good crawlers use them.

i should note the send strap ons are very conveniant but take a lot of finesse to place on your thigh aggressively enough. I think for that reason a slip-on+tape-on option can be great. It eliminates the chafing from the straps that happens but is not as fast to pop on and off between burns (like a lace up shoe vs a slipper).

for a strapless option the best is a homemade version using the macdevitt sleeve and ordering a sheet of rubber from unparallel. ( stephdavis.co/blog/how-to-g…) these are probably the best option as you can roll them on, glue your thigh if needed, then tape up. Really easy to get an aggressive fit (meaning the pad is as close to the end of the thigh as possible) without the strap irritation.

Send also sells the wizard sleeve option as a strapless but i highly reccommend finding  some in person to try on first. 

tl;dr 3 strap send thick with 3m duct tape

The red chili knee pad works fine. The construction isn’t quite as nice as a send pad, but I think it’s a solid option for routes/problems with only 1 or 2 knee bars. The knee pad is also kind of small. Maybe similar in size to the Send mini pads? I haven’t used one of those in a while. One last note on the red chili, there’s a lip of rubber that overhangs the knee cap a little bit. I think it helps sometimes, but I don’t think it matters too much. 

I also prefer a sleeve knee pad with tape most of the time, like the Wizard Sleeve.

Kevin Crum wrote:

i used to use the mini slim 2 straps but the two straps was not enough to keep them on my leg and the slim was not enough to protect my thigh on the hard core crawling. I know its personal preference however I personally find these pads to not work well for me and are a bit dissapointing.  I had my slim minis stolen from the crag while I was climbing once and it didnt take me that long to get over it  because I didnt love them. That being said Ive seen some good crawlers use them.

How much of a difference do you find between the Send slim and the Send thick? I have the  3-strap Send Slim and find it adequate for basic kneebars, but doesn't feel as precise for really tech kneescums. For those I tape on my Rock and Resole sleeve style pads.

Wondering if the thick would be any better than the 3 strap slim - or perhaps it would be worse since it's even bulkier? 

Other note, how do you find the Wizard Sleeves compare to the classic Rock and Resole (or homemade) McDavid sleeve style pads? My current set of R&R pads will wear out eventually, and wondering if the Wizard Sleeves are a good replacement.

JCM,

i liked the 3m cause i didnt have to shave my leg hair as much, i think it is the flimsiest feeling tape though so I trust others opinions haha. some swear by the double wide gorilla tape but i think gorilla tape is kinda slick when its applied and not very cohesive.  

regarding the thick 3 vs slim,  ive only used the thick 3 straps, but my 2 straps where slim.  I found that when I tried my friends 3 strap thick, that my kneebars felt way stronger and I think a part of it was of course the straps but also the thicker rubber protected me a little better to allow myself to kneebar harder.  I have an unproven hypothesis that the thicker rubbber allows more rubber to "fill in the spaces" of rock that your barring against (im not very scientific however). Most of my kneebars are on basalt which can get sharp/pointy (jailhouse + columns of the giants in california).  I agree that there can be sensitivy with using a slim pad, but I find I still get a lot of the scumming

the wizards sleeves seem nice, I think they cant roll on the same way a mcdavid kneepads can roll.  So I think doing the glue spray wouldnt work since you cant roll it on but rather you have to use the sends sleeve applicator (a shoe horn for the sleeve).  I dont own wizard sleeves so i cant comment but I know after a lot of knees on the three straps I can chafe behind the knee (even though i try not to make that strap tight) so i feel the slip on will help.  I think the silicon S inside the pads can help with the thigh sweat stick

my friend skylar does the homemade mcdavid but he does one layer of thin foam, then i think two layers of rubber (maybe 1 i dont remember) he feels the rubber + foam allows the rubber to deform a bit and fill in the spaces of the rock for more of that contact, maybe he can grace this thread with his DIY handywork.

I have a Send 3 strap and a Rock and Resole slip on. 

Send: Convenient, can be worn over pants for less aggressive knee bars, must be cinched tight enough that it is uncomfortable and feels like it limits range of motion, chafes the back of my leg (which sucks pretty bad if I'm using it for an extended project)

Slip on: Comfy, very secure feeling, must wear shorts, must buy/carry tape, must rip tape off leg after every go

Cheiftan Mews wrote:

I have a Send 3 strap and a Rock and Resole slip on. 

Send: Convenient, can be worn over pants for less aggressive knee bars, must be cinched tight enough that it is uncomfortable and feels like it limits range of motion, chafes the back of my leg (which sucks pretty bad if I'm using it for an extended project)

Slip on: Comfy, very secure feeling, must wear shorts, must buy/carry tape, must rip tape off leg after every go

I actually have both of these too. Almost never use the slip-on, and I really love the Send. I wear it over pants a lot and think it’s decently secure. (The kneebar on Kundilini at rumney comes to mind as one that felt good wearing it over pants.) And the sticky material inside makes it so I don’t have to cut off circulation to my leg to get it to stick, so I’ve found it pretty comfortable.

I love how everyone assumed sticky rubber kneepad for sports climbing.  I bet they assumed correctly.  However, i love my cheap volleyball knee pads for aid climbing/wall work.  Only downside is the stench and that they turn into sponges when wet.

Hope u get whatever knee pro helps you climb the climb that you wanna climb.

Nathan M wrote:

I love how everyone assumed sticky rubber kneepad for sports climbing.  I bet they assumed correctly.  However, i love my cheap volleyball knee pads for aid climbing/wall work.  Only downside is the stench and that they turn into sponges when wet.

Hope u get whatever knee pro helps you climb the climb that you wanna climb.

OP referenced Send and Red Chili pads, which indicate sport climbing kneebar pad. Also based on his location he lives 15 min from Rumney, so that checks out also.