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Knee Pads for Africa??

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06 May 2009, 02:51
Texas Blue Devil
Knee Pads for Africa??
One of the items on the pack list from my PH is knee pads? I haven't used knee pads since college for football.

Is there any particular brand that is best? I tried on a pair of roller blade knee pads, and it seemed like they would slide around a lot.

I'm guessing most use the hard shell type knee pads instead of the soft vollyball type knee pads.

If anyone has advice or recommendations, I would appreciate it.

Thanks!!!


Go Duke!!
06 May 2009, 02:55
ForrestB
Usually, I just tip with cash.


______________________________
"Truth is the daughter of time."
Francis Bacon
06 May 2009, 03:05
BigBBear
TBD, I am a Carolinian as well. Could not resist your post as someone may certainly ask you....maybe the PH is interested in a special tip and thus the knee pads. OK, now that I got that little joke out to really answer your question.

Many special OPS use Knee pads for combat as many guys on here can tell you about. These would be ideal for you and your PH probably has some experience at this, thus his suggestion. Seems like Blackhawk or one of those guys used to sell them. Here is a website that has some.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com...w-pads.aspx?a=271701

Hope this helps, thanks for the opportunity to poke a little fun. Please, nobody jump me. I am not a Troll


York, SC
06 May 2009, 03:08
Lhook7
quote:
Originally posted by ForrestB:
Usually, I just tip with cash.

jumping


____________________________________________

"Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life." Terry Pratchett.
06 May 2009, 03:13
odie
google, tactical knee pads

My personal preference is I wouldn't get any that have a hard plastic shell that contacts the ground.

Any knee pad that is on the outside of the pants will slip and slide a bit.

The pair I've used have a kevlar and foam construction. Unfortunately the company I bought them from no longer carries them.

They take a little getting use to.

I found that a big problem when crawling around is the thorns and the hands. Sturdy leather gloves help but I bought a pair of kevlar gloves for more protection.
06 May 2009, 03:21
JohnHunt
quote:
Originally posted by ForrestB:
Usually, I just tip with cash.


homer
06 May 2009, 03:33
kevin henderson
I picked up a pair of soft pads with velcro straps at an army surplus store for just a few bucks, but didn't have to use them. They packed pretty easy. You can also look at a Home Depot type store around where the ceramic tile products are located. I wouldn't spend a lot of money unless you plan to crawl all day in them.
kh
06 May 2009, 03:35
Code4
I'm taking these with me (and gloves) to hunt the grassveldt for the second time.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBay...IT&item=180346844928

The adjustable elastic velcro straps seem firm enough. Luckily no one will see me wear them 'cause I feel like a dick wearing them. After my last hunt crawing after Blesbock, Steenbon, Duiker and Springbok, I'll need them.

Smiler
06 May 2009, 04:33
LionHunter
Buy the cheapest available at Home Depot and, as stated, do not get the hardshell type - too noisy. I consider them disposable and they don't come home. Some folks get an irritating allergic reaction to the different types of thorns that will puncture your knees when crawling around during a stalk and these will prevent that.


Mike
______________
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DRSS (again)
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IPHA

"To be a Marine is enough."
06 May 2009, 04:56
DAL
OK. This from a guy who does a lot of crawling around. Use the volleyball kneepads and since they always come in white, dye them brown. Wear them over your boots and gaitors for the majority of the day, but when there is potential for action slide them into place over you knees. If you wear long pants, slide them under the pants. Really, this only takes a second and the PH is telling you to get down anyway so you're right there.
If the action cools down slide them back down over your gaitors, walking is more comfortable, but I have worn them for hours and walked miles in them.
For crawling they can't be beat, but where you really notice them is the speed you kneel at when close to game. You know you will be kneeling on foam, not rocks or thorns, so no hesitation or looking down.
Kneepad and Mechanix gloves and you are set for all terraine.
And tip in hundred dollar bills!
06 May 2009, 05:08
RCG
Check out th 5.11 brand of Tactical pants. They are extremely well made and have a pocket in the knee area where you slide in a neoprene pad. Hardly visible and won't slip or slow you down in the field.

Note...I have not used them but one of my hunting partners has them and they appear to be well made and practical. Brigade Quartermaster, LA Police Gear and others have them. Midway too, IIRC.

I tried wrapping a couple of spare camo bandanas around my knees when stalking buff in Zim in 2007 while wearing shorts but they kept slipping and I finally said the hell with it. After awhile you get used to it.

RCG
06 May 2009, 05:55
gunny
You will only need knee pads if you hunt in San Francisco or Hollywood.
06 May 2009, 06:25
Virginia Creeper
A big YES to the 5.11 pants with the insertable knee pads.
These are not like Knee Pads of sporting gear.
They are thin neoprene type that do not restict or bind.
And they make crawling up a sand river almost easy.
You will not know that you are wearing them, and they are always there when you need them.
And they are also good in the deep thorns.
Sincerely,


E Pluribus Unum - where out of many, we will become one.
06 May 2009, 08:17
Mike Smith
It depends on what you want. There are the pads with a hard shell. There are others that are more of a padded polypropylene type. I prefer the latter for hunting. You can also get elbow pads. I find the polypropylene type to be more comfortable but they can be pierced by long thorns etc. You can buy both types at several places, Blackhawk, Us Cavalry etc. You can also find the hard shelled ones at most building supply stores and also military surplus/suppliers.


Happiness is a warm gun
06 May 2009, 15:19
Kensco
I guess I'll never adjust to some "new" ways of hunting. When I have to wear knee pads to hunt; I quit.
06 May 2009, 16:03
kibokolambogo
quote:
Originally posted by Texas Blue Devil:
One of the items on the pack list from my PH is knee pads? I haven't used knee pads since college for football.

Is there any particular brand that is best? I tried on a pair of roller blade knee pads, and it seemed like they would slide around a lot.

I'm guessing most use the hard shell type knee pads instead of the soft vollyball type knee pads.

If anyone has advice or recommendations, I would appreciate it.

Thanks!!!


Why not consider cowboy leather chaps?....have them tailored to suit your size and needs. They would be soft, quiet, thorn proof,
won't slide off and protect you from the waist down to the ankles. Just an idea!
07 May 2009, 03:26
Larry Sellers
Kensco - Sorry to see you will be giving up hunting!! Hope you find something else to spend time on. Wink

I use knee pads while fly fishing small creeks and rivers here in New Mexico. I'll be taking them to Moz in Aug. as well. I use the strap on velco held contractor ones. Quiet, cheap, but I do like the idea of vollyball type pads.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member


quote:
Originally posted by Kensco:
I guess I'll never adjust to some "new" ways of hunting. When I have to wear knee pads to hunt; I quit.

07 May 2009, 04:43
Jim Manion
quote:
Originally posted by ForrestB:
Usually, I just tip with cash.


jumping


SCI Life Member
DSC Life Member
07 May 2009, 05:23
Kensco
Larry

The last goofy idea I bought into was chaps for bird hunting in Venezuela where there was cactus and thorns everywhere you looked. They proved to be totally useless, too hot, and never got worn.

I could cut them into pads, you could sew a little velcro onto them, and we'll both be happy.
07 May 2009, 05:37
zimbabwe
I don't worry about them because I don't crawl under ANY circumstances. I don't do it with my grandkids or my great grandkids. And that is indoors on the carpet. I have had arthritis all my life and my knees hurt enough without the extra strain from crawling. If it means not shooting I don't shoot. No big deal to me. I also don't hunt in the rain under ANY circumstances ( just because I don't like it) and especially when I'm paying to hunt it WILL be my way. I haven't missed taking any animal I have gone after in Africa. So knee pad selection is not a problem for me.


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DRSS
07 May 2009, 05:55
Magnum Hunter1
I'm kind of with Kensco,
Why don't you just get the trackers to carry you. Big Grin
07 May 2009, 06:00
RBHunt
I guess I would say that crawling on your knees, and getting all the darn thorn pricks, insect bites and bruises, is part of the game, don't want any knee pads.
07 May 2009, 06:21
jeff h
quote:
Originally posted by RBHunt:
I guess I would say that crawling on your knees, and getting all the darn thorn pricks, insect bites and bruises, is part of the game, don't want any knee pads.

_________________________________________________

That is 100% first buff hunt, on my hands and knees in burnt grass. Just like a bug suite won't help you either.


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07 May 2009, 06:52
RVL III
+ # next to the 5.11s


Robert

If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretense of taking care of them, they must become happy. Thomas Jefferson, 1802
07 May 2009, 07:33
BrettAKSCI
quote:
Originally posted by ForrestB:
Usually, I just tip with cash.


clap

There's one in every crowd!


DRSS
Life Member SCI
Life Member NRA
Life Member WSF

Rhyme of the Sheep Hunter
May fordings never be too deep, And alders not too thick; May rock slides never be too steep And ridges not too slick.
And may your bullets shoot as swell As Fred Bear's arrow's flew; And may your nose work just as well As Jack O'Connor's too.
May winds be never at your tail When stalking down the steep; May bears be never on your trail When packing out your sheep.
May the hundred pounds upon you Not make you break or trip; And may the plane in which you flew Await you at the strip.
-Seth Peterson
07 May 2009, 08:15
DAL
Geez, I dunno...
The 5.11 Tactical pant is great if you're a Deputy Sheriff on patrol. Big rear pocket for your ticket book, a strap across the other back pocket for god-only-knows-what, the neoprene inserts are stiff and awkward, the front pockets are almost too deep to reach into, and they are heavy cotton.
The kneepad inserts are made for shooting range use - short term and not often.
Go for the volleyball pads.
And another thing, don't get the hardshell kneepads. They will make a noise on rocks. The soft pads won't.
09 May 2009, 23:28
Idaho Sharpshooter
I must have missed the crawling part when I was in Zim in December. We just walked around; an awful lot it seemed, but nobody had knee pads on in OUR camp!

That, and the fact that some of you guys sound like you have waaaaaaaaaaay too much personal experience with this kind of stuff. I have heard that the garter belts with the extra-long straps are supposed to be the best way to hold them up!

Rich
Standing tall...
10 May 2009, 00:30
Mike Smith
I have picked enough choya and other assorted stuff out of my knees over the years. I am all for something that makes me more comfortable without adding a lot of bulk. I decided to buy a pair of knee and elbow pads this year. After just using them one time I wondered why I hadnt done this a long time ago. I bought mine from Blawkhawk. They were even on sale for 1/2 off at the time.



Happiness is a warm gun
10 May 2009, 00:48
Mike Smith


Hope this helps.
www.Blackhawk.com


Happiness is a warm gun
10 May 2009, 17:23
Leopardtrack
I thin that they will become another thing that sits in your dufflebag that you wont use
10 May 2009, 21:10
DAL
Wolfgar,
I 'thin' you are wrong. Get a pair and try them for one trip, THEN decide if you want to leave them behind.
Your current attitude doesn't leave much room for learning new ways and improving your hunting.
10 May 2009, 21:20
JBoutfishn
Never used them.


Jim "Bwana Umfundi"
NRA



10 May 2009, 21:49
Bwana Bunduki
quote:
Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
That, and the fact that some of you guys sound like you have waaaaaaaaaaay too much personal experience with this kind of stuff. I have heard that the garter belts with the extra-long straps are supposed to be the best way to hold them up!

Rich
Standing tall...


I am sorry, but this made me spit beer on my keypad...
Big Grin
Jeff
10 May 2009, 22:09
Mike Smith
I have to admit I didnt use them in Africa this time although I took them. Now antelope hunting that was a different story. It isnt the big stuff that is really the problem but the small stuff.. Those little cactus hairs take hours to get them all out. Any place you have to crawl that far to get the shot they would be handy. If you are that worried about your personal image I suppose you could wear them under your long pants. I just wouldnt mention it to any special forces types you might know. Big Grin


Happiness is a warm gun
11 May 2009, 04:39
Wooly ESS
Maybe it's just an age thing, but on my last trip to Africa, crawling around on my hands and knees over sharp rocks and thorns was just about the end of me. I vowed I would look into knee pads of some sort before making another trip.

I'm glad to see I'm not alone.


The truth will set you free,
but first it's gonna piss you off!
www.ceandersonart.com
12 May 2009, 01:01
Bwanna
I've never taken a pair, and never think about it until I've spent about 5 days trying to get close to buffalo on my hands and knees. Please report back with your experience with them, as I think I will take some on my next trip.


http://huntoholic.blogspot.com/
12 May 2009, 03:06
AzGuy
quote:
....the garter belts with the extra-long straps are supposed to be the best way to hold them up!

Rich
Standing tall...


Once you've seen Rich in this "outfit", you will never forget it!! beer


DRSS &
Bolt Action Trash
12 May 2009, 04:49
<thors460>
I use black hawk hell storms same I used while overseas same I use of safari