Falling on your butt hurts. Although wrist injuries are common for beginners, your butt is, most of the time, going to be what you land on.
Padded shorts are the most straightforward way of adding a layer of protection to your lower body. Worn underneath the top layers, the shorts use EVA foam to protect the tailbone and groin areas from impacts and reduce the risk of injury.
So what are the best snowboard padded impact shorts? After giving several products a try, I’ve found that the Bodyprox Protected Padded Shorts are the best product on the market for snowboarders. They provide great protection without sacrificing flexibility and have a range of features that are ideal for snow sports athletes and amateurs alike.
Freestyle riders will know how painful wipeouts on features are — if you’re choosing to go on rails or boxes, landing on your tailbone is serious business. While proper wipeout technique can help, falling on your butt or groin areas are unavoidable in some cases. Proper protection will help immeasurably.
For more information on which snowboard padded shorts provide the best protection, keep reading!
Last update on 2024-07-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Reviews of the Best Snowboard Padded Impact Shorts
1. Bodyprox Protective Padded Shorts for Snowboard
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The Bodyprox Protective Shorts have great all-round protection. They feature EVA cushions that cover the tailbone, hip, thigh, and sit bone areas, and have breathable, quick-dry fabric — which will help prevent the buildup of sweat. The pads are lightweight, making them comfortable and easy to move around in.
Also, and this is just personal preference, these shorts just look more slick and subtle than the other options. Under layers, you can hardly tell that they’re padded – all without sacrificing protection.
Their shortfall is that the pads are difficult to remove for cleaning.
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Pros:
- Breathable fabric, which prevents sweat buildup
- The lightweight and subtle pads give the wearer a full range of movement
Cons:
- The pads are difficult to clean
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2. SKL Protection Hip 3D Padded Shorts for Snowboard
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These shorts have decent cover, though there are small gaps between pads which, in a perfect storm, might end up taking hits. On the flip side, this makes the shorts far more mobile and maneuverable.
Again, this is just personal preference: the outside pads look a bit ugly and obvious. If you’re trying to show off and look like you’re not wearing pads, you’ll probably have to look at another option (like the shorts above). However, it does make the pads easier to clean.
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Pros:
- They’re very mobile
- The pads are straightforward to clean
Cons:
- Very obvious pads
- Large gaps between pads
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3. Triple Eight Bumsaver Padded Shorts for Snowboarding
Though it provides all-round protection, the pads from these shorts can be removed to suit your personal mobility needs. They have a breathable build, which helps keep sweating down.
Some have complained about their relatively thin padding (just 10 mm, while other shorts have around half an inch) and their lack of proper sizing for women.
- Heavy-duty impact shorts for skateboarding and snowboarding provide coverage from the waist to just above the knee; made to fit comfortably and discreetly...
- In collaboration with professional skaters, these lightweight, breathable padded shorts were ergonomically designed for mobility and flexibility in extreme...
- Equipped with 10mm thick EVA foam pad for increased protection for hips, thighs and tailbone; pads are removable to customize padding zones
- Available in five sizes to fit kids, youth, and adults: X-Small fits 22 – 27 inches, Small fits 26 – 30 inches, Medium fits 29 – 33 inches, Large...
- To determine proper size, measure around waist; pads and shorts are machine washable; manufacturer's 180-day limited warranty
Last update on 2024-07-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Pros:
- The pads are removable for cleaning
- Breathable fabrics to stop sweat buildup
Cons:
- The thinner pads reduce the amount of protection compared to other padded shorts
- The sizing can be inconsistent on women
4. Youper Protective Padded Shorts for Snowboard
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The Youper shorts have breathable, flexible nylon and spandex polymer fabrics that keep the skin dry. The padding is comprehensive, covering most major areas. They’re comfortable and fit well.
But, there have also been concerns about the Youper’s mobility and coverage of hip bone areas. You should take this into consideration before buying it.
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Pros:
- They have moisture-wicking fabrics, which keep wearers dry
Cons:
- They reduce mobility
- There are concerns about pad coverage on the hips
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5. Tortoise Pads T2 Protection Padded Shorts
The Tortoise Pads are very protective, with half an inch of EVA foam over the whole lower body. The build quality is extremely high, and will probably last season after season so long as you take care of them.
Nonetheless, this is one of the pricier options on the market. Snowboarders on a budget will likely need to the previous options.
- T2 Padded Shorts come with 7 multi-layer/multi-density pads that are held in seven pockets on the back and sides of the shorts. The pockets are designed to...
Last update on 2024-07-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Pros:
- They provide excellent protection to the lower body
- They have great build quality
Cons:
- They are on the pricier side of the market
How to Choose the Best Snowboarding Padded Crash Shorts – Buyer’s Guide
Protection
Most padded shorts use EVA foam as protection. The foam, usually several centimeters thick, absorbs hits and softens impacts and is divided into plates across the padded shorts.
They’ll cover your tailbone, and more substantial padded shorts will also cover your hipbones.
Cup protection to the groin is usually optional, and in many cases, you’ll need to buy one if you want groin protection. If you’re sticking to established pistes and avoiding risky scenarios, then an all-round cover is more of a strong suggestion than a necessity, but freestylers will, inevitably, take nasty falls in all vulnerable areas on metal features.
Taco-shelling or doing splits on a rail is not fun, and you should take every precaution to protect yourself. Save yourself the agony and get as much coverage as you can.
That said, extremely epic wipeouts are still going to do damage. Other safety equipment like helmets, kneepads, and wrist guards will reduce the risk of major injury, but the only way to truly avoid season-enders is to know your limits and to avoid situations where big falls are likely.
Mobility
A lot of people don’t like feeling like a stormtrooper — short padding should be thick, but not clunky. You shouldn’t lose mobility or flexibility while wearing padded shorts. Ideally, they should be lightweight and shouldn’t affect your balance while riding. This is balanced out by more padding being more restrictive and limiting mobility.
Comfort
You’ll be wearing them all day, and you’ll quickly notice if they’re not comfortable. While this usually comes down to sizing, the pads and waistbands can occasionally rub against your skin and cause soreness.
The best way to prevent this is by making sure you get the correct sizing — most products will tell you their exact size in inches — or by wearing base layers under your shorts.
Warmth
Even though protection is the main selling point, you should also think about how much insulation these shorts can give you. Padded shorts designed specifically for snowboarders will have some warmth tech inside them, but the more general shorts designed for skateboarders will not.
As a rule, most will use synthetic fabrics; however, I have to stress that you should never buy a snow sports product made of cotton, because cotton, when wet, will become heavy and cold. This increases hypothermia danger. Always buy snow sports apparel made of either wool or synthetic fibers.
Similarly, if you’re riding mostly in the spring, overheating can be sweaty and unpleasant.
Appearance
We like to pretend it doesn’t matter, but it does! Looking effortlessly cool is important, and many of the super intense park rats (the ones that go out in just a hoodie and no helmet) scoff at people dressed head to toe in protective armor. While this is definitely not smart, and they’re obviously one bad fall away from a career-ender, it’s nice to look the part too.
You should never compromise appearance over safety, but with padding tech getting more subtle and stylish, you don’t really have to. If it’s just as thick as an uglier option, there’s no reason not to pick a padded short that’s more low profile than a super bulky alternative.
My Choice for the Best Snowboard Padded Crash Shorts
After weighing up the options, the Bodyprox Shorts are my top pick for the best snowboard padded shorts, as they provide the best protection, mobility, and low profile wearability.
The protective shorts are ideal for beginners looking to progress without fearing wipeouts, or for more advanced freestyle riders who want to push themselves into throwing bigger tricks without risking serious injury.
While obviously you should look at the alternatives, the Bodyprox give you the best value for the money and let you go harder with less consequence. However, everyone’s personal experience as a snowboarder is different, and you should, using this guide, seek out what’s right for you.
Top Rated Snowboarding Padded Crash Shorts
Last update on 2024-07-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
