Anybody have this body protector??

pearliewhite

Do any of the girls on this have the Kan body protector specially designed for women or know anyone that does? Was thinkin of gettin one and boyfriend said he'd get it for my birthday. Looks good- any thoughts??

twomeys

Hi there,

Now I may get into trouble for saying this but I will always be upfront. I am a retailer so its important you know that.


You will find many body protectors that are especially designed for Women. We have a brand Airowear which are in loads of shops all over the country and they have one thats designed just for men, just for women and just for kids.

The reason they have many styles in case people are not familiar is the following. For womens shape you you can not move the bust. Standard body protectors used to be very uncomfortable as they were shapeless. For men, the tummy area is the problem and again you can not move this so the Airowear Outlyne for example leaves room for this.

If its ok with the Mods I wont give you a link to my site but instead to the manufacturer so at least you can see the options. I will also give you a link to the BETA safety standards which explains the importance of say Level 3 Beta certifications, which is what we demand for all our body protectors.

This link explains what the tags mean on body protectors:

http://www.beta-uk.org/pages/safety/body-protectors.php

This link is an example of Female specific body protectors:

http://www.airowear.co.uk/outlyne.php

Now I know people will think I constantly harp on about safety but its vital when you buy a body protector that you are fitted by someone who has been trained. People may not know this but many people have been seriously injured due to their body protectors. If you have a fall for example and your body protector is too big it can be shoved into the back of your next causes back and spinal injuries.

So if you are buying a KAN (as they are very high end) please get measured by a shop that stocks them (we dont!) and dont purchase over the internet its not worth it. I had a woman in last week that had a serious injury from a body protector, shes only now getting back into riding after months of recovery..

Best of luck though and make sure your boyfriend takes you for dinner too!!!

Regards,

Eoghan

pearliewhite

Good advice! especially the bit about the dinner
Was actually considerin the airowear one too- any feedback from your customers on it?

twomeys

Yes every girl deserves dinner out every now and then!!!

On the Airowear. We sold 3 in the last week or so and people just love them. The feedback from the customers is that they are ultra soft and mould instantly and they are really light. Also the zipped front means there dead easy to get on and off.

We have sold all sorts of body protectors over the years but after a lot of searching we now only stock airowear. This was for a few reasons. They have a very good reputation in the industry and are market leaders and also develop a lot of features which other companies end up adopting over time on their body protectors. Secondly what ever they use inside seems to warm up faster and mould faster than anything else we have ever seen or used. As we all know if a body protector is uncomfortable you wont use it and it'll be thrown into the corner! The final reason we chose them is their pricing is good and the company are nice to deal with. Oh and also they are one of the only manufacturers that make a body protector for the larger shape.

So without sounding like a sales man, I would wear an airowear and I hate them!!! As I say if its not comfy you wont wear it and then you run the risk of injury. As for that brand, there are a load of shops with them so where ever you are you should find a stockist near you.

Thanks

Eoghan

pearliewhite

They do look very good and have heard good things about them. how often do they need to be replaced? Ah decisions decisions!

twomeys

Now thats a question Ive never been asked. For kids they need to be replaced more often. For adults, once they are fitted right and you look after them you should get years out of any body protector. Its important you dont clean it with chemicals as this could damage the fibres. Its also important if you have a fall or get a kick that you return it to whatever shop you bought it from and get them to check it for you. But I reckon you'll get years out of most brands of body protector once you take care of them. Oh and watch out for mice they love eating body protectors and riding hats!!!

Regards,

Eoghan

twomeys

Hi again,

Karen (the equestrian Pro!!) also told me to mention that if the body protector has a lot of falls or you get a few knocks with it, when it starts to go hard and isnt as soft as was it originally then this also might be time to change as the protection is then limited due to the material getting compacted. Once it goes hard, if you get kicked or fall you are very susceptible to injury..

Best of luck anyways in your search and Im glad your deciding to wear one. Let me know if you have any other concerns or questions. We used to stock many brands so we'd be familiar with most.

Thanks

Eoghan

bullylover

hey, I got a Rodney Powell back protector in Feb. and i wold swear by it!! Its super comfy, moulded perfectly. It is completely adjustable. I had a hard time finding a back protector to fit. Kids were too short and adults to wide. And I have to say I am more then happy with mine now!! I got it in Tri Equestrian on the curragh the staff there could not have been more helpful. They fitted me, even made me sit in a saddle! I would highly recommend them.
Rodney Powells are worn by alot of eventers too, so they must be good:D:P and you can get them custum made in your colors:D:P
Hope that helps:) Nothing worse then feeling your a slice of bread in a toaster which happens with 90% of the back protectors out there.
Took me a long time to find the one I was comfortable in and one that didnt hinder my movement, I love it muchly:)
Happy shopping:D

pearliewhite

off to google it now bullylover!!

twomeys

Actually Pearlie Bullylover has just reminded me of something. Airowear actually and Rodney Powell actually make made to measure custom body protectors. Not that you might need that or anything its just something I forgot to mention.