What safety gear to wear is a hot topic that LOTS of people have opinions about. We believe that what you wear is up to you, but do recommend that beginners wear safety gear for a safe and long life on skates.
In this video, Chuffed founder, Slam, talks a bit about her own journey with safety gear and some of the different gear options available.
Watch the whole video for all the details, or check out a short summary below.
Helmets
A good fitting helmet should feel secure but not tight, and it should fit well on your head. You should find a helmet that is hard shell and meets Australian certification standards. A certified helmet will note its certifications on the product page where you buy it, and the packaging.
Our favourite certified helmets are S1 helmets. These have different padded liners that can be adjusted to suit your size. If your padding compresses over time, you can just get a new liner rather than a whole new helmet.
That being said, if you’ve had a big fall and hit your head, or your helmet has been pretty banged up over time, it should be replaced. A helmet won’t last forever and for optimum protection, you shouldn’t keep using it after significant impact.
Pads
If you are a beginner or just going to a few RollerFit classes but still want to feel protected, a basic pad set can be pretty good. The ones from Kmart or Rebel Sport probably aren’t going to serve you very well and you should still buy from a reputable source.
If you’re going to be doing heavy skating in the skatepark or you’ve had previous injuries, we recommend going for a higher end pad. The S1 Pro Pads are by far the best and longest lasting we have found. Some other brands for a similar price seem to disintegrate along the straps and just don’t hold up as well.
When it comes to protection for hands and wrists, Slam uses the RollerFit Palm Sliders, while some others prefer more traditional wrist guards.
Whatever pads you have make sure they fit well. This means they don't cut into your skin, and also don't slide up and down when you skate.
Innersoles
Most roller skates come with very thin innersoles that don’t do much to protect your feet. Our Chuffed Cruiser and Chuffed Wanderer skates come with an inner sole that has a heel pad inside.
Heel bruising occurs when skaters take big impacts to their feet without proper protection in their skates, and can take several weeks to recover from. This is a common injury in the skate park. Our Pro Boot comes with a high impact anti shock innersole, that is now also sold separately!
If after watching the video you still have any questions about safety gear, you can email us here.
Stay safe and stay chuffed!