Lizard Skins Knee Shin Combo Review

I hate shin guards. I hate them because they wander away from the places that need protecting, because they painfully chafe the back of my knees, and because they're hotter than the habanero sauce that my boyfriend enjoys slopping onto perfectly good nachos. The only thing I hate more than inedible chips and uncomfortable shin guards are bumpy black and blue shins crisscrossed with bleeding scratches caused by not wearing shin guards-as you can see, my life is hell.

I'm looking for complete frontal shin and knee coverage and unhindered mobility in dry, cool, chafe-free guards. That's all. The Lizard Skins Knee Shin Combo guards and their SOFTCELL technology offered the possibility that I could be freed from a life of torture. These adult, one-size-fits-all knee and shin guards consist of vented, molded plastic shin and knee protection held together by tear-resistant mesh, wicking material, and ventilated 6mm EVA inner foam. You can see the holey foam through the mesh, which immediately gives the impression that these puppies will stay cool and dry. You can also see that, left to their own devices, bright red SOFTCELL labels will clash with pastel or monotone kits. Sacrificing fashion in hope of discovering function, I strapped the Combos on using the behind-the-knee neoprene Y-strap system and the four adjustable D-ring Velcro straps complete with retention loops. I was wary of this overly strappy system, but once everything was in place, the guards felt oddly comfortable. No chafing, no sliding.

The Knee Shin Combos performed well as I shuttled downhill runs. I threw myself into the dirt a few times for the sake of product testing. Sure enough, the guards stayed in place and the extra padding inside the knee cup took the hit so I didn't have to. The Combos wrap around the backs of the legs more than many other shin guards I've tried, but the mesh and wicking materials did their jobs so well that I barely noticed the fuller coverage-despite the heat radiating from the Inland Empire.