Thread for repairing elbow and knee pads

[PeteHall]

they're not cheap

I shouldn't brag, but I got a box of 7 pairs of knee pads and 3 belts (delivered) for £30 recently.
Three pairs are Warmtex and not too worn, the other four pairs are the bare neoprene type, but pretty much brand new!
The belts are also nearly new

 

[langcliffe]

To be honest I was spitting angry having to replace them so soon when they last went, as they're not cheap, and then you have to throw them away when the strap fails. I keep trying to think of other things I could do with the pads, but not much comes to mind, other than coasters.

One of my caving colleagues shapes and glues them onto the inside of a new pair for super comfort.

 

[wormster]

Here's a thought- wear 2 pairs, one under the oversuit and a sacrificial pair on top.

 

[Ian Ball]

That seems like a faff unless you're crawling!

 

[cavemanmike]

Don’t know why you bother repairing them. I wear these in my under suit in the knee slots. Last for years and trouble free

 

[Mark Wright]

Similar to cavemanmike, I wear my neoprene pull-on knee pads under my oversuit. They are great for keeping your knees warm. I use them when I'm snowboarding as well. They always stay exactly where I put them.

I've never worn the knees out of my oversuit and I'm still using a pair of Beaver pads that I bought about 7 years ago. They are as good as new.

Mind you, I do try to avoid going down caves involving a lot of crawling these days.

 

[wormster]

Ah!! Suppose, these 'ere 'oles on Mendip are a bit crawly!!

 

[tim.rose2]

This is an elbow pad rather than knee pad but the same problem as discussed in this thread (tonight's sowing task after Sunday's digging trip)…

Speedy stitcher / whipping twine repair...

For comparison an old style blue knee pad which is clearly worn out in the knee but the straps / stitching still intact on both sides of both knee pads and in good condition. This pair lasted for years. The warmtex pad takes hell of a beating but will eventually wear through.

As far as I can see the design of the old and new is more or less the same, so I can only assume the more recent materials used (thread / fabric) are poorer quality.

My knee & elbow pads take a massive battering. They're expensive, but not as expensive as destroying the knees on over suits. For reference I actually wear volley ball knee pads underneath (which make a huge difference). Regardless of how quickly the warmbac knee pads fall apart, on their own they're not sufficient for the sort of places I frequent!

The current volley ball pads are some of these (which are brilliant):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mizuno-Unisexs-Kneepad-White-Large/dp/B01MA5WKMR/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1KOHQ0OLL7ZD7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GndctSeDeAjUZLw8M_WwRqSYyIt7ZGRK69xEqsQdprps438synzs-O3uVQhNE68mLfnBnd7pbVLaAq2ckZ0HYdbm-5zys2XBRzy57-lgBmEIsC3yNWjq5pHDOZiGPjHVj6QHj3p7w6ntWpIZmkp8NMx_NHOfRzmuJ0leRAnfN8fJ7qrh_TzbIBN34Kj8VNoZEkJofJunG3F-_ZJlmG3gnDTXIfM7Wpy-74ScyQWqvJp9O3GGe_smzVTN55l8V2PB0G3ACEwXUDabUy27hL7_9EgPS25S5iOqFUBgqIAYfcAw1o8aYPUBmI1tiaWyJJDPvJfzu3kkpL-ky6vYysNUG4cVWk6c6gTh45MPMUKrSBQ.oiiH26xg7KRgSSqOT22KqyW47lPKx6yY3Kc0CMsYE-4&dib_tag=se&keywords=Mizuno%2BVS-1&qid=1741123154&s=sports&sprefix=mizuno%2Bvs-1%2Csports%2C97&sr=1-3&th=1

 

[ChrisB]

The only bit of that URL that's needed:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mizuno-Unisexs-Kneepad-White-Large/dp/B01MA5WKMR/

(Otherwise Amazon will find out all tim.rose2's secrets)

 

[pwhole]

Blimey, you've got more patience than I have. But i feel guilty now - maybe I'll have another go when these current straps collapse.

 

[tim.rose2]

The only bit of that URL that's needed:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mizuno-Unisexs-Kneepad-White-Large/dp/B01MA5WKMR/

(Otherwise Amazon will find out all tim.rose2's secrets)

If only I understood the internet...
I just copied and pasted the URL in the address bar in chrome. Is that not good no more?

 

[ChrisB]

I just copied and pasted the URL in the address bar in chrome. Is that not good no more?

It works, but many URLs now include what's called 'tracking' - that's all the gibberish that I cut from what you originally posted and which is part of Amazon's marketing. When somebody clicks a link with tracking data attached, it tells the website owner (Amazon in this case) where the link came from and how to target their marketing. I'm actually not sure whether it targets you (as link creator) or someone who clicks it, or both. I object to being 'marketed at' so I try to remove tracking from any links I post - usually it's anything after the first 'equals' sign.

Apologies for the following rant, and I realise the thread is going well off-topic! My objection to marketing is that if the product is any good it will sell, by recommendations such as yours. If it needs marketing it's probably not worth buying (there may be exceptions). Marketing is what drives the corruption of social media and is essentially a wasteful activity. Various advertisers trying to outdo each other add no value to society, even though it adds to what politicians call 'growth' - and we wonder why we can no longer afford the NHS, etc.

 

[tim.rose2]

Thanks for the IT lesson. Didn't know that and will bare it in mind in the future. Like you I dislike much of the way business on the net is conducted. I just didn't realise that pasting a link adds to it.

 

[PeteHall]

My knee & elbow pads take a massive battering. They're expensive, but not as expensive as destroying the knees on over suits.

I'll second that! I've never understood people wearing knee pads underneath their oversuit (and lots of people do), when they can protect your knees, and your oversuit outside, but just the knees inside.

Apparently they are more comfortable inside, but if you want to be comfortable, don't go caving

 

[Blueberry]

Repair update, like you really wanted to know.

Stitched using dental floss, needle and pliers, followed by a liberal application of Black Witch. Looks a bit messy

If they keep going for another season, good. If not I had a go at mending them.

 

[Ian Ball]

Sustainable Caving Hub from ActionStash - Repair your caving gear, upcycle, reduce your impact on the planet

description

www.actionstash.co.uk

50m black thread is available at actionstash once again.

 

[BigDyl]

I have found that adding patches of old condura to edges that are starting to go really helps with longevity + loads of glue and stitches

This is an elbow pad rather than knee pad but the same problem as discussed in this thread (tonight's sowing task after Sunday's digging trip)…

View attachment 21940

Speedy stitcher / whipping twine repair...

View attachment 21941

For comparison an old style blue knee pad which is clearly worn out in the knee but the straps / stitching still intact on both sides of both knee pads and in good condition. This pair lasted for years. The warmtex pad takes hell of a beating but will eventually wear through.

View attachment 21943

As far as I can see the design of the old and new is more or less the same, so I can only assume the more recent materials used (thread / fabric) are poorer quality.

My knee & elbow pads take a massive battering. They're expensive, but not as expensive as destroying the knees on over suits. For reference I actually wear volley ball knee pads underneath (which make a huge difference). Regardless of how quickly the warmbac knee pads fall apart, on their own they're not sufficient for the sort of places I frequent!

The current volley ball pads are some of these (which are brilliant):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mizuno-Unisexs-Kneepad-White-Large/dp/B01MA5WKMR/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1KOHQ0OLL7ZD7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GndctSeDeAjUZLw8M_WwRqSYyIt7ZGRK69xEqsQdprps438synzs-O3uVQhNE68mLfnBnd7pbVLaAq2ckZ0HYdbm-5zys2XBRzy57-lgBmEIsC3yNWjq5pHDOZiGPjHVj6QHj3p7w6ntWpIZmkp8NMx_NHOfRzmuJ0leRAnfN8fJ7qrh_TzbIBN34Kj8VNoZEkJofJunG3F-_ZJlmG3gnDTXIfM7Wpy-74ScyQWqvJp9O3GGe_smzVTN55l8V2PB0G3ACEwXUDabUy27hL7_9EgPS25S5iOqFUBgqIAYfcAw1o8aYPUBmI1tiaWyJJDPvJfzu3kkpL-ky6vYysNUG4cVWk6c6gTh45MPMUKrSBQ.oiiH26xg7KRgSSqOT22KqyW47lPKx6yY3Kc0CMsYE-4&dib_tag=se&keywords=Mizuno%2BVS-1&qid=1741123154&s=sports&sprefix=mizuno%2Bvs-1%2Csports%2C97&sr=1-3&th=1

 

[badger]

Vetinery sutre thread, what I use if want strong stitching.