kyouness

helmet definitely. couldn't ride without one. i just feel too uncomfortable and feel like i'm gonna die.

RED impact shorts. i got last season's from WhiskeyMilitia for $26 and have not regretted it. well worth even $80 to save your ass from hurting for months.

my Rome Park Pack also serves as good back protection. it's a backpack i use for school and to carry essentials like extra gloves, my jacket on warmer days that might get colder, some gatorade, etc. i use it for boarding because it has some good padding on the back and when i have spare clothing in it, the padding is unmatched by anything else.

i'm going to invest in knee pads as well. i've got bad knees from playing football through high school and then sitting on my ass all day playing computer games through college.

i'm gonna invest in shin guards as well after eating a rail hard yesterday and messing up my shin pretty badly.

latemp

i have a bad knee and wrist from a motorcycle accident a few years ago. started off just wearing my knee brace (the one doc gave me, tore a few tendons). just bought a helmet now, and thinking about getting some wrist guards and padded shorts. seems like so much crap to wear when i think bout it, but i think it'll be worth it. i seen one of you guys talking about back protection, i actually have a dananese back protector for when i take my bike on the track. think i should consider wearing that too? damn imma be lookin like robocop under my jacket an pants with all this shit on.

SnowBun

Helmet, knee pads, wrist guards. Thinking about getting some ass padding as well

paulperroni

Helmet ofcourse, wrist guards... I recommend these since they are the only ones I found that protect both sides and fit comfortably under your glove:
Triple Eight Snow Underglove Wrist Guard

I am also thinking about impact shorts.
Thanks for the advise HouseMuzik, I will check those out!

DenBank

because im a student i dont care if my leg will be in pain, i only care if my arms will be fine. Thats why i wear wrist guards. Imo too much protection sometimes destroys the drive of whole thing.

oct6454

I also wear both wrist guards and those compact shorts. The REDs to be exact. After eating it hard a few times and not been able to sit on the toilet for a solid week i decide that i needed a tailbone pad. The wrist guards are the most essential i feel. I've known too many people that have broken there wrists and not been able to ride as hard as they'd have liked for the rest of the year.

GrapeDrink

I'd recommend hip, wrist, knee, elbow, and helmet. Definitely some shin guards if you're going to do some rails. It's a different mentality once you're older compared to those unique years as a youth when the parents provided for almost everything. I have to minimize the possibility of injury not only to keep enjoying the rest of the season, but to make sure I'm fit to work to pay my bills as well as avoiding out of pocket medical costs.

For new people that have some advance notice on their trip I seriously recommend getting pads before your first day out. You will fall, and it will hurt at times even with pads. It will be so, so, so much worse without them. Take it from a guy who used no pads at all when learning. Sprained wrist 3 times in a row. Elbows and knees were purple and the ass was in terrible shape. You will still be sore (feels like a max lift workout at the gym to all parts of your body), but you'll have saved yourself some lasting pain and have confidence to advance to better boarding.

HouseMuzik

Don't think about it. do it. You and i are older than these kiddies haha we're more fragile. PLUS, you take a bit more chance since you have some extra protection

Seedy J

Ass pad/knee pad shorts every time. Don't even notice they're there when I'm riding. I bought a pair of wristguards, but they don't fit under my gloves. My gloves are falling apart (after 6 days of use and I haven't even been doing grabs... don't get the Sessions Gore-tex gloves) anyway so I might get some with built-in wristguards.

pyro13g

Jock strap no cup or snug fitting undies that don't stretch out. The boys bouncing all around gets painful.