SPORTPROTECTION
INC.
AP Back Guard
Price
(msrp) Jr.: $65.00
Price (msrp) Sr.: $75.00
Price (msrp) Big Sr.: $79.00
General
Information Provided By Sport Protection:
-
AP Back Guard is available in five different sizes.
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Protects
entire length of back, which is important since back
and tailbone injuries are common in off-road racing.
-
AP
Back Guard is designed to be worn with a chest protector
without interference, but can be worn by itself as
well.
-
Protects
spinal cord between helmet and chest protector.
-
The
waist belt also functions as a medium duty kidney
belt.
-
It's
the most popular back protection device in Europe
and exceeds the very high specification by SVEMO for
back protection.
-
Protective
foam and kidney belt detaches from hard plastic for
easy cleaning.
-
This
type of back protection is mandatory for racing Motocross
and Enduro in many countries in Europe.
-
Over
100 000 sold since 1993.
Within
4 days of talking to Tara the Back Guard arrived and
when I opened the package I was taken back by what I
saw. The guard is very lightweight (less than 2 lbs)
and has an integrated kidney belt. The materials are
black flexible plastic and a 3/8 inch thick closed cell
foam which combine to make a light, body contour fitting
unit. We were going to be testing the Junior which is
generically sized for 14 to 17 year olds. Thekid fell
into a gap in sizing (he is 5’ 3” and 90 lbs)
right between Mini and Junior, which caused us some
sizing problems. These were overcome with some help
from fellow DRN member Wraith. One thing I noticed was
a lack of definitive sizing instructions but a call
to Tara answered most of my questions and we started
the sizing process.
Sizing:
The guards come in generic sizes determined by body
size and shape (see end of report for specifics). The
personal fit is created by removing material from the
guard to accomidate different torso sizes and personal
comfort/wearing desires.
The
guards are scored to allow easy cutting (we used a heavy
duty kitchen scissors). We used a trial and error approach
of removing a bit of material and then riding for a
few laps then back to cutting again. After a couple
days I was getting frustrated and thekid was leery of
wearing the Guard as it was always pulling the back
of his Chest protector up into his helmet. Wraith came
to the rescue by telling me to thin the protector where
it exits the top of the chest protector neck opening.
He also cautioned me to not take away any more material
than absolutely necessary! I narrowed it from the original
5 ¼ inches down to 4 inches (I needed to add
Velcro on the plastic and foam to replace what I cut
off) and it would now flow freely inside the chest protector
neck opening. We shortened the top by 1 3/4 inch (using
1/2 inch cut increments).
I also found that the bottom needed to be shortened
to prevent the guard from being pushed up as he sat
and moved around on the bike seat (again only remove
as much material as necessary and no more). The bottom
of the guard extends down to cover the tail bone area
and has a slight curve molded into it to comform with
body curvature.
In
the end I believe we could have used the Mini size due
to thekid being small for his age so be sure with kids
to look at their size in comparison with average kids
their age. I can also easily see some 11 year olds that
would need to go with the Junior size if they are big
for their age.
Now that the fitting was done it was time to ride.
Functionality:
The
first day on the practice track with the properly fitted
Back Guard was enough to convince thekid that it wouldn’t
bother him while racing and it actually seemed to help
with his body position while on the bike. He liked the
integrated kidney belt as it appears to be just as supportive
as his NoFear belt.
The
back guard in conjunction with the chest protector makes
a comfortable and safe unit (it did take a few tries
to master getting the Chest Protector on over the Back
Guard without the back hanging up on the top edge).
Thekid chose to wear the guard outside his jersey but
tucked into his pants since when he first tried to wear
it inside the jersey the foam rubber got damp and uncomfortable
from sweat being absorbed into it.
SportProtection
states the guard is comfortable without a chest protector,
which we didn’t try as a CP is required equipment
in our house. Right now thekid is wearing the guard
regularly in practice and racing with complete comfort
and confidence. As with other protective gear, the transition
to riding with it, took time and some parental influence
to make sure it was worn properly in order to adjust
to the new feeling with it on. Once he rode with it
for about an hour he didn't even notice it any longer.
Conclusion:
Spinal
injuries are one of the most feared injuries in any
sport and the Back Guard by SportProtection raises the
protection level in this area with a low cost and comfortable
product. We will be updating this as the season progresses
but as of now on a scale of 1 to 10 we would put the
Back Guard around an 8.5.
Pluses:
Sizing
and Prices:
Big
Senior: Over 6 ft tall and/or over 34” waist
$79 (being tested by Gomer)
Senior: Adult under 6 ft tall and slimmer than
34” waist $75 (being tested by MXSparx)
Junior:
14-17 years old $75
Mini: 10- 13 Years old $55 (being tested by 989)
Kid: 6- 9 years old $45
Contacts:
http://www.SPORTPROTECTION.com
SPORTPROTECTION
INC.
PO Box 85
Lisbon Falls, ME 04252
phone: 207.353.2800
fax: 207.353.3095
