I’ve used Hatch and the Dexter Meadows clip on knee pads, both with high success. About as comfy as knee-pads as I ever remember. I suggest you DO NOT get skateboard ones like Pro-Tec. They will stay on well when walking around, but if you sit on your knee for a while on them, you’ll realize how bulky they are.
I used the Alta knee pads exclusively since 2003. I recently got a pair of the infamous Arc’teryx Knee pads through the LEAF program but haven’t used them enough to say how awesome they are. I generally run around with my knee pads protecting my ankles though… yes, I know they don’t do me any good there. The Arc’Teryx Knee pads are very minimalistic though and don’t make me sweat like all other knee pads have in the past, and they cover what needs to be covered.
SOS
Another Alta fan.
Has anyone tried the Cry Precision elbow and knee pads that fit into either the field or combat pants and shirts?
Arc’teryx, hands down. Good yet not bulky padding and the plastic caps on the outside aren’t so hard that they don’t grip and end up ice-skating your knee out from under you on surfaces like concrete.
I know a lot of folks that replace the buckles because the stock ones aren’t the most secure design in the world, but I haven’t had any issues to this point. That may be because I wear them under my pants more often than not.
no brainer
Arcteryx adaptable for most any situation
Crye… if you have crye pants, or the pads will fit in your pants
I have a pair of these on order from the LEAF Program. I tried a buddies, and these are indeed badass.
Here’s my view of the Black Diamond and Arc’Teryx knee pads. I think these two kind of render the Altas irrelevant except for the very cost-conscious.
I’ve had bilateral knee surgery, so I pay close attention to knee protection for kneeling. After years of Altas I wanted to get the Arc’Teryx a few months ago. The LEAF versions weren’t available. Buckle revisions, I was told. I got the Black Diamond. I must say, they were a revelation. Very light, very flexible, didn’t fall down around my ankles. Really excellent, but I did notice they lacked a little bit in the padding department. Today, they delivered a pair of the Arc’Teryx Knee Caps. These are the non-LEAF version. The LEAF version still appears to be MIA, and reportedly for the same reason as last August.
The straps and buckles are identical in every way on these Arc’Teryx and Black Diamond knee pads. The shell material is likewise identical. They are similar or identical in weight. The big difference is that the padding is noticeably thicker closed-cell foam(about twice as thick over the kneecap) on the Arc’Teryx and that makes a huge difference to me in kneeling comfort. For those of you with non-surgical knees, I’ll bet you’d find the Black Diamond to be excellent. As to the LEAF version, I’ve worked the Black Diamonds fairly hard and the straps/buckles have worked just fine. I wouldn’t be afraid to get either the Black Diamonds or the non-LEAF Arc’Teryx. The Black Diamonds are about $20 cheaper.
Arc’teryx is revising the buckles again? As in, V3? They revised them to V2 (the two-part tension/hook buckle) about 6 months ago and have been shipping for a while.
The V2 buckles are distinctly different from the yellow ones you posted in the photos:
There are two versions of the Arc’Teryx knee pads…LEAF, with the hook buckles and black or foliage color you showed above, and the climbing version that I showed above with the clasp-type buckle. The LEAF versions tend to be spotty in their availability and AFAIK aren’t available anywhere ATM. I didn’t want to wait so I bought the climbing version. Those buckles have worked fine for me so far on the Black Diamonds.
It was about 6 months ago that I was told by Grey Group that they weren’t available because they were redesigning the buckles. Rob_s says he exchanged emails with a sales rep who told him current unavailability was due to a redesign. Whether that’s a second re-design (v3) or they’re still redesigning the first version (v2), I don’t know. IOW they are either unavailable again, or unavailable still. All I know is that I can’t order them.
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I’ve had the choice of many different types of knee-pads, and rely exclusively on the Arcteryx pads. I’ve worn them in both Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as in training here in CONUS, and am convinced that they’re the best out there at this time.
In missions from Farah to Panjwai to Paktika to Konar, I’ve found the Arcteryx pads to be up to any abuse that I could inflict on them, as protective or more protective, despite the low profile, and still to be cool and not give you that back-of-the-knee irritation that other, heavier pads (Alta, Hatch, etc.) inevitably dish out. Even though Arcteryx has seen fit to redesign the buckles twice now, I’ve never had trouble with them. Especially now, after four knee surgeries to fix damage from a fall on my knee in Afghanistan (the one time I wasn’t wearing them), I won’t use anything else.
The black ones are currently in stock if you have a LEAF account.
Have to agree, the Alta’s are great. Get the Alta-Lok, it’s way better than velcro. I’d order of off SKD Tactical, they have a big selection of colors and amazing shipping speeds.
I just got my pair of Altas and from dicking around in my apartment, they seem like they will work. The two different kinds of strapping really help with keeping them secure to your knees.
My experience with the Alta’s over many years is that they will fall down around your ankles, hooks or velcro.
One effective solution for that is little beads of silicone on the upper and lower straps and across the inside of the pad.
I bought these from SKD back in 2009. Used them since then for range work. http://www.skdtac.com/Alta_Superflex_Knee_Pads_p/alt.602.htm
I would like to get a pair of the Crye Combat pants and kneepads to try as well as a pair of the Dirty Bird LEAF kneepads. Really interested as they appear to be a better design than what I’m currently running. If you adjust the lower strap slightly loose, it makes them very comfortable.
Kyle Lamb switched me on to the ancient chicken (Arc’teryx) “Knee Caps” two years ago and they work great. Light and compact.
For elbow pads, I’ve been using soft Mizunos. I think they’re for volleyball…
Pros/cons on the two buckle types?
Tightening knee pad straps is something I do a fair amount during the course of a training day. It’s easier to do that with the cam-lock buckles and straps than with the hook connectors, which have to be removed to be readusted, based on my experience with the current version Alta’s. OTOH, it’s easier to put on the hook-types straps, like the Alta’s and LEAF ArcTx, and there are no dangling straps. Overall, I prefer the cam-lock straps to the Alta’s hook-type. I don’t know if that opinion could be extended to the LEAF version.
I just wanted to chime in and say thanks to all those with great advice in this thread. After reading through it I decided to go with the Alta with the hook from SKD link posted earlier… Love them already was wearing them around the house 
Great advice thanks!