Questions about ear protection.

I will be attending the Rolex 24 next January and would like to pick every bodies brains here about ear protection. Of course I have been to many races over the years but never a 24 hour endurance race and I can only imagine the ears must take a beating for that length of time and need some serious protection. There are many styles and sizes but would rather pay more for a good set that I can use for many years. So what's every one's experience and suggestions? Don't really care for ear plugs, looking more for a removable set thats not too bulky. I will be staying in the infield so I may need to sleep in them also. I just don't know. How bad is it down there? Maybe I am over thinking this. Thanks.

I've always worn ear pro when I went to the Rolex as it's fairly deafening in the infield.

So far as longevity/good protection goes I have a set of Surefire EP3s that I've been using for 4 or 5 years now, I just wipe them off with some alcohol after using and toss them back in their case. They fit a lot better than the foam Howard Leights we use at work and last quite a bit longer. They've been to 4 Rolex races, 2 or 3 concerts, and shooting who knows how many times.

I have some molded ones that I had professionally made and fitted. But then, I work in theatre and at age 43 (tomorrow) I still have almost perfect hearing (tested 2 weeks ago)

I'm having trouble hearing what you're asking .... but if I've gotten the actual drift of your question ... I'll tell you that I don't wear any hearing protection while at the Rolex, and haven't noticed any problems with my hearing ...other than when all you guys are whispering

If you are going to sleep in them, I don't really see a better option that ear plugs. Currently there isn't much of a performance advantage for the custom molded ear plugs over the disposable foam type ear plugs. I use the foam plugs everyday when I ride my motorcycle to work and find the Flents brand to be quite comfortable and effective. Maybe during the day you could use something like this earplug headset and at night you could use a foam plug. Just be sure, if you use a foam plug, to install it correctly. Research has shown that only about 50% of people that use the foam plugs install them correctly. Here's a video on correct installation Foam earplug installation

Take it from some one who never did. Use something.

I wore foams whenever any cars were running - was there for 4 days. Even when grabbing some sleep, inside my car, with the windows rolled up.