Kneepads, Gravity, and Me

For this tile project that I'm (still) working on, I went out and got a set of kneepads.  They're so much nicer to have under my patellas than the OSB, Ditra, or ceramic tile!  But at the same time they frustrate the heck out of me because they keep sliding down when I get up and walk around.  There's a nylon adjustable strap at the bottom and an elastic adjustable strap at the top.  I pull them both to the point of almost cutting off circulation.  But after one or two up-and-down cycles I find out that they've slipped down again by the sharp pain in my knee.

I figure there's one of three things going on here:

1. I'm a complete moron and can't operate kneepads
2. I bought a junk set of kneepads and should get a better pair (these are "Masterforce" from Menards)
3. Kneepads are just like this and I need to just be thankful I don't make a living with them (take that however you want)
    

Anybody able to help me figure out which is the right answer?  If I can solve this with a better pair of pads, I'm all about it but if this is just how they all are I won't waste my money.

I arrange the straps in an X behind my knee, it seems to keep them in place longer, but readjusting regularly is part of knee pads for me.

 I have an old pair that were cheap a long time ago.

Back when I wore them,  yeah, they got pulled up a lot. 

Try volleyball kneepads. But you'll want to try them on. 

I have suffered that too.  It occurred to me once, what if you could put them inside your pants?  Might have to return to the 80s to buy jeans, though.

Or, if you want to get slightly silly, hockey shin guards and shin-tights. Won't slip, won't move. 

The shin guards will have two elastic straps on them. Then the shin tights will hold them in place - works for a hockey game, should work for flooring. I'd probably wear some track pants over them. It'd be hot though. 

If you go this route, I'd buy the shin guards used. Check faceballs market. 

Shin tights amazon link: 

Streetwiseguy said:

I have suffered that too.  It occurred to me once, what if you could put them inside your pants?  Might have to return to the 80s to buy jeans, though.

Carhartt and Duluth Trading make pants and pads for this: 

DLT Pads

DLT Pants

Okay, good to know that it's not just me.....  Hockey shin guards, though.  That's a pretty slick idea

Kneepads are just like that really. The ones I use I only use the bottom strap and tighten it up more. It seems to work better

I use an old set of downhill mountain biking kneepads, and they do pretty well to cover the patella and upper shin without shifting around. They're tight around the upper calf and that keeps them from shifting down with repeated movement.

wae said:

Okay, good to know that it's not just me.....  Hockey shin guards, though.  That's a pretty slick idea

If you go this route, don't forget the shin-tights/shin sleeves. Or tape. I just got tired of buying tape. 

And I have to figure that if it was that great of an idea, someone else would have had it by now.

With or without pads, exercise some moderation.  Overuse is a frequent cause of knee effusion (water on the knee).

Here is my method...

Most of my work (like on this van) is done in the front of my house.  My concrete is an unusually aggressive texture.  As such, it is hard on the knees.  Years ago, I commandeered this discarded brown mat.  My wife had bought it and disliked it.  It is a kitchen anti-fatigue mat intended for placing in front of a sink while washing dishes.  It's vinyl on the top and squishy gel inside.  I kneel on this mat when working.  It is very easy to move the mat.  It is very easy to bring the mat along with my travel tool bag.      

In reply to John Welsh :

I'm such an amateur...I've got a stack of used carpet rectangles (nearly identical in size to yours) sorted in descending order of level of dog pi$$ stains.

Kinda funny.  The squishy soft brown mat is in a lot of my photos.  I bring it out every time.  Being vinyl it is good for wet and muddy situations too.  I bring it if I might be hooking up a trailer too.

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Back in 1997 our office bought some gag gifts for a guy transitioning to outside sales.  

They bought him a set of knee pads insinuating what he might have to do to get orders and he would need them.

We all laughed.  Today HR would melt down.  

My dad laid tile for a living for a number of years and it took a real toll on his knees.  So I'm pretty careful about it for this project.  Fortunately there's not a lot to do.

I like those mats a lot.  But part of the problem is that when you're laying tile, you spend a lot of time moving around on your knees so I think the constant up-and-down to move the mat would cost me what's left of my back!

How much do you want to spend? Related question, do you own a motorcycle? Clothing with knee armor exists in that realm, and at least in my experience it doesn't shift around. I own two pair of Bohn body armor pants. one hot weather, one cold weather. They are about 150 bucks a piece. But, this reality was revealed to me when I got home from a motorcycle ride and my daughter needed me to look at her tires on her suv, so I got down on my knees on the concrete and it was like heavenly bliss on my knees, riding on clouds and no matter how many times I got up and down checking around the truck, they never shifted. Now, there is a safety use case here for a bike and a cross use for knees on the floor. If you don't own a bike though they are a bit spendy and I can't recommend them. If you own a motorcycle, I can't recommend them enough. They go under your regular pants, don't know why I had to say that, but I feel like someone would ask.

I have a set I got a Harbor Freight. Yes they need adjusting from time to time, but I don't work on anything that requires kneeling without them.

I played hockey. Shin pads get you very sweaty. And the knee pad isn't all that thick. It's not designed to be used long term as a pad.

Look for a set of Knee Gaskets.

They are common for skaters, especially older ones. They slip over your knee like a knee sleeve. They have extra padding to surround the patella. They take up some of the extra space and provide more grip to hold the knee pad in place.

https://www.amazon.com/Smith-Safety-Gear-Knee-Gasket/dp/B00PUDQ9VQ

Or just get a set of like volleyball or skating knee pads.

I really hate the strap-ons  (snicker)

I got the kind that are an elastic sleeve and slip on like a volleyball kneepad.  No more worries, no more circulation loss, and I find them to be more comfortable.

I also had a set that were a full elastic sleeve with velcro.  I didn't like them because when the strap was tight enough it was flopping around in front of my knee, and if I made it a little looser, the thicker velcro part was in my knee-pit and uncomfortable.