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The rise of tactical knee pads in the U.S. military isn’t a totally new development. U.S. military personnel have been spotted wearing various brands of tactical knee pads since the early 1990s. That said, the days of Rangers and SFOD-D operators running through the streets of Mogadishu wearing knee pads meant for skaters and construction workers are over. Today, the various U.S. military services are increasingly adopting knee pads that simply integrate with combat pants, removing the risks that come with finicky straps that slide around. Pants by Crye Precision have become so ubiquitous in the ranks, that any pair of pants that have tactical knee pads built in is often referred to simply as “Cryes.”
These days, the best tactical knee pads are high-tech offerings, scientifically developed to provide protection from pavement, gravel, and other common hazards in a tactical environment. Here are the best options for tactical knee pads for your next trip into the field.
- Best Overall: Crye Precision G3 Combat Pants
- Best Budget: Arc’teryx LEAF Combat Knee Caps
- Best for Comfort: UF Pro Striker X
Best Overall
Crye Precision G3 Combat Pants
Pros
- Excellent mobility and comfort
- Two-stage knee pad design provides abrasion and impact protection in one package
- They just look cool
Cons
- Velcro knee pads can come loose if you kneel down on soft ground or get them caught on objects
- Velcro pocket fasteners can foul with dirt
- Crotch stitching bursts easily
Product Specs
- Colors: Multicam, ranger green, navy blue, black, multicam tropic, multicam black, multicam arid, various rarer patterns and colors
- Materials: 50/50 nylon-cotton ripstop, proprietary 4-way stretch panels
- Fastening method: Kneepads insert into knee pockets, held in by Velcro
- Protection: Abrasion and impact resistance
- Country of manufacture: USA
Why It Made The Cut
- Arguably the tactical pants with kneepads in the minds of many, these pants, combined with the separately sold Airflex knee pads, keep your knees safe from scrapes and bruises without limiting your mobility.
Best Budget
Arc'teryx LEAF Combat Knee Caps
Pros
- Work with any pants
- Outstanding cushioning
- Designed to prevent slipping and movement
Cons
- Fragile clips
- Very hot on warm days
- Foam degrades after prolonged use
Product Specs
- Colors: Crocodile (dark earth), black
- Materials: Plastic outer shell, foam inner pad, one static strap, one elastic strap, plastic buckles
- Fastening method: Plastic dovetail buckles
- Protection: Puncture, impac, and abrasion resistance
- Country of manufacture: Canada
Why It Made The Cut
- These knee pads attach more traditionally to your knees regardless of what pants you’re wearing, but perfect the formula with high-tech materials and construction.
Best for Comfort
UF Pro Striker X
Pros
- Extremely durable
- Outstanding comfort
- Kneepads can be scaled at will
Cons
- Kneepads are not adjustable for height
- Brand is relatively unknown in the U.S.
- Controversial styling
Product Specs
- Colors: Multicam, flecktarn, steel gray, brown gray, various limited edition colors
- Materials: 50/50 NyCo ripstop, 500D cordura outer knees, belt loops, and cuffs, Schoeller-Dynamic seat and knee stretch panels
- Fastening method: Zipper knee pocket
- Protection: Selectable puncture, abrasion, and impact resistance
- Country of manufacture: Slovenia
Why It Made The Cut
- This offbeat Slovenian brand makes some of the strongest, most comfortable tactical pants on the market, featuring an innovative three-layer design.
Things to consider before buying tactical knee pads
All of the kneepads featured on this list excel in certain situations, and knowing what you need in a tactical knee pad can be very helpful to ensure you make the right purchase.
Needed protection
People who are in largely urban environments with hard pavement and dangerous detritus like nails and broken glass will likely need maximum comfort and puncture protection, whereas those in the desert or forest might not need as much padding, and may prioritize keeping their knees cooler and forego kneepads altogether. Making sure that your knee pads are easy to remove, or picking a scalable system like the UF Pro 3D knee pads, can be helpful.
Type of pants worn
Certain knee pads are dependent on the pants that you wear, and those who want to wear plain pants like 5.11 Tactical pants with knee pads will likely want to rely on external knee pads like the Arc’teryx LEAF Combat Knee Caps. Kneepad options like the Crye Airflex need to be used with compatible pants, and others like the UF Pro 3D knee pads are only compatible with their brand’s pants.
FAQs about tactical knee pads
Q: How do I choose knee pads?
A: Choosing knee pads depends on your intended use. For instance, some people only wear one knee pad on their dominant knee to keep the other cool. If you mostly walk long distances or your tactical environment is mostly or almost entirely soft surfaces, you can likely get away without knee pads. However, if you frequently move through rocky, paved, or otherwise hard terrain, knee pads are a must.
Q: Can you run with knee pads?
A: Modern kneepads like the ones on this list don’t inhibit running as much as older models did. The Arc’teryx knee pads have the capability to slip and inhibit running, but the integrated ones don’t do that at all, especially when properly adjusted.
Q: How do you know what size to get tactical knee pads in?
A: Most of them are one-size-fits-all, but for extremely small or slim people, especially children and teens, I’ve seen some cases where they strap on elbow pads rather than wear knee pads. However, it’s fairly telling that Crye’s female-fit combat pants don’t use any different-size knee pads, despite being cut slimmer.
Q: Are knee pads considered PPE?
A: I don’t know what else you think they’re doing to your knees.
Final thoughts
Kneepads are a tricky topic to tackle. The overall zeitgeist of tactical gear design has moved away from external kneepads and almost entirely to integrated knee pads. This is because modern materials allow internal kneepads to do everything that the external ones do while offering improved mobility, cooling, and other protective features. The Crye Precision G3 Combat Pants are the biggest example of this and are still considered the gold standard that most other brands simply emulate.
Methodology
Every knee pad option on this list has been personally tested by me in various environments and in different applications. I’ve personally owned combat pants by Crye, Beyond, Arktis, UF Pro, and 5.11, and I have tested the Arc’teryx knee pads with my issued MARPAT FROG trousers. Every option was required to protect against abrasions and impacts at the minimum, with puncture resistance being considered an added bonus. None of these options personally failed me, and most other users concur with their experiences.