Snowboard Padded Shorts & Pants

Snowboard padded shorts — your tailbone will thank you

Snowboard padded shorts are a very popular piece of snowboard protective gear (right behind a snowboard helmet and snowboard protective gloves). Why? Because tailbone injuries happen often and hurt a lot. A pair of quality snowboard padded shorts can give you hip and tailbone protection. Shop top quality snowboard hip pads like the Vigilante Tech Padded Shorts, Crash Pads 2500 Padded Shorts, or RED Total Impact Padded Shorts. Learn more about snowboard padded shorts & snowboard tailbone protection below. Check out our comparison of the best snowboard padded shorts.

Padded snowboard shorts? I thought padded shorts were for cycling

You may not be familiar with the idea of padded shorts for snowboarding, but once you’ve fallen on your backside a few times, you’ll know why we recommend them. With high-quality snowboard padded shorts or padded snowboard pants, you get:

• Snowboarding tailbone protection, so when you catch a heel-side edge and fall backwards, you'll have protection between your tailbone and the snow/ice/obstacle.
• Properly designed padded snowboard shorts or pants will also have foam padding over your hip pointer to protect your hip when you fall in the park or onto some other obstacle on the mountain.
• Butt padding, which is really nice perk for when you're sitting on the mountain watching your friends, buckling into your bindings, or taking a quick nap.
• Extra insulation; layers keep you warm. A layer of padded snowboard shorts made from a breathable fabric will help keep you warm on the lift without overheating

XSportsProtective staff picks for snowboard padded shorts

We have several favorites among the wide line of padded snowboard shorts we carry. We like Vigilante men’s tech padded shorts for their innovative, low-profile design. The half-inch pads are shaped, cut, and designed to move along with your body without bending or crushing, while the breathable, wickable mesh fabric sandwiches the foam padding, moving air and keeping you comfortable. Other great features of Vigilante tech padded snowboard shorts:

• Flexible 3M plastic tailbone shield sandwiched in between foam pads for triple-density tailbone protection
• Weigh only 8.8 ounces
• Low-profile, minimalist design
• 11 pads cover upper quads, hips, glutes, tailbone
• High-grade breathable, wickable mesh fabric; Quick-Dri gusset
• Boxer-style waistband; hits mid-thigh
• Double-stitching for maximum durability

One of our best-selling padded shorts for snowboarding (or other sports) are Crash Pads 2500 padded shorts, which are designed to provide excellent soft-shell protection for your hips, quads, buttocks, and tailbone. Some great features of the Crash Pads 2500 snowboard padded shorts include:

• Articulated, thermal-formed, soft-shell foam padding to protect hips, quads, buttocks, and tailbone
• Removable, combination hard/soft-shell triangular insert for additional tailbone protection
• Four-way stretch breathable Lycra material for maximum freedom of movement
• Six-panel design for a perfect fit
• Heavy-duty spandex waistband
• Hits at the top of the knee
• Half-inch soft pads for moderate or aggressive activity
• 90% polyester, 10% Lycra

We also love the very slim, d3o-loaded RED Total Impact padded shorts for snowboarding, which feature some of the most advanced padding available, d3o, which absorbs more impact than standard foam padding. More impact absorbed by the d3o pads means more protection for you. RED Total Impact padded snowboard shorts feature:

• Advanced, semi-viscous d3o padding at your hips, tailbone, and buttocks
• Form-fitting EVA foam pads on the lower thigh
• Heavy-duty spandex waistband to keep the shorts in place

In padded snowboard pants, we love Crash Pads 2200 padded pants. These full-length padded snowboard pants are constructed with a moisture-wicking thermal fabric that keeps you toasty on even the coldest days. Crash Pads 2200 provide quality protection for your hips, quads, knees, buttocks, and tailbone. Other features include:

• Half-inch and 5/8-inch semi-articulated, thermal-formed, high-density foam protection for your hips, quads, knees, buttocks, and tailbone
• Four-way stretch, Thermal Powder thermal moisture-wicking fabric for maximum warmth, durability, and comfort
• Six-panel design that form-designed to fit any anatomy
• Heavy-duty spandex waistband to ensure waist-tight fit
• Snowboard pad coverage includes tailbone, side hip, side leg, front hip pointer, sits bones (at the very bottom of your butt), and knees/upper shins

Have more questions about snowboard padded pants and snowboard padded shorts?

If you need more information, check out How to Choose Snowboard Padded Shorts in our Snowboard Learning Center. If you have a specific question about a specific pair of snowboard padded shorts or pants (or other snowboard protective gear), please call or email us. We’re here for you. Spend less time shopping and more time enjoying snowboarding – and life.