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Small goalie needing help finding C/A unit


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To start off, I play in all 3 leagues where I live, from A-C, Primarily in A league and subbing for the others as needed.

I first got the Warrior RG5 senior plus, but it was too cumbersome and I could not really move in it. I couldn't even reach to take my mask off.
I returned that and got the Baur Supreme S29 after being told it would be slimmer and shorter, and It was quite the opposite, longer in the arms and taller overall.

I work for a living and cannot afford to just get an intermediate just for the right sizing if the padding will not hold up to the higher caliber playing style. I may have to just call it for this year and wait another year to afford a custom built one for my body. But what makes me more puzzled is the fact that in 2014 I bought a Warrior RG2 and it was a medium and yet it was just a tad bit too big for me, now all the smalls that I have tried are too big/long...

Do any of you have any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

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15 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Funny, the arms on my 2S C/A are shorter than my GT1 C/A, and the GT1 is on the shortest setting.

Are you not able to try any C/A's on in person?

I live in Montana and the closest store that carries goalie equipment is utah, 8 hour drive. I can order stuff directly from online or order to a store, but even then the 3 nearest stores are 2 hours in either direction.

I have been messing with the way the unit sits on my shoulders and can get the arms to be shorter but now the shoulders interfere with my mask and my actual neck protector gets covered up by the bottom of the neck in the chest unit because it sits so high up now.

My chest width is  15"
My neck to waist is 17.5"
Arm span wrist to wrist is 54" and finger tip to finger tip 67"
I stand 66" tall

I am oddly shaped

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1 hour ago, Chenner29 said:

Sooooo...

I'm not too familiar with the Warrior gear, and this may be a typo on GoalieMonkey's site, but there is a 3" size gap between the Senior Small (starts at 64") and Pro Small (67")

Is it possible they sent you a Pro Small by mistake?

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No that was the first thing I checked, from wrist to wrist i am 54" but they said that should be fine with the adjustments in the arms, but like the baur, to get the size right in my arms meant interference in neck movement with mask on.

I am thinking I am going to have to get a Brown or Passau chesty custom built for me. But what do they cost? 6-700?

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1 hour ago, dreadlocked1 said:

Check Simmons goalie equipment.  I've been using the 995 model for a long time.  I am 5'6 and wear a senior-medium.

^ This....they're a small custom manufacturer that can probably work with whatever sizing requirements you have.

Pretty cost effective ($436 US), good protection.

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3 hours ago, dreadlocked1 said:

Check Simmons goalie equipment.  I've been using the 995 model for a long time.  I am 5'6 and wear a senior-medium.

I will have to check them out, I also emailed brown hockey. 

1 hour ago, Chenner29 said:

^ This....they're a small custom manufacturer that can probably work with whatever sizing requirements you have.

Pretty cost effective ($436 US), good protection.

I had a budget of 400, thought I would have to double it with custom gear but that price range ain't bad at all! 

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10 hours ago, creasecollector said:

I'm 5'5" and I wear a pro CCM Senior Small, if that helps. 

I was close to ordering one to give it a shot but I took the advice of the others and went with Simmons, my unit should be here in about 2 weeks.

I'll keep you all posted!

 

Thanks for the input and advice

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16 hours ago, Johnny Grey Jr said:

I was close to ordering one to give it a shot but I took the advice of the others and went with Simmons, my unit should be here in about 2 weeks.

I'll keep you all posted!

 

Thanks for the input and advice

Awesome. Should be great! Best of luck with the new C/A!

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/28/2021 at 7:11 PM, Johnny Grey Jr said:

I was close to ordering one to give it a shot but I took the advice of the others and went with Simmons, my unit should be here in about 2 weeks.

I'll keep you all posted!

 

Thanks for the input and advice

Congrats on your purchase!  Please post pics and any special order requests/mods if you got any.  I ordered from the old Simmons Canadian owners several times many years ago and have yet to work with new US owners.  Hopefully everything goes smoothly and you get what you're looking for.  I've been rocking my 995 CA since about 2009 or 2010 I believe. 

A few mods I did over time: Cut out the neck protector ( I wear a Maltese combo), Sewed an internal key chain webbing at the belly button to attach to the front of my pants (I don't tuck), Added bungee cord to the rear spine guard to "fight strap" attach to my pants with a carabiner, Replace the arm attachment lacing with bungee cord, Tape all straps so they won't come undone, Removed the extra shoulder protection on the catcher arm, And I have one small piece (a Warrior G2 across the knee) of extra padding added between the shoulder floaters on the catcher side to help protect my chest and side a bit. 

Mine didn't come with the beef up extra attachments for the belly and arms and I've been fine without them, although I took a shot to the belly on Sunday that stung and bruised me a bit.  Since the thing is about 12 years old and still going strong, that is acceptable to me.  If I could order the beef up kit, I would, but the Velcro attachment points didn't get added until the 996 model I believe.  Either way, when I finally cave to replace this, I'll most likely be getting another Simmons.

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On 6/8/2021 at 10:08 PM, dreadlocked1 said:

Congrats on your purchase!  Please post pics and any special order requests/mods if you got any.  I ordered from the old Simmons Canadian owners several times many years ago and have yet to work with new US owners.  Hopefully everything goes smoothly and you get what you're looking for.  I've been rocking my 995 CA since about 2009 or 2010 I believe. 

A few mods I did over time: Cut out the neck protector ( I wear a Maltese combo), Sewed an internal key chain webbing at the belly button to attach to the front of my pants (I don't tuck), Added bungee cord to the rear spine guard to "fight strap" attach to my pants with a carabiner, Replace the arm attachment lacing with bungee cord, Tape all straps so they won't come undone, Removed the extra shoulder protection on the catcher arm, And I have one small piece (a Warrior G2 across the knee) of extra padding added between the shoulder floaters on the catcher side to help protect my chest and side a bit. 

Mine didn't come with the beef up extra attachments for the belly and arms and I've been fine without them, although I took a shot to the belly on Sunday that stung and bruised me a bit.  Since the thing is about 12 years old and still going strong, that is acceptable to me.  If I could order the beef up kit, I would, but the Velcro attachment points didn't get added until the 996 model I believe.  Either way, when I finally cave to replace this, I'll most likely be getting another Simmons.

You should post pics of the mods, I've never done any mods to my gear but I also haven't been playing enough to understand certain mods and why they are done.

 

.......................................................................

It finally came in last monday but I only last night got some time to upload pics of the C/A unit, although, I took some pics without the extra pads it fits better than the other unites I've tried thus far. Here are some pics to show how it fits on my frame.

Two things I am sort of trying to figure out are the spine piece in the rear, if I adjust the straps to fit better, this piece starts to stick up pushing my jersey up as it reaches into the back of my neck and I am pretty sure that that is not designed to go that high...

And the other thing is the glove side of the C/A unit just seems to push down on my catcher and makes it hard to hold the glove up the right way.... Any suggestions?
 

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Congrats on the new c/a.  Before anything else, I would send these pics to Simmons and have them tell you that you have the correct size, as I am not an expert and can only speak of my long term use of it.  Also, I'm 5'6", 230lbs (fat) and wear a senior medium.  My gear is packed up for tomorrow's game, so I'll take pics and make some posts explaining what I've done to the unit after I'm done and it's unpacked.

Looking at the pics, it looks like the c/a is sitting low.  Like the throat protection should be where your neck guard is.  That's why I cut mine out, because it felt like overkill.  That may also expose too much of your lower belly, which is why It ask Simmons.  It may be difficult to get it to sit this high all the time, but if you connect it to the rear of your pants, it will help balance it more easily.  When I put it on I tend to have to pull up/out the top of the arms so they're flush at my shoulder.  How are your arms laced in currently?  There should be two sets of eyelets and you'll want them laced at the one furthest from your shoulder.  That will help pull the arms up more.  I recommend relacing with elastic cord. See how removing the extra glove side shoulder protection feels with your arm mobility.  The highest elastic strap near your bicep is not currently running through the highest strap hole.  You can move that up if you want.  You can experiment a lot with the fit of this c/a with all the minor adjustments possible.  

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I don't think that's sitting low at all?

It shouldn't be super high up on you when standing, especially without any pants on. C/A's are going to ride up a bit when you're crouching and you don't want the C/A to bunch up too much where it pushes against your mask.

Saying that, it looks like adequate coverage as it currently is and I wouldn't fret about it too much.

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1 hour ago, Johnny Grey Jr said:

I've never connected the rear of the unit to my pant. Where would that connection be on the pant?

Depends on your CA and/or your pants. Some pants have a loop in the back that you could connect to (sometimes the "hanging" loop for drying out ones pants). You could also attached the "U" part of a pair of suspenders to make a loop for you if you only have rivets/buttons. Some folks use a carabiner or other assorted link to make this connection too.

Sorry - don't have any pics of these scenarios as I tuck and go over the top with my suspenders.

Also respect to whatever littler person is rocking the Spider-Man hoodie.

Edited by chile57
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1 hour ago, coopaloop1234 said:

I don't think that's sitting low at all?

It shouldn't be super high up on you when standing, especially without any pants on. C/A's are going to ride up a bit when you're crouching and you don't want the C/A to bunch up too much where it pushes against your mask.

Saying that, it looks like adequate coverage as it currently is and I wouldn't fret about it too much.

I wish I could wear it just a smidge higher but that back spine piece starts sticking up. Also need to try and take out the inner belt and see if it fits better when tucking because I cannot wear it over my pant and it currently pushed up on the bottom of my mask at times

 

1 hour ago, chile57 said:

Depends on your CA and/or your pants. Some pants have a loop in the back that you could connect to (sometimes the "hanging" loop for drying out ones pants). You could also attached the "U" part of a pair of suspenders to make a loop for you if you only have rivets/buttons. Some folks use a carabiner or other assorted link to make this connection too.

Sorry - don't have any pics of these scenarios as I tuck and go over the top with my suspenders.

Also respect to whatever littler person is rocking the Spider-Man hoodie.

I will inspect tonight and buy a couple of key rings/ carabiners and experiment.

 

Also that would be my Spiderman obsessed son lol

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32 minutes ago, Johnny Grey Jr said:

Also that would be my Spiderman obsessed son lol

Kid's got good taste. Two thumbs up.

For what its worth - your Simmons CA looks like it would work for you fit-wise but that's really up to you (and none of us "experts"). Some like longer, some like shorter, whatever floats your boat. Fit looks similar to mine but then again - since I tuck - I like the belly to be a little shorter so its not interfering with my jock. Hope your search has ended with something suitable for you.

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On 6/16/2021 at 11:43 AM, Johnny Grey Jr said:

I've never connected the rear of the unit to my pant. Where would that connection be on the pant?

If you tuck, then this front attachment won't work, but you could come up with your own system for your setup.  The first pic is upside down, but after all my lower gear is on, I put on my Maltese.  I attach the front carabiner to a loop I attached on my Warrior pants (need a new stich job on the c/a soon).  Then I put the c/a on like a sweatshirt, then reach behind my back and connect the pants carabiner to the loop on c/a.  Right arm in and adjust the shoulder with my left hand, then do the left side:

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I noticed in these photos that there's a gap between my Maltese and c/a.  That would not be there if I wore my regular under armor shirt which I tuck the front of the Maltese into, keeping it held down against my body instead of popping up like it does here.  I also noticed I appear 3 feet tall.  I swear I'm 5'6", at least in the mornings:

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Also, make sure your glove's wrist areas are opened as wide as possible.  The wrists will soften up eventually, but this will help keep your gloves from being pushed off:

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Also, once you have the elbow cap elastic straps adjusted to your liking, I recommend some soft adhesive Velcro cut to size and stuck back to back to eliminate premature wear from from hard Velcro in those areas:

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I agree with the others, you find what works for you.  Just trying to share my decade long trial and error with this c/a.  I hope it works out for you.

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On 6/12/2021 at 6:31 AM, Johnny Grey Jr said:

You should post pics of the mods, I've never done any mods to my gear but I also haven't been playing enough to understand certain mods and why they are done.

 

.......................................................................

It finally came in last monday but I only last night got some time to upload pics of the C/A unit, although, I took some pics without the extra pads it fits better than the other unites I've tried thus far. Here are some pics to show how it fits on my frame.

Two things I am sort of trying to figure out are the spine piece in the rear, if I adjust the straps to fit better, this piece starts to stick up pushing my jersey up as it reaches into the back of my neck and I am pretty sure that that is not designed to go that high...

And the other thing is the glove side of the C/A unit just seems to push down on my catcher and makes it hard to hold the glove up the right way.... Any suggestions?
 

Your forearm gets wider as you move up toward the elbow, so I would recommend wearing the wrist really loose instead of cranking down on the velcro

Also, I feel like there's a solid 'your mom' joke with the cow painting.  I wanted to pick on a forum member here but I'll leave it alone

fuck it, how do you know @coopaloop1234's mom?

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On 6/17/2021 at 6:56 PM, dreadlocked1 said:

I also noticed I appear 3 feet tall.  I swear I'm 5'6", at least in the mornings:

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Also, once you have the elbow cap elastic straps adjusted to your liking, I recommend some soft adhesive Velcro cut to size and stuck back to back to eliminate premature wear from from hard Velcro in those areas:

20210617_191642.thumb.jpg.df1675e357bdffa083d399c44bd12812.jpg

My wife just laughed and said,  "look it's your goalie twin!" I replied, "says the 5" nothin' mini mom...."

Wait wait, re-explain that elbow part again, not sure I understood that completely.

On 6/17/2021 at 8:35 PM, Chenner29 said:

Also, I feel like there's a solid 'your mom' joke with the cow painting.  I wanted to pick on a forum member here but I'll leave it alone

fuck it, how do you know @coopaloop1234's mom?

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C'mon.... clearly that's a picture of my mother.... what? You can't see the resemblance? And from the looks of it, she clearly doesn't approve of my hobby as goaltender.... she practically jumped over the moon when I told her my son wants to follow suit...

21 hours ago, creasecollector said:

Congrats on the new unit - Looks like an awesome C/A!

Thank you, this and my passau gear are the first pieces of gear that actually fits my body. Even my pants right now I think may be a smidge too long. 

When I started playing hockey in 2012 I was using 10yo pads and gear that were handed down to me from a 230lbs goalie friend. I was barely 150lbs at the time... and still tiny as shit.... (get ready to cringe) my pants were so big that I never played with knee guards... and that was on top of me playing in a set of bauer vapor 32"+2 where my knee landed about a half inch from the bottom of the knee stack... so yeah when they say goalies are a different breed.... I apparently took that to a whole 'nother level and didn't even know how dangerous I was being in that moment.

........................................................................

I was advised to either wear my C/A everyday to break it in, or even take a hot shower with it to break it in faster....

What did y'all(yeah I said y'all) do to break yours in? And the glove, holy crap I can't get this thing to crease on my palm. I have an int/pro rbk lefevre blocker and trapper I bought used that fit my tiny hands perfectly and are perfectly broken in from its previous owner. It snaps open and closed with ease and I keep opening and closing my passau trapper over and over for over 2 months and it's still as stiff as the day I got it. I can press it all the way open but then when I close it, I can't get out back open without pressing it against my blocker or pant leg. I could always get a stronger grip, but what do I do? Hand in a bucket of rice? Hand/grip squeeze thingamabob?

I do stick my kids plastic bowling ball in the webbing and tie it shut with a skate lace when not in use.

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Edited by Johnny Grey Jr
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