I've invested way too many hours browsing the particular crease to count number, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that will your vaughn goalie pants may either be your best friend or your worst enemy during a scramble in the particular blue paint. We've all been there—trying to go laterally in order to stop a backdoor tap-in, only to experience like our hip and legs are encased within concrete. Or even worse, taking a heavy slapshot to the inner thigh and realizing our equipment had a "dead spot. "
Vaughn has been a staple in the goalie globe for as lengthy as I can remember. Walk into any locker area from beer leagues to the benefits, and you're going to see that iconic V-brand logo just about everywhere. Nevertheless it's period to actually drop the cash on a new pair of pants, it may get a small confusing. Do you opt for the Velocity? The SLR? What's the deal using the internal belt? Let's break it most down in the way that in fact makes sense.
The reason why Vaughn is Still the King of the Crease
There are the lot of brands on the market making flashy gear, but Vaughn has this "old soul" approach to their equipment that will just works. They will don't change points just for the particular sake of changing them. Instead, they refine what's currently great. When you put on a set of vaughn goalie pants , the first thing you notice isn't the tech specs—it's the comfort.
Most goalie pants feel stiff for that first five or six skates, yet Vaughn usually seems "game-ready" much faster. Each uses high-quality components that flex where they need to while remaining rigid where you need the protection. It's that balance between as being a packet wall and being an acrobat that actually sets them aside.
Understanding the Velocity vs. SLR Lines
Vaughn basically splits their own gear into two main "families, " and choosing among them depends entirely on how you play the place.
The Velocity (V-Series)
The Velocity line is legendary. When you're a "hybrid" goalie—someone who likes to move around, scramble, and maybe doesn't play a strictly "perfect" butterfly style—these are likely your best bet. The particular vaughn goalie pants in the Velocity line (like the V10 or even the older V9s) are generally a bit more tapered and "mobile. " They're made to move with your own body.
The things i love regarding the Velocity pants is the pure amount of flex. They don't feel like a giant clip or barrel around your waist. They feel like a good extension of your legs. If you're the kind of goalie who else likes to feel the puck and also have maximum agility, this really is your own lane.
The SLR Series
Then you possess the SLR line. This really is Vaughn's answer in order to the present day, "blocking" style of goaltending. These types of pants are even more squared off. They're built to undertake as much space in the net since the league rules allow. If you perform a very technical butterfly style and also you want to maximize your "seal" towards the posts, the particular SLR pants are the way to go.
They will feel a little accent in the entrance, which is excellent for rebounding the particular puck away rather than letting this deaden against a person. They aren't "stiff" inside a bad way, but they definitely offer a wider profile than the Speed series.
Security Where It Really Matters
Let's talk about the "stinger. " We've all had that will one shot that will finds the distance between your leg pads and your own pants. It's the literal pain. One of the reasons people swear by vaughn goalie pants is the internal thigh protection.
Vaughn puts a ton of work into their own "five-hole" blocks. Whenever you drop to the butterfly, the inner thigh guards upon these pants are created to meet in the middle, closing that gap so nothing sneaks through. They will also use high-density foams and, within their pro-level models, carbon fiber inserts. This indicates you may make a 90-mph heater to the particular hip and barely feel a thud.
An additional thing to appear out for is the belly mat. A few goalies like a huge, thick tummy mat that remains outside their upper body protector, while others prefer a thinner one so they will can "tuck" their particular chesty to their pants. Vaughn usually can make their mats flexible or removable, which is a huge win for modification.
The Internal Belt: A Game Player?
In case you haven't used a set of pants with an inner belt yet, you're missing out. A lot of vaughn goalie pants feature this program, and it's honestly certainly one of my favorite pieces of goalie tech.
Basically, there's a belt that cinches around your actual waist/hips inside the pants. This will keep the pants securely on your body so they don't slide down or change around while you're moving. However, the outer shell of the pants stays wide. This gives you the best of both worlds: a secure, athletic fit that doesn't move, but the huge, wide blocking surface to quit the puck.
It furthermore helps with the particular "tuck" style. In case you tuck your chest protector into your pants, the internal belt holds the particular pants up whilst the chesty rests comfortably inside the particular outer shell. This prevents that annoying "gear overlap" where everything feels like it's bunching upward around your tummy.
Durability and Why They Price So Much
Look, I understand. An excellent pair of goalie pants isn't cheap. You're searching at a a number of hundred dollar expense. But here's the thing: cheap pants need replacing fast. The stitches start to take, the nylon holes from the friction of your leg parts, and the foam eventually softens up to the point where it doesn't protect you any more.
Vaughn goalie pants are identified for being containers. They use high-denier nylon that may handle the constant rubbing contrary to the glaciers and your patches. I've seen men pull a set of five-year-old Vaughns out of their particular bag that still look and perform great. If a person play more than once a 7 days, the durability element alone makes all of them worth the extra cash. It's better to buy one pair associated with $300 pants that will last four many years than two pairs of $150 pants that fall aside in eighteen weeks.
Having the Dimensions Right
Sizing goalie pants is usually notoriously annoying. A person can't just go simply by your jeans dimension. If you use a 34-inch waistline in Levi's, a person aren't necessarily the "Large" in goalie gear.
When you're trying on vaughn goalie pants , the nearly all important thing will be the length. A person want the bottom from the pants in order to overlap with the particular top of your lower-leg pads with a few inches. If they're too short, you'll have a distance whenever you move. If they're too very long, they'll catch upon the top of your pads plus keep you from moving freely.
Always try all of them on with your own knee guards plus your chest protector if you can. It looks a little ridiculous in the middle of a hockey shop, but it's the only way to know if almost everything is going in order to play nice collectively once you're upon the ice.
The "Tuck" Debate
I stated this earlier, yet it's worth the deeper dive. The way you incorporate your chest guard together with your vaughn goalie pants modifications your entire range associated with motion.
- The Nestled In Look: This is usually very common now. You put your chesty inside the pants and cinch the belt. This particular gives you a quite "connected" feel. Vaughn's SLR line will be particularly good regarding this because the waist is cut wide enough to accommodate the additional bulk.
- The Untucked Look: This particular is the traditional style. The chest protector hangs within the pants. This offers a bit more air flow and several goalies feel it offers them even more torso rotation.
Vaughn designs their pants in order to work for both, but the Velocity line is often preferred by the "untucked" crowd because the waist is more traditional.
Final Thoughts on Vaughn Gear
In the end of the day, your own gear should be the last thing you're thinking about when a winger is showing down on you on a breakaway. You want to end up being thinking about the shooter's blade, not whether your own pants are moving down or in case you're about to get a bruise on your cool.
Choosing vaughn goalie pants is generally a safe wager because they've invested decades figuring out there exactly where the impacts happen and exactly how a goalie actually moves. Whether want the sleek, cellular feel of the Velocity or the massive, shot-blocking presence of the SLR, you're getting equipment that was built by people which actually be familiar with place.
If you're on the wall, go to a shop and just jump around inside them. Seriously. Do a several butterfly drops, move side to side, and see the way they feel. If they seem like they're component of your body rather than an item of equipment you're fighting against, you've found your winner. Goalie is very difficult enough as this is—your pants need to be making life easier for you, not harder.