Vegan hockey gear

May 5, 2021 12:21 PM

I’m getting back into serious hockey after a long bout with disability. Does all gear still have leather in it? Are there pads and skates that are vinyl or something? Talking full ice hockey gear here. And also roller hockey pants.
posted by jitterbug perfume to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (3 answers total)

Best answer: I found a guide to vegan ice skates, including skates for hockey.
posted by FencingGal at 12:28 PM on May 5, 2021 [1 favorite]

Best answer: It's been a few years since I was in the industry, but I'm almost certain you can go full vegan. Helmets, shoulder pads, elbow pads, and shin guards shouldn't contain any leather; everything there has been plastic or otherwise synthetic for a long time. Gloves and skates are the two areas where leather is still used, but I think synthetics are becoming more common there too. For gloves, there are plenty of nylon/polyester options, with only the palms as potentially leather. I'm almost certain that lower-end models don't use real leather for the palms, though.

For skates, you're probably looking at either really high end (lots of carbon fiber now) or low end (vinyl).

Roller hockey pants are usually synthetic. I don't think I've ever seen a pair that wasn't, although like I said, it's been a while since I've been in the industry.
posted by kevinbelt at 12:32 PM on May 5, 2021 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Hockey player here, all my gear is fully synthetic. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find any significant amount of leather in modern gear, aside from palms of high-end gloves as mentioned above. Leather is heavy and absorbs moisture, harbors mold and bacteria, then dries out and cracks, hence it hasn’t really been an ideal material for the manufacturing of hockey gear in quite some time.
posted by keep it under cover at 2:02 PM on May 5, 2021 [2 favorites]