[Elias]

Should I get a partial back protector that slides into my jacket’s rear protector pocket ($80-$100) or a full back protector that goes from neck to tailbone that I strap to my waist ($150-$180)?

[eon]

Depends on if you would wear the full one or not. Obviously more protection is better than less but it will only protect it if you are wearing it. Your price looks a little high though. When I was researching this the Joe Rocket branded one came out tops and that was around $120 I think. What protectors were you looking at?

[Elias]

Yeah I think I will be getting the in-jacket. I will make my official decision later today when I try the jacket on with the protector and see where it sits in the jacket. I would be pretty good about strapping into the full back, but I could see it being a pain later on after I gain some confidence. The partial back should be good enough for now, I don’t plan on doing any canyon runs or going over 45 for awhile. Once I dictate the level of danger out there, I’ll determine if I should upgrade.

[eternal05]

You can always add this in later, and for heaven’s sake I wouldn’t want you doing track days any time soon, but you’ll want full BP if and when you do hit the track. One thing to consider is that, whether or not you wear all your gear all the time, is that you will sometimes want more protection than other times.

Elwood and Eon are right in that, given natural human tendencies, you are more likely to consistently wear a built-in protector rather than a supplemental one. Don’t let that stop you from having both when your budget permits, however. The more gear you have, the more options you have to get the greatest level of protection and comfort for a particular day’s riding.

[Elias]

Yeah that’s the way I was looking at it. But I’m going to approach it from both sides. I’ll get the in-jacket first for my cautious beginner riding and PLP, and then the full protector once I get confidence for canyon runs (only twisties here) and freeway riding. Plus, after all the $$$ gear I just bought, the $70 slip-in protector fits my budget better

[Author]

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