Goalie Chest & Arm Protector Buying & Sizing Guide

Buying and sizing a goalie chest and arm protector can be confusing if you’re new to the crease. This rugged piece of equipment offers essential coverage for the arms, shoulders, and torso. While most other goalie gear offers performance-boosting features, the chest and arm protector is all about protection. Regular player shoulder pads serve a similar purpose, but won’t cut it between the pipes. A goalie’s chest and arm protector comes in a much bulkier build designed to shield all puck-facing surfaces via high-tech padding in an armor-like package.

A Crash Course on Goalie Chest & Arm Protectors

When you’re ready to size and buy a goalie chest and arm protector, our comprehensive guide has you covered. Here’s what it includes:

• Anatomy of a Goalie Chest & Arm Protector
• How to Choose a Hockey Goalie Chest Protector
• Comfort Is Key in a Goalie Chest Protector
• Goalie Chest Protector Sizing
• How a Goalie Chest Protector Fits
• How To Put On a Goalie Chest Protector
• Goalie Chest & Arm Protector Care

Anatomy of a Goalie Chest & Arm Protector

It’s important to understand how each part of a chest protector functions. Once you’re able to identify the different parts of the upper-body padding, you’ll be able to buy and size like a pro. Here’s a brief rundown of the anatomy of a chest and arm protector:

• Shoulder Caps: This portion of the chest protector offers coverage to the shoulders. HD foams wrap over the top of the shoulders and extend to cover the tops of the arms. The flexible foams allow the player to move their arms at the joint to make speedy saves.
• Clavicle & Neck Protector: The clavicle and neck protectors function similarly to an optional neck guard, but they’re worn just below the player’s throat. This reinforced padding offers critical protection to the goalie’s collarbone.
• Chest Plate: The chest plate covers the front of the player’s torso, one of the primary puck-facing surfaces. This section features flexible foams engineered to absorb and redistribute the force of impacts.
• Belly Pad: The belly pad is the other primary puck-facing surface. This padding shields the lower torso and is worn either tucked in or left out of the goalie’s pants.
• Arm Pads: The arm pads cover the player’s arms from the shoulder caps to the wrists. This portion features lightweight, flexible foams for ample movement.
• Elbow Pads: The elbow pads feature flexible foams and reinforced caps to shield the joint from pucks and slashes. Compression materials hold the elbow pads in place without restricting mobility.
• Wrists: An arm protector’s wrists feature straps to secure the padding in place. A slightly tapered construction allows for the goalie’s glove and blocker to fit around the arm protector.

How To Choose a Hockey Goalie Chest Protector

A goalie chest protector is one of the easiest pieces of equipment to buy. The two main considerations for choosing upper body protection are comfort and size. Parents and first-time goalies might find it simpler to determine player fit preferences when shopping in-store. Experienced goaltenders can easily select a chest and arm protector online using their current measurements.

Comfort Is Key in a Goalie Chest Protector

Makers develop chest and arm protectors in low, medium, and high profiles to suit a range of goaltending styles and comfort preferences. A low-profile protector offers ample mobility at the shoulders, perfect for agile hybrid/reactive goalies. A high-profile protector offers top-notch coverage against impacts, ideal for the goalie who primarily uses the butterfly/blocking style. The player who uses various techniques in the crease will appreciate the versatility of a medium-profile model.

Chest and arm protectors feature varying weights and levels of flexibility depending on the materials used to make them. Lighter, more flexible models may come with less protective padding, but allow ultimate mobility across the torso and arms. Heavier protectors might weigh down the player more, but feature extra impact-resistant padding optimal for blocking goalies.

Ultimately, the choice comes down to the player’s personal preference. We recommend new goalies try on various brands and models to discover their ideal protector. Then all that’s left is choosing the correct size.

Goalie Chest Protector Sizing

Since chest and arm protectors are engineered solely for player protection, proper sizing is critical. Each part of the upper body padding is designed to shield a different portion of the goalie. If the protector feels loose, it could shift during play, exposing the torso or arms to damaging impacts. If the pads fit too tight, they can restrict movement in the shoulders and elbows or cause gaps in coverage.

Chest and arm protectors come in youth, junior, intermediate, and senior sizes to fit players of all ages. Each brand uses different measurements to determine fit; some require only the player’s height, while others incorporate arm span into their sizing. Select brands use chest length for a more precise fit. Since there’s so much variation, always consult the Pure Goalie manufacturer sizing chart before purchasing.

As a baseline example, we’ve listed the measurements for chest protectors by Vaughn:

• Vaughn Youth Chest & Arm Protectors
• Size Range: small/medium & medium/large
• Height: < 4’0” to 4’9”
• Arm Span: < 48” to 57”
• Vaughn Junior Chest & Arm Protectors
• Size Range: small, medium & large
• Height: 4’0” to 4’11”
• Arm Span: 48” to 59”
• Vaughn Intermediate Chest & Arm Protectors
• Size Range: small, medium, large & x-large
• Height: 4’0” to 5’1”
• Arm Span: 48” to 61”
• Vaughn Senior Chest & Arm Protectors
• Size Range: small, medium, large & x-large
• Height: 5’0” to 6’5”
• Arm Span: 60” to 77”

What Size Goalie Chest Protector Do I Need?

There are a few ways to measure for a protector. Traditional sizing equals the sum of the player’s height and arm span. To start, have the goalie stand up straight and hold their arms out at the sides, horizontal to the ground. If necessary, measure from the floor to the top of the head for an accurate height. Then, find the length in centimeters from fingertip to fingertip for the arm span. Add these two measurements together to determine the chest protector size. Here’s a brief breakdown of the sizing for this method:

Note that not all manufacturers use this system—many use separate measurements and eliminate the extra step of adding the numbers together. Some brands, including Bauer and Warrior, use only the player’s height for sizing protectors. Other manufacturers incorporate chest length. Since there’s so much variation, we recommend measuring and taking note of the goalie's height, arm span, and chest length before you start browsing.

How a Goalie Chest Protector Fits

A properly fitted goalie chest protector should fit neither tight nor loose, but should instead offer a secure, snug feel. There should be enough space to allow comfortable movement, but not enough so the protector slips even slightly out of place, either to the side, or to the front or back. Note: all chest and arm protectors have a neck guard-style pad that sits at the base of the neck. The padding will completely cover the clavicle, and the neck protector should lie just below the throat at the beginning of the clavicle. Correctly sized cuffs end one inch above the wrist bone, about where you’d wear a watch. Make sure your shoulders and elbows fit securely in their caps and that the belly guard reaches the beltline. This ensures total coverage and an optimal fit.

Try on your goalie chest protector while wearing the other equipment that touches the torso and arm padding. Mask positioning is critical. You should be able to move your head and neck without any major obstruction from the shoulder and clavicle protection. If you wear a dangler and neck guard, you’ll also want to make sure they fit with your new chest protector. The wrist cuffs shouldn't reach the hands, but instead should leave just enough room for the glove and blocker. Some protectors feature internal laces that can shorten or extend the length of the arms to meet the player’s needs. Other models feature Velcro at the shoulders for arm height adjustment.

Player preference plays a huge role in fit. A goalie can wear their chest protector tucked into or left out of their pants. Most mobile goalies wear their chest protector tucked so everything moves as a single unit and the coverage moves with them. A goalie looking for more coverage would wear it untucked for the largest surface area and blocking space. Most modern models feature foldable and detachable belly pads to give players even more customization control. This removable protection is ideal for any goalies who prefer to tuck in their chest protector.

How To Put On a Goalie Chest Protector

Goalie chest protectors look more complicated to put on than they actually are. Simply place your head through the neck hole and let the pads rest comfortably on your shoulders. Adjust the torso side straps until you feel secure in the protector and can turn your body without the clavicle and chest protection shifting. Decide whether you want to wear the belly pad tucked in our left out of the waistline. Once the belly pad is in the right spot, put your arms through the elbow pads and secure the wrist cuffs. That’s it!

Goalie Chest & Arm Protector Care

The easiest way to care for any goalie equipment is by wearing quality baselayer apparel. A chest and arm protector’s base layer should feature moisture-wicking compression materials. This helps the goalie stay cool while keeping sweat from soaking into the foams and weighing down the padding. The smooth activewear fabrics also limit friction, preventing player discomfort and premature wear and tear of the gear.

Routinely cleaning your goalie chest protector is essential to the longevity of the padding. A buildup of sweat can result in harmful bacteria that eat away at the high-tech materials. A chest and arm protector should not be machine washed, but instead washed by hand in cold water using a mild detergent. Gear-safe sprays, deodorizers, and other equipment care accessories can be used to cut through strong odors that washing alone won’t remove. Allow the pads to air dry completely before wearing or storing them.

That’s everything a goalie needs to know about their chest and arm protection. Check out our other equipment guides for more information on each piece in a goalie’s kit. When you’re ready to buy goalie equipment, we’ve got you covered with the most competitive pricing available, thanks to our Low-Price Guarantee.