New Kneewear Needs Help

Good for some jobs, Crocs not ideal.

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At a recent boat show,

Practical Sailoreditors ran across some interesting kneepads made by Crocs, the manufacturer of those annoyingly popular brightly colored, clog-like shoes. Still sore from some serious knee time during spring maintenance, we decided to see whether the Crocs kneepads were an improvement over our homespun design (Duck tape and sponges).

Croc Knee Supports

The Crocs are lightweight and made of the same thick, foam-like material as the shoes, which the company claims is buoyant, non-marking, anti-microbial, and odor-resistant. The stretchy elastic straps are adjusted with plastic buckles.

We sent the Crocs kneepads to

Practical Sailorcontributor Skip Allan, who was busy prepping his 27-foot custom Tom Wylie-design sloop for the Singlehanded TransPac. This is what he had to say about the kneewear:

“The kneepads often wind up as ankle pads, but they work very well in the pool. (Before, when I used to try to float on my back, my legs would sink.) I also tried the kneepads in the garden while pulling oxalis, but then I remembered the magazine is

Practical Sailor, so I screwed them onto the foredeck, just aft of the headstay. Here, they serve double-duty: as kneel pads-for when Im changing headsails-and as lightweight spinnaker pole chocks. Ultimately, I think the most appropriate use will be strapping them around the wine bottles in the bilge, so the bottles don’t go clink.”

In our opinion, the kneepads are decent for jobs that don’t require moving quickly-lest they slide to your ankles-like stripping varnish. But they lack the freedom of movement needed by, say, foredeck crew. If you know of something better, let us know. You can find the Crocs kneepads for $12 at www.crocs.com.

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Darrell Nicholson
Practical Sailor has been independently testing and reporting on sailboats and sailing gear for more than 50 years. Supported entirely by subscribers, Practical Sailor accepts no advertising. Its independent tests are carried out by experienced sailors and marine industry professionals dedicated to providing objective evaluation and reporting about boats, gear, and the skills required to cross oceans. Practical Sailor is edited by Darrell Nicholson, a long-time liveaboard sailor and trans-Pacific cruiser who has been director of Belvoir Media Group's marine division since 2005. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master license, has logged tens of thousands of miles in three oceans, and has skippered everything from pilot boats to day charter cats. His weekly blog Inside Practical Sailor offers an inside look at current research and gear tests at Practical Sailor, while his award-winning column,"Rhumb Lines," tracks boating trends and reflects upon the sailing life. He sails a Sparkman & Stephens-designed Yankee 30 out of St. Petersburg, Florida. You can reach him by email at practicalsailor@belvoir.com.