Best Protective Gear for Boosted Boards – better be safe than sorry!

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If you go on YouTube to look at electric skateboarding videos you will, without fail, well, you see fails. Big fails! And most of those fails could have been diminished, if not flat out eliminated, just by having the proper equipment. 

With electric skateboarding, like any other sport that pumps the adrenaline, you just know that there will be a time when you fall. It’s inevitable. The crash will come. So, for those cases, I want to give you the most reliable variety of protective gear that can help you keep your body intact and get you back up and riding.

The first step is to pick your board. Obviously, you’ve already researched the pros and cons of hub drive vs. belt drive and decided that you want that Boosted Board. The belt drive of a Boosted Board gives you more speed, better braking, and more torque, MORE POWER!!! Sure, the battery range is limited, even with the extended battery, and it’s a bit pricey, but the build, the remote, the terrain that you can go over makes it the board for you. 

The Boosted Boards range from 7 miles to 14 and the recharge is less than two hours. Whether you’ve gone for the Mini S’s portability or the Stealth’s acceleration, you have decided that the ability to service your board and have a great ride is what you want. 

You’ve picked the board but now you need to pick the essentials, the protective gear. A helmet, pads, gloves, lights for night riding. These things keep us safe and protect not just our bodies, but keep us from being one of the “fail army”. 

I don’t recommend products that aren’t good, but I also understand that it’s important how we look. We want people to look at us on our boards and think “I want to look like that”.

These are my top picks for you + Purchase Links:

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Why do we need protective gear when riding on a Boosted?

Not if, but When

Accidents happen. Anyone who has ever ridden a skateboard, electric skateboard, hoverboard, motorcycle, bicycle, etc. knows that it’s not a matter of if but when. You can be the safest most controlled person on your board and all it takes is one inconsiderate person, an unseen rock, or a squirrel to have you flying towards the ground. And whether it’s scrapes, bruises or breaks, there will be an injury. 

The wise Boosted rider knows you can fall if:

  • you ride beyond your skill level 
  • you ride on hazardous surfaces; wet pavement, cracks in the asphalt or gravel and rocks. Even wind can contribute to a fall
  • you go too fast by, for example, not being aware of your increased speed downhill or putting on too much throttle
  • you don’t have situational awareness so you may not see parked cars, bikes, people, animals, other skateboarders. You could run into them or they could run into you
  • your remote disconnects or your regenerative braking stops because the battery isn’t charged

All of these things can lead to an accident. And that’s why you need to prepare.
(You can read more on this topic at https://www.hindawi.com/journals/emi/2014/924381/)

Most common injuries when falling off a Boosted Board

Since boosted boards are still very new, there aren’t any specific studies about which are the most common injuries. But if you look at related sports like longboarding, skateboarding, and inline skating, you can come up with some pretty good indications of what you are in for.

  • Probably the most common would be abrasions and bruises. When you fall from your board at 15 MPH, gravity and inertia take its toll. 
  • When you fall off that board going 15 MPH and you stick out your arm to try to keep balance, the hands, wrists, and shoulders can be injured. Sprains, bruised joints, or breaks can occur. 
  • If you don’t take the time to warm up and you try and avoid that fall by jumping, your ankles, knees, and feet can suffer damage.
  • But the greatest danger in most sports is always head injury. From concussions to traumatic brain injury the danger to your head is nothing to take lightly. At the very least you may have to spend time in a hospital, but more serious damage can cause permanent impairment, and — in extreme cases — even death.

If you want to learn more about the dangers of electric skateboarding, check out my article.

Best helmet for Boosted Boards

A little antiseptic and a few bandaids will help you get over cuts and abrasions. You might need a couple of aspirin. Even if you suffer a break of a wrist or leg, the cast will eventually come off. But your brain has to be protected at all costs. 

E-boarding without a helmet is, well, brainless. I will say it again, at the very least you may have to spend time in the hospital. If you suffer traumatic brain injury the changes don’t just occur in what you may or may not know, but in you. Years of therapy, physical and psychological. And at worse, you are no longer with us and that is not what we want to happen so:

WEAR A HELMET!!!! 

Safest half lid helmet:

Triple 8 Dual Certified

The Triple 8 Dual Complies with U.S. CPSC Safety Standard for Bicycle Helmets for Persons Age 5 and Older and ASTM F-1492-08 Safety Standards for skateboarding. They put everything they know into updating the shape and look, without sacrificing the safety. Dual certified means that it’s good for skating and biking and there is also the patented MIPS Technology low-friction layer to reduce rotational forces caused by angled impacts. The company worked closely with longboarding, BMX, commuting, and derby to refine the helmet to combine great shape, fit, and function.

Complies with CE EN 1078 – Helmets for pedal cyclists, skateboarders, & roller skaters and with AS/NZS 2063 – Bicycle Helmets

Triple Eight Gotham

The urban style of the Triple Eight is also a Dual Certified Gotham helmet. The MIPS is a low-friction layer in the helmet that absorbs much of the rotational violence during a fall. It features the patented Conehead EPS liner, Triple Eight logo vents and a subtle brim. It’s comfortable, stylish and has all of the safety standards that you have come to expect with Triple 8. For added comfort, Sweatsaver Fit Pads are supplied as well as an Adjustable Fit Dial System, with reflective dial, to create a custom fit. It has got a grooved EPS for excellent airflow and complies with U.S. CPSC Bike and ASTM Skate safety standards

What is MIPS: A revolutionary new standard in helmet safety. Developed by brain surgeons and scientists to reduce rotational forces during angled impacts to the head. Check the model with MIPS here on Amazon.

Thousand helmet

Thousand helmets are dual certified CE, ASTM F1492, and CPSC They test for impact, chemicals, weather and perform activity-specific testing as well. They are lightweight, come in a variety of colors, have an integrated “dial-fit” system for a custom fit and if you use it for your bike, there’s a really cool secret pop-lock to secure it to your bike. 

TSG Pass

While not size adjustable, for a full-face helmet I think you would be hard-pressed to find a better one than the TSG Pass. Both EN 1078, ASTM F1952 certified microfiber padding, an aerodynamic shell that inspires speed. Scratch proof and anti-fog visor with nose vents make it so even your screaming and breathing won’t obstruct your view. It was designed by a triple world downhill champion and product designer, Martin Siegris to be the best longboard helmet around. And, it does look badass! Check out my review of the TSG Pass.

What to look for when choosing a helmet for riding a boosted

  • Safety standards (protection certifications)
  • Field of view
  • Weight
  • Cooling and air vents
  • Sweat liners
  • Look and Design
  • Price

Make sure that the helmet you are picking to save your brain is legitimate protection. Not all helmets are safe, not all are certified, and many don’t even go through testing. If they don’t take the time to find out if your head is protected then you need to.

That being said, you also don’t want to look like a kid with a bucket on their head. Safety first, Coolness Second.

Since there are so many helmets on the market, I have narrowed it down to a few manageable trustworthy choices. You can go to my article here to see my comprehensive guide to helmets. 

The following are my top picks for helmets that provide proper protection and look proper.

Remember:

A proper helmet should fit flat on your head and sit low on your forehead. It should have V straps around the ears and a buckle that fastens tightly, but with enough room to put two fingers between your chin and the strap. Pads and or adjustments that make it fit snuggly and it should not move when you shake your head. 

If you want to know more about other helmets for e-boarding and how to choose the right one, check out my article.
Again, a mind is a terrible thing to waste. Keep yours under a lid and wear a helmet!!

Best Gloves for shredding a Boosted Board

Unless you are a trained stuntman, martial artist, or perhaps a wrestler, your instinct when falling is to try and break your fall. You reach out your arm so that your face isn’t planted, but your hands, wrists, and arms take the brunt. At the very least they can get bruised, cut, scraped. You need to be able to use your phone, hold that selfie stick, and Most importantly hold the remote control for your board!

Using gloves in e-skating can get a bit sticky. Sure you want to protect your hands by wearing gloves and wrist guards, but that remote control can be very sensitive. You need to make precise movements on the remote control, so the gloves need to offer protection but still allow your hands to be flexible enough for fine motor skills and maneuvers.

Pro E-Skate Gloves from flatland3d and Knox

You’d probably have a hard time finding a better glove than the flatland3d and Knox Pro E-Skate Gloves. They have one of the few brands that are specially designed for e-skateboarders. They have come up with a patented Scaphoid Protection System (SPS) that protects your wrist and palms from breaks. They have Micro-Lock Impact foam, Uni-directional Flexible Wrist plates and provide hand safety and enough sensitivity to use your remote. These are full-fingered gloves but there are fingerless gloves as well. You can get them on flatland3d‘s website.

Pro E-Skate Gloves Fingerless from flatland3d and Knox

Yep, you guessed it. Same thing but only Fingerless. The Fingerless Pro E-skate gloves have free fingertips and are designed for riders who want to feel the remote control in their hands. And, they have a terry cloth thumb panel to wipe your helmet visor! You can get them on flatland3d’s website.

How to choose gloves for your Boosted

  • Level of protection
  • Comfort
  • Sizing and fit
  • Material
  • Look
  • Price

Gloves and wrist guards need to slide on the tarmac when you fall. The control of the fall when you slide keeps your hands and wrists safer by converting the energy. But if you’re a stuntman, you already know this. 

Best armored hoodie for riding a Boosted Board

How can you deny a cool looking 100% Dupont Kevlar hoodie that allows you to have range of motion, 5 padded areas with a low design profile, partitions to add Level CE1 pads for your back, elbows, and shoulders if you want, waterproof packets, zippers for airflow and the best protection for keeping your torso free of cuts, scratches, and bruises? The Lazyrolling hoodie is it. It comes in black and grey and looks like just a nice hoodie. Not the badass protection that it is. Check them out on flatland3d’s website.

Best knee and elbow pads for Boosted Boards

Your elbows and knees tend to get the brunt when you fall. That funny bone isn’t so funny when it hits the road. So, you need to find some good protection for your knees and elbows. Big is good, but too bulky can become obstructive making more problems than the pads are worth. 

187 Killer Pads Pro Knee Pads

The company, “187 Killer Pads” has been producing pads for professional skaters for the past decade. Started by a long-time skater in a family-owned shop, 187 Killer Pads has since become a reputable choice of skaters – and e-boarders – worldwide.

187 Killer Pads Pro Elbow Pads

Designed for riders who want the highest level of elbow protection. The pads surround the elbow offering good cushioning while still providing comfort. The pads have extra thick padding which provides impact protection, and the design maximizes the range of motion. 

What to Look for When Choosing Knee and Elbow Pads

  • Softshell or hardshell
  • Sizing and fit
  • Comfort
  • Quality – brand reputation
  • Cooling and sweat liners
  • Look and design
  • Price

Just like with gloves and wrist guards, the protection level and slide ability are all important. You want that controlled slide to keep the impact low. Make sure to look for pads that have big durable plastic caps and check to make sure that they are comfortable.

If you want to know more about knee and elbow pads for e-skating and what you need to consider to pick the right one, check out my article here.

Best Lights for Boosted Boards

You want to ride at night and you want to make sure that others know you are riding at night. If you wanted to be stealthy, you could go with night vision, but the best bet is probably to get some good headlights and taillights for your board.

Shredlights SL-200

Shred Lights SL-200 are some of the best head and tail lights for Boosted Boards. They are easy to install and remove, water-resistant, radiant, shock and vibration proof. They now come with a bigger battery, supplying 150 hours of 200 lumens of light. White for front and Red for the rear. Check them out on their website.  

Boosted Beams

Specific to Boosted Boards, Boosted Beams are designed to keep you visible. 600 Lumens with an aluminum frame, not plastic, the Beams plug directly into your board. No need to charge independently. If your board has power, your lights have power. You can customize the light with an app to have them come on at a certain time, they have a smart brake light and power on and off with your remote. Boosted Beams on Boosted Boards Website.

You’ve Got Your Board, You’ve Got Your Gear . . .

Okay, so you’re excited and you forgot your helmet or left your gloves in the car. Do you need to go back? What are the odds that something will happen? When do you take your seatbelt off when you’re driving home? On your street? In your neighborhood? Most car accidents occur within 5 miles of your home. Most e-boarding accidents hurt when you aren’t wearing your PPE. 

Kids are watching those YouTube videos. They are seeing those “cool” looking guys doing stunts without any protective gear and thinking that they can do it too. It doesn’t matter how much you tell them it’s not okay, inevitably they will decide to go too fast, or try and jump something they shouldn’t. Be a positive example. I’m looking at you Mr. Casey Neistat, Mr. I Don’t Need A Helmet!

No part of your body on the pavement is a good thing and Your brain on the pavement is definitely not good. With the PPE, the inevitable crash, fall, “fail” will be more hilarious than hideous. Be careful out there.

Conclusion

You’ve checked this out because you want to make sure your Boosted ride is a great ride. In my research, these are the best options for your body in personal protective gear. They will keep you safe so that one day we can meet up and ride our boards together. Let’s Ride!

Now it’s your turn!

Which safety gear do you like most, and why? Let me know in the comments section below!

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