The Vigilante Story

Vigilante Padded Shorts: Moving with You, not Against You

The Vigilante line of padded shorts and body armor is the result of a collaboration between Sicuro and Crash Pads Inc. The Vigilante line is distinguished from other padded shorts and body armor by their design and construction. A lot of padded shorts make you feel super bulky, with pads that bend or crush when you move your leg. Not only is that uncomfortable, it inhibits your full range of motion.

We wanted a low-profile, high-performance padded short that would enhance mobility, not hinder it. Enter Crash Pads, who designed the Vigilante line of padded shorts and body armor with human kinetics in mind. Think of your body as being divided into different zones—thighs, glutes, tailbone, etc. Vigilante padded shorts and body armor use a concept we call zone padding. The pads are shaped, cut, and placed to protect your major muscle groups without gaps, with the most vulnerable areas given extra protection. That's why the Vigilante women's light padded shorts feature 1/4-inch pads all around but 1/2-inch pads on the tailbone and glutes. So if you fall--and chances are you will--you're protected. The unique shape and placement of the pads give you full hip flexion and freedom of movement without pads that bend and contort.

Another unique feature of Vigilante padded shorts is the construction. Most similar protective gear uses open cell foam padding because it’s soft, puffy, and breathable like a sponge. But sponges also retain water, which is the last thing you want when you start to sweat. Vigilante padded shorts and body armor use a high-density, low-profile closed cell foam padding sandwiched inside the breathable, wickable, four-way stretch mesh fabric. Simply put without all those adjectives, this means that you keep the flexibility and low profile of the closed cell padding while still wicking moisture away from your skin. The Vigilante light padded shorts are great for skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding, mountain biking, or any activity where you might take a tumble and want a lightweight base level of protection. When we say "lightweight," we mean it: the Vigilante light padded shorts weigh only 4.8 ounces.