Hatch XTAK Knee Pads

I was first introduced to the Hatch XTAK knee pads about two years ago when a Hatch representative gave a few pairs to our team to try out. I got to try them on is all, and never got to wear them again because other operators claimed them as their own.

I personally liked their feel, but I was not a big knee pad wearer at the time. I’d never found the comfort and flexibility I needed. The knee pads most of my team are issued are the basic Hatch Centurion style and they always seemed to fall down to your ankles, slide to the side, or end up tangled in your gear.

After a few bumps and bruises to my knees over the years, I decided to give the Hatch XTAK knee pads a try and picked up a pair for about $25.00 with shipping. I immediately loved these knee pads because they had the one thing I’d never found before on any knee pad I’d ever worn or tried on; Rapid Deployment Hook and Loop Clips. The way the knee pads secure to your knees alone is reason enough to wear these.

I’ve used the knee pads for about 3 months now operationally and in training. In that time I’ve knelt on concrete and brick several times and never felt any pain. I also crawled through a crawl space during one search warrant on my knees, and the only side effect was the permanent scratches I put on the pads. It makes them look a little tougher now. That crawl space made me wish I had the elbow version of the XTAKs.

I’ve also worn the pads on the range doing all sorts of running and shooting drills, and never felt any sort of discomfort even after an 8 hour training session. I will say that the lack of flexibility with the permanent bend in the knee makes standing up straight cause a little muscle tension in the back of your knee. This is slight comfort that you give up to have the bend in the padding and armor on the small knee joint design.

Features

Here are the basic components and high points of the XTAKs:

• High Density Foam for Shock Protection
• Cool Max Inner Surface for Moisture Wicking
• Anti-Skid Inner Surface to Secure Pads
• Spandex Adjustable Rapid Deployment Straps
• Hook & Loop Clips
• Unique X-Shape Thermal Plastic Urethane Shell
• One Size Fits All
• Available in Black, Desert, OD Green, Digital Camo

What makes these knee pads unique is the slight bend in them that mimics the natural bend in your knee. This is vastly different from most knee pads that go off the basis of just protecting the mass over your knee and thus do not fix properly when you bend, run, walk, or move.

My personal opinion is that Hatch XTAKs are a must have for all tactical operators out there. If you’ve spent anytime at all training for the military, private contracting, or law enforcement worlds you have banged up your knees once or twice and wished you had a good set of knee pads on.

Out of all the knee pads I’ve ever worn or seen, these give the most protection, most comfort, best ease of wear, and they are easy on the pocket book. Price is not really a draw back or reason to not get these, because everyone should be able to scrape up around $25.00 to protect your knees. Remember, you only have one set of knees and an injury to your knee cap, joints, or ligaments could be the end of your career.

Till next time — Keep Doing God’s Work Warriors,
Trigger Pull

Editor’s Note: Please join us in welcoming Trigger Pull, a veteran law enforcement officer currently assigned to a full-time tactical team,  as a contributing gear reviewer on ITS Tactical.