Knee pads
Knee pads are considered by most cavers to be a fundamentally critical piece of gear. Knee problems are one of the main reasons many cavers quit the sport or scale back their involvement, and many of these knee issues can be mitigated by wearing appropriate protection. The choice of what knee pads to use is a very personal one. Differences in what clothing is worn, the shape of the leg, the type of cave passages that will be encountered, individual comfort standards, and even the crawling style of each caver varies significantly. Most cavers have a favorite knee pad, but because of these many variables, there definitely is not a consensus about the best option for all cavers in all situations. Something almost all cavers do agree on is that no knee pad is as comfortable as we would like or stays in place in all circumstances. The most durable and often most comfortable knee pads are made specifically for caving by companies such as OnRope 1, Dirty Daves, Crawldaddies, Gonzo Guano Gear, PMI, Landjoff, Salamander Gear, Warmbac and Cave Legs.
Elbow pads
Elbow pads are not as critical for most cavers as knee pads. I didn’t use elbow pads for my first 7 years caving, and I generally don’t use them if wearing a caving oversuit; however, in some caves they are essential, especially if wearing short-sleeves or a thin base layer. There are several options borrowed from the skating world, and several models made specifically for caving by companies such as Crawldaddies, Dirty Daves, Salamander Gear, PMI and Gonzo Guano Gear.
