Personally I do not like the mesh combination sets. I think not only do they look ugly, feel ugly and as you pointed out really don't breath well which makes them too hot. For taking newbies, tourista's and such, they are well suited as they offer loads of protection,take loads of abuse and are economical. Probably a good idea on the tarmac too. And yes, those damn zippers have a lot of strain on them when you first connect them because of the elastic cloth.
I like your Fox chest protector, most of my mates are running Fox. I think its a pain to find good riding gear that you are comfortable with in both its wear and protection. Not just in LOS but in many countries like this 4th world one I work in where you can only get low quality cheap crap because the locals are too cheap to get quality. Not having a good selection available to compare just makes it worse. All of my gear has been mail ordered from Rocky Mountain ATV in the USA except my Zac Speed that was direct from them. My mates get most from Drysdales and another company whose name escapes me in the UK. I currently use a Leatt 5.5 Pro but stripped down. I removed the shoulder cups as they are poorly connected (supposedly this has been improved) and arm pads as in the harder terrain your going too slow to need them anyway. Scrapes and bloodletting are part of the game. If your not falling your not riding hard enough.
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I use to run a Zac Speed SD-3 which was pretty darned nice bit of kit. I somehow have miss placed the one should cup...have to find that. Its nice because it has an integrated pack plus 3 liter water bladder. I used it for 3 years until I felt I needed less weight up high. Its still a favorite for me.
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I have two sets of elbow pads I use. A cheap and effective Answer and a Leatt 3DF. I tend to use the Answer more than the Leatt only because its easier to put on and off and I am lazy. The Leatt is really nice works best under the jersey which I don't like for some reason. I should start using them more as they stay in place and the Answer is always wandering about no matter how tight plus they turn my heart rate monitor off, the buggers.
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I have a set of Allsport Dyamics Wrist braces (bottom above) which I needed for about a year and I love them. Also above is my Leatt Dual Axis knee pads which I do not use anymore. Great pads but I will never use knee pads again as while they give great protection to blows they do nothing for rotational movement which the knee is more vulnerable too in enduro. I got lucky last year and didn't blow my knee out but it sure as shit hurt like hell and took a few days for me to be able to ride again. I swear by my Asterisk braces (below) Worth every damn penny! While I am not so keen on the fit in the upper boot they have saved my knees a lot and don't ride without them. They are just as important as the lid on your head.
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