Body Armour- Lightweight, Breathable, Comfortable

https://int.leatt.com/collections/mtb/products/body-protector-reaflex?_pos=15&_fid=df98a4d80&_ss=c

I have an older version of this. I rarely use the (separate) chest/back protector, instead have a backprotector in my back pack. The jacket has the shoulder and elbow protection. It is pretty light, folds fairly small, easy to wash ( remove pads) and holding up well. The zip in the centre is way more useful than an off -set zip as with the latter the shoulder pad on the zip side moves very easily if partially unzipped. So far has protected well in slow speed tumbles.

I prefer this to the similar 100% jacket despite the level 2 protection grade. The material is constantly losing bits of elastic and the off -set zip and the little zips in the arms are annoying.

Thanks mate

I had a crash that could have been much worse and bought a leat stealth vest and some fox d30 elbow pads.

https://www.dirtbikexpress.co.uk/products/leatt-reaflex-stealth-body-tee?variation=496480

It's light ish

It's massively more comfortable than my old 661 upper body suit

It's comfy enough that I didn't notice it after 10min -other that the heat- on 3 h winch and plummet ride.

I've not crashed in it, so it seems like it will be good.

My 661 upper body suit is a swine to get off when sweaty. Hence going for an upper body suit and separate elbow pads.

My mate bought the same thing 2nd hand after it had been used once of twice. I was impatient and bought new.

I have the leatt stealth one for BMX and love it. Full back shoulders and elbows.

I've got up from a couple of crashes because of it. Recommended

Boy has the fox d30 t shirt one, back chest and shoulders, and it's great too. Uses g form elbows separately . The pads are a little heavier  than the leatt but they "mold" so well that is a comfy bit of kit for him. Recommended. 

Daughter has the ixs trigger jacket, back shoulders and elbows. Bit of minor rib protection too.  She loves it. I have the next size up waiting for when she grows, and hand down hers to the boy.

Basically I buy some when they're on offer for the kids to grow into, BMX racing. None of us like the hard armour because of restrictiveness, except for knee/shins because they slide well . The 3 brands above all seem to make nice stuff that works, the Troy lee ghost stuff looks good in the flesh too but it's quite new so nowhere discounted it yet. 

G form compression shorts are another great investment with the hip protection. Both kids have the g form/ Burton snow board ones as they offer a bit more protection without the chamios bit.

Do get it from somewhere you can try on or send back. Sizing varies across brands.

I'm about 5 10 and 13 stone. Fox large is perfect, medium is too small , XL too loose. Fit makes a big difference to comfort and usability. Leatt is a L/XL label for me. 100% XL was a bit too tight.

I’m currently looking at something like the Dianese Trail Skins Air vest. I just want something light and comfy or I won’t bother wearing it. I tried to wear my old Dianese back protector in Morzine, but ended up ditching it by lunchtime. 

I tried the Acerbis X-Air vest (soft Level 2 protection) on in an MX shop and it felt comfy so might get one of those if I can find a bargain. 

What parts of your body are you looking to 'protect' specifically?  There's lots of options out there for upper body armour, and there is a trade off of level of protection / bulk / comfort.  Do you want shoulder pads (which will mean a T-Shirt or Jacket), just a back protector (vest is the best option here) - a full jacket for trail centre blues and reds would be a huge overkill (unless you mean 'proper' bike park / Alpine blues and reds)?

For your purpose I'd suggest a vest / t-shirt type armour which you can dress up with elbow pads if needed.

I've been through a bit of a body armour journey over the years (we'll skip the 00's downhill era where we were all dressed up as Robocop):

The Fox Baseframe Pro T-shirt is what I currently have here but it has one BIG issue (apart form the material chafes the nips so you need to tape them up) which is that it pulls on rather than having a zip, it's a bit of a wrestle getting on and a total nightmare getting off when sweaty.  I'd probably get the vest version if buying again which does away with the shoulder pads but has a zip (I now have other, more protective armour for when needed)

I've tried the POC VPD Air T Shirt.  It has the bonus of a zip, but I found the padding bulky, especially the back piece which would get uncomfortable in an uplift vehicle / chairlift.

If you're after a full protection top I tried the 100% Tarka but the fit wasn't quite right for me (and the arm padding felt quite rigid).  This year I took a punt on a Leatt 3DF Airfit Hybrid jacket as I found one at a good price.  I've just got. back from a very hot Morzine and was very please with it.  Yes it got sweaty (but all armour would in 30 degrees plus), but the material was well vented (including cut outs for inside elbows and armpits), it was easy to get on and off (zip), not too bulky (especially when it's got better protection than most soft jackets), and I got no chafing, pinch points etc.  It's now back home, easily washed (removable pads easy to remove) and is a big thumbs up from me.  I'd still not want to trail ride in a full jacket though.

So in summary, in you position, I'd look at either vest / t-shirt style and separate elbow pads, and based on comfort take a look at Leatt - they have lots of options of various styles and levels of protection.

Yeah it's important to be realistic about goals. A lot of "chest/body" injuries are really caused by your momentum and weight, which is really difficult to protect against- it pretty much needs bulk (because the only thing you can do is slow the speed of change, which needs soft bulk, no amount of cleverness can make a thin pad do much for this). Protecting against gravel rash is totally worthy and relatively easy to do- I'm still picking off scabs from a crash 2 weeks ago 😛 but protecting ribs, collarbones, shoulders is really pretty difficult.

That's not to discount external factors like landing on a sharp rock or sticking out branch, or even a bit of your own bike- it does happen and armour is much better against this sort of thing- but it's not as common, just because literally every crash has the body weight element but not every crash has a jaggy thing. Unfortunately, these are such different injuries that it's hard for one piece of kit to protect well against both, without also being bulky and very enclosing.

(this is the cushion vs steel issue, if you're getting stabbed you want a solid plate, if you're falling on the ground you want a mattress)

Thanks all - I’ve gone for the Leatt Stealth and will see what it’s like once it arrives.