“Oh, right…” The thought crossed my mind only after getting back to my car at the end of opening day at my local ski resort. “I forgot I even had this thing on.” It was at that very moment that POC’s VPD Max Vest earned my seal of approval on the comfort front.
As someone who was airlifted from a mountain with a fractured spine after colliding into an unmarked, buried snowmaking machine about a decade ago, I’ve been an advocate of back protectors for just as long. But I’m also picky about how clothing feels on my body. That’s especially true when I’m playing in the snow. Despite my accident, the last back protector I had eventually felt like more trouble than it was worth. The Velcro that kept it in place had worn out, which led to the back protector frequently sliding up my back underneath my other layers. This gets real old real fast.
When it comes to back protectors, I much prefer a zip-up vest as opposed to one you pull over your head. The latter tend to ride up my back throughout the day. The POC VPD Max Vest is not only comfortable and stays in place when you're wearing it, it's also that much easier to put on and take off compared to some other back protectors.
I recently replaced my old back protector—one that I had to pull over my head like a t-shirt—with the VPD Max Vest. The VPD Max Vest is a sleeveless, lightweight mesh vest that zips up at the front. I got it in size medium. It fits intentionally snug and I consider it true to size. A flexible piece of protective padding is stitched between thin mesh layers and covers the wearer’s back. The padding looks like a bendy piece of plastic honeycomb. It’s the secret sauce to what makes the POC VPD Max Vest a remarkable piece of personal safety equipment.
A closeup look at the Visco-Elastic Polymer Dough, or VPD, material that helps to keep your spine safe when you're wearing POC's VPD Max Vest. Here you'll also see how it's sewn between two extremely thin mesh layers that offer a high level of breathability.
VPD is an abbreviation for Visco-Elastic Polymer Dough. VPD is a type of elastomer, an elastic rubber known for its ability to stretch under extreme stress and snap back to its original shape thanks to long, cross-linked molecular chains. Sort of like a rubber band on steroids. In POC’s VPD Max Vest, the VPD is designed to maintain flexibility but will harden on impact. In the case of a crash hard enough to break a person’s spine, energy is dissipated across the padding to significantly reduce the chance of such a severe injury. The POC VPD Max Vest has an EN1621-2, Level 2 certification, which is the European and international benchmark for spine protectors.
Fortunately, I haven’t personally put the POC VPD Max Vest to an ultimate test with a backbreaking slam (*knocks on wood*). But I can attest to the flexibility and breathability the POC VPD Max Vest has to offer. This season, I’ve already spent several days hiking features in both the terrain park and streets. Every time I’ve been in the thick of a session, I've completely forgotten that I had the back protector on. That is, until I’m about to try a new trick, and feel a bit of fear creeping in. Then I remind myself that I’ve got extra protection. Knowing this back protector is built to withstand slams as hard as motorcycle crashes on pavement certainly makes me feel a bit more confident as I'm getting ready to drop in. When you take those factors into consideration, the peace of mind is worth the price.
The Men’s VPD Max Vest retails from POC for $280.00.
See POC’s “How to Choose: Ski Protection” here.
ABOUT THE TESTER
Age: 33
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 167
Product size: Medium
