Who Are Rippl Impact?Â
Rippl Impact are considered a leading impact shorts specialist. Â
Taken from their site: “The brand was founded back in 2019 by two snowboarders who wanted to create a pair of shorts that enable a worry-free, comfortable, confident snowboarding experience. “Â
So before the season started, I wanted to test Rippl Impact’s newest shorts. Let’s see whether the brand really lives up to the name!
Here’s my Rippl impact shorts review…
Price
At the time of this review, the price of Rippl Impact Shorts stands at $57.Â
* After posting this article, Rippl reached out to offer a discount to our readers. This did not affect the honesty of the review. If you do decide to try a pair, grab an extra 10% off using this link (applied at checkout).Â
Pros and Cons
- Breathable: Rippl Impact Shorts are light and thin.
- Impact padding in 7 areas.
- Fit: The shorts fit well under my pants without any bulk.
- Durability: As far as I was able to test, the shorts are durable. They didn’t show any sign of shrinking after three washes.
- Flexible: Rippl Impact Shorts didn’t restrict my movement for tricks.
- Pricing: $57 is not cheap.
- Limited protection: Impact shorts have their limits when it comes to height. A 10 foot fall is going to hurt regardless. But they are great for rails, boxes and general falling over.
- Color: At the time of this review, Rippl Impact Shorts were available only in black.
- Washing requirements: You need to wash these shorts only in lower-temperature water.
- It’s an extra item to wear!
How We Reviewed Them
Where Did We Test?Â
I visited an indoor Snowpark. Â
Time Spent TestingÂ
The testing took one full day at the snow dome.Â
My ExperienceÂ
I’ve been an active snowboarder for 15 years. That’s a decade and a half of riding under different conditions and trying out all kinds of tricks.Â
What Tricks Did I Test Where I Wiped Out?Â
Any good snowboarder who pushes themselves hard enough will know that falling over is fairly regular. Even if you are Shaun White… as we saw at the Beijing 2022 Olympics. Â
- Frontside 360 Jump. I didn’t manage to pull the board all the way around and ended up landing on my ass. There’s no shame in it, but it helps to have padding. Â
- Method Grab. Unfortunately, a small lack of concentration (lets call it that) messed up my timing. I didn’t get the board back down quickly enough and found myself on my rear end.Â
- Cab Double Cork 1080. Just kidding! If I tried that one, I’d need more than some Impact Short to save my hide. In fact, I probably wouldn’t be writing this article right now!Â
When it comes to height, I probably reached about five feet when I had my worst fall with the highest impact.
I definitely felt it – there’s no way to defend from falls completely. However, the shorts helped cushion the blow and I didn’t have any bruising. Â
While I didn’t do a double take with and without the Rippl Impact Shorts, I can still compare both situations. After all, I’ve fallen enough times doing Frontside 360s and Methods to know the impact without the shorts!
Keep reading for the results or skip directly to our verdict below.Â
Materials and QualityÂ
The most important part of the Rippl Impact Shorts is of course the padding.
It covers all crucial points, including the thighs, hips, and the whole tailbone (7 pads total) However, it doesn’t cover the lower back (back protector could be purchased). There is also no padding at the front, but it’s not a place you tend to get injured (luckily). Â
Rippl uses EVA, which is a tough foam polymer. Nike uses the same material for some of it’s running shoes. Â
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This material feels durable, but it’s hard to tell after only two uses.  Â
Finally, the shorts are spandex which is breathable and dry’s quickly (similar to my cycle shorts). This keeps those areas cool, making the shorts extremely comfortable to wear.Â
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Fit and SizingÂ
The best way to describe the sizing is from my example. My size was XL, and they fit just fine (although bear in mind that I’m normally an M-L).Â
They were also very flexible, adjusting to my movements while I was riding.Â
Rippl’s range of shorts fit men and women sizes, from XS all the way to 3XL.Â
VerdictÂ
The results of the test (Frontside 360 Jump and Method Grab): I have no doubt that Rippl Impact Shorts made a difference.
Of course, you’ll still feel the impact but landing with these shorts on will feel like having a small pillow under your butt.Â
The only real downside of these shorts is that you have an extra layer on, so it’s a case of weighing up what’s going to make your riding experience more enjoyable. Â
One of my first major concerns were that something with padding may restrict my ride, but that’s not really the case. Â
If you’re a beginner or intermediate snowboarder, this is a no-brainer – you’ll get nothing but benefits from the shorts. The same goes for experienced boarders who love to get in the park and push themselves until they fall on their asses (like me).  Â
The choice is yours!Â
If you’re interested, you can get a pair of Rippl Impact Shorts here. Â
DISCOUNT: After publishing this article, the folks at Rippl reached out to offer a discount to our readers. This did not effect the honesty of the review. Use code SNOWBOARDINGDAYS for a 10% discount.Â
10 comments
Hello! I ordered a pair of these and they’re just about here. I can’t seem to find any information about underwear usage, though. Did you wear underwear of any type underneath them?
Thank you!
Hi buddy. Personally, I wear regular underwear underneath (boxer briefs etc). The shorts are low profile enough that you can get away with it. I tried them without and it wasn’t quite as comfy – felt a bit exposed without. Obviously will be down to personal preference though. Drop me a comment with how you get on. Might be handy for other reader’s 🙂 Happy riding!
You mentioned your size but not whether it is the same as your regular underwear or shorts size.
It seems like they run differently than other clothing.
with a 32in waist, I am typically a medium.
The size chart on the Rippl website says I should be XL?
Hi Scott. I agree, the sizes are a bit weird. I think they do that to cater to kids sizing also. Personally I’m a medium in most things and I wear an XL comfortably. They’re super stretchy so they recommend going for the smaller size if you’re between two.
They do offer free returns and refunds (for 60 days I think) so if the sizing is a disaster, you can always switch them out.
Hope that helps!
Hey dude, do you know where they ship from? Their website says they’re in the UK, is that right?
Hi! Afraid I’m not 100% sure – I had thought the team were from the UK originally but ship from the US. The shipping time isn’t always the best from what I hear. I’ll reach out and find out from them. Thanks!
Paid $50 for shorts for my son for Christmas but never received them!!
Oh dang! Get onto them – support@ripplimpactgear.com
Think all snowboard suppliers had a mad Christmas rush.
ultra-light ? how many ounces please? also of the spine protector! thank you
Love mine!
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