Bauer Supreme 1S Chest and Goal Pants Review

Along with the release of Bauer’s highly anticipated OD1N project comes the rest of the Supreme 1S line. Leg pads, a blocker and a trapper, all designed to make the goalie as quick as possible in the crease and to maximize their coverage. Completing the set are Bauer’s Supreme 1S chest & arm and goal pant. After getting to play around with these items for a bit, here I am giving my review!

Supreme 1S Chest & Arm

Lightweight. Comfortable. Protective. Honestly, no better way to describe how this chest & arm unit feels. In years past, Bauer chests were always quite heavy, compared to their competitors; this year, using their Curv composite and lightweight foams, Bauer has made the 1S unit significantly lighter and far more protective.

Shoulders and Arms

Bauer invests a lot of money into their Research & Development department—the OD1N project is an example of one of the many returns from their investment. Curv composite is a material that Bauer developed a few years ago, now, and it still one of their most popular composites yet, being used in so many of their products. Curv is added into the arms and shoulder floaters of the 1S chest & arm unit, and its stiffness allows Bauer to use less HD foam for protection and then decreases the overall weight.

Following a similar design of the ever-popular Supreme One95, the shoulders are definitely the most prominent feature of the 1S unit. Once I put on the chest & arm and looked in the mirror, the first thing I noticed was how BIG I looked, and my shoulders were huge! The best part is that I was mobile; I could move my arms effortlessly, touch my hands above my head, do a hand stand, the whole nine yards.

The arms are really squared off, which is great for ‘walling’ up in the butterfly because the puck’s rebound will be predictable. As mentioned before, Curv composite is used throughout the entire length of the arms and that is awesome for minimizing the potential stingers you can get from a good clapper. But, in my opinion, one of the nicest parts of the arms is the wrist protection; rather than a soft wrist strap, HD foam is used to the very end of the wrist to keep you protected from those odd shots that’ll get you there.

Turning the arms around you get unbelievable elbow protection: Bauer uses FleXorb to provide goalies with a comfortable landing zone for those incidences where you take a tumble. FleXorb is made by combining G-FORM™ and XRD® to absorb energy and dissipate it throughout the padding.

Sternum and Torso

I say it time and time again to customers, “sternum protection is essential.” In the heat of a game, you could be killing off a penalty and a point shot could get you right in the sternum. Depending on how you’re breathing, you could tumble right to the ice in a loss of breath—nothing serious, of course. Regardless, keep yourself protected. Bauer uses Vent Armour sternum protection. Vent Armour is a perforated foam that is fairly stiff, but has enough give in it to dissipate the impact of the puck and minimize your chances of getting winded.

The combination of two back straps and the Comfort Edge foam makes the torso of the 1S fit very comfortably. The bottom, larger back strap adjusts the overall tightness of the torso to your preference; the top, thinner back strap pulls in the Comfort Edge to comfortably wrap around your obliques and lats, and protect you from any awkward shots hitting those areas.

The belly portion of the 1S is very segmented, which is nice for mobility. Rather than just being a ‘blocking’ style chest & arm, the segmented belly allows you to comfortably move into any position on the ice. The segmentation also makes it easier to tighten the back straps, if you like your chest protector to fit tightly to your torso.

Looking at the inside of the unit, Bauer uses 37.5® Technology in the belly and back lining to keep you cool throughout your ice times. 37.5® keeps your body temperature at a peak level and dries up to 5 times faster than similar products.

Learn how 37.5® Technology works!

Supreme 1S Goal Pants

I could try and find three other adjectives than lightweight, comfortable and protective, but they describe the 1S goal pant just as good as the 1S chest & arm protector.

I took the opportunity to try these pants on with a set of OD1N leg pads and I’m happy to report that the two work really well together. The fit of the pants is similar to past Bauer pants, but there is a bit more space overall. For example, the TotalONE NXG goal pant has a lot of tailbone padding, which makes the pant fit a bit snugger on the rear-end; the 1S pant still has sufficient tailbone padding, but condensed so the pant fits a little less snug. Realistically, the 1S pant is intended to fit a bit baggy and spacious, for a wider look and more coverage.

Upper

Personally, my favourite feature in the 1S goal pant is the inner belt lock. The Inner Belt Lock is a new, hybrid pant belt that starts on the inside to give the support of an internal belt, but finishes on the outside of the pant for more comfort and accessibility. The Inner Belt Lock ensures the pants sit at the same height on your hips as the belt, rather than the belt tightened but the pant sagging down a bit.

The external portion of the belt connects at the pelvic protection of the pant. This flap, generally, goes on the inside of most pants, but Bauer has always put it in on the outside—it doesn’t really matter. What’s great about the 1S pelvic flap is the FleXorb (a combination of G-FORM and XRD) used in it, which increases protection and deadens the puck.

The ‘waist band’ of the pant is both really comfortable and protective. The sides of the waist band are padded up with Bauer’s Vent Armour—a perforated foam that absorbs any impact and dissipates the energy—to make sure you don’t get any nasty bruises from getting a shot while in the reverse-VH. Vent Armour is also used in the floating spine protection, which protects your lumbar vertebrae from any impacts. The front portion of the waist integrates Bauer’s Comfort Edge foam for a nice padding when you’re crouched over in your stance.

Lower

Attached onto the upper portion of the pant are floating hip panels, which are segmented for easy flexibility and protection. To ensure the pant is able to move with the motions of the goalie, any goal pant will not have much padding in the upper thigh region; hence, the reason for the floating hip panels.

Making up the bulk of the 1S goal pants, however, are not floating hip panels…large, squared of thigh panels present a large blocking surface when you’re in the butterfly. The squared off design of the thigh panels not only creates a wall-like presence, but it also keeps the puck in front of you and makes predicting rebounds easier.

A crucial spec to the 1S goal pants, just like in the chest & arm, is the use of Curv composite in the thighs. Using Curv allows Bauer to cut back on heavy use of foams, to reduce weight, increase protection and extend the longevity of the pant.

Another small feature for you longer leg goalies is the extension fit. The extension allows you to extend the length of the pant legs up to 1". For some reinforcement against wear and tear, Bauer uses a lightweight TPU as binding for the front portion of the goal pant.

Inner

Being the inside of the pant, there isn’t a TON to report on. As I mentioned earlier, Bauer has condensed the tailbone padding, compared to the NXG goal pant, which makes the 1S goal pant a bit more spacious on the inside.

What’s real nice about the inside of these pants, however, is the integration of Bauer’s 37.5® Technology in the liner. 37.5® keeps your body temperature at a peak level and dries up to 5 times fast than similar products.

37.5™ material is made up of millions of tiny particles that are embedded into the fabric to increase the surface area. These particles act like "hot rocks" in a sauna allowing sweat to evaporate, rather than just being wicked away from your body. These "hot rock" particles attract sweat and evaporate it when your body heats up. Because evaporated sweat is a gas, it finds its way into the air, allowing the fabric to stay almost unbelievably dry, even during heavy use.

Concluding Thoughts

Overall, I am really, really impressed with the new Supreme 1S chest & arm and goal pants. They work and fit together so well, and are built to withstand the greatest of on-ice battles. Both pieces are super lightweight and very comfortable. The extensive use of 37.5® Technology keeps you cool throughout gameplay and keeps the equipment very dry. Curv composite is a great addition, too, because it allows Bauer to cut back on HD foams and extend the longevity of the equipment. If you’re in the market for either a chest & arm protector or goal pants, and you’re not overly brand loyal, I suggest giving the new Bauer Supreme 1S line strong consideration!

Bauer Supreme 1S Chest and Goal Pants Gallery