CCM Ultra Tacks Pants Review
The CCM Ultra Tacks pants are the premier level pants from CCM in the Tack line of protective equipment. They are designed and built for elite-level players and are priced that way too. But are they worth your investment? Thanks to the kind folks at CCM Hockey, we were sent a review unit to test out the Ultra Tacks pants. Read on to learn more in our full CCM Ultra Tacks pants review.
Design and Construction
CCM Ultra Tacks pants offer a fairly traditional design and fit. This means they will be a bit more snug in the hips and loose in the legs. They offer key flex zones throughout in order to improve mobility and include nice features like a mesh comfort foam liner, stitched logos, and suspender buttons. A lace fastening system is included on the front of the pants, but your primary method for loosening or tightening will be the interior nylon belt strap.
The CCM Ultra Tacks pants are designed and constructed to utilize premier level materials such as D30 smart foams. These foams are tremendous as they offer a hybrid style protection where it can fend off both high and low energy impacts. CCM also used PE foams as well as other high and low-density foams for the perfect amount of protection.
The pants themselves feature a premium nylon construction with added abrasion panels and low-density foams for high wear areas. CCM has included elastic throughout the legs to improve mobility, as well as the ability to add an extra inch of length onto the pants simply by unzipping a zipper. This offering is great for taller players who might need the extra length. There are also zippers on the inside of each leg for a more custom fit.
Protection and Performance
The CCM Ultra Tacks pants were designed to be beasts from a construction standpoint. They included D3O smart foams in the hip caps which were also PE reinforced. A floating spine protector covered you in the back and utilized high-density foam and Tacks armor foam lining. It also included contouring tailbone protection with PE inserts.
Moving down in the pants, groin protection was added and integrated with the shell, while molded PE protection was built for your kidneys. There was also an additional PE insert for waistband protection.
All in all, CCM did a very nice job turning the Ultra Tacks pants into tanks out on the ice. My experience with the CCM Ultra Tacks pants lasted several months, and I came away very impressed. The pants started out rigid and stiff but broke in nicely as time went on. I have used other pants in the past which broke in excessively and became soft. The Ultra Tacks pants, on the other hand, remained quite rigid.
Fortunately, the rigidity of the pants did not come at a sacrifice of comfort. The Ultra Tacks pants fit nicely around the waist and true to size, they also provided ample room for my legs to move around.
Out on the ice, the CCM Ultra Tacks pants performed exactly as they needed to. They provided pro level protection to me during all situations. Whether it was a puck striking me in the hip or thigh on an errant shot, crashing into the boards, being knocked down, or fending off wild sticks, the Ultra Tacks pants had me covered in every situation and prevented any bruises or other injuries.
Overall Impressions
I came away from using the CCM Ultra Tacks pants very impressed. They offered all the protection you might need when playing at a high level and were comfortable and durable as well.
My biggest complaint came from the floating spine protector and the front protective piece near the lace and belt enclosure. As far as protection goes, these pieces were fine. However, whether I wanted it to or not, my jersey would always get tucked into these two pieces during games.
Now since I don’t usually tuck my jersey in at all, this would get aggravating sometimes. I could definitely handle an occasional tuck in the back, but when it happened multiple times in both the front and the back during every game, it was annoying. With that said, it wasn’t something I ever tried to fix, and instead, I would just untuck and continue playing until the next time it happened. It must not have bothered me that much if I didn’t try alternatives to fix it, right?
Other than the tuck issue, the CCM Ultra Tacks pants are exactly what I would want or need in a pant. I would strongly recommend them if you’re looking for a strong pair of pants that will offer professional level protection with a nice look and a great fit.
Where to Buy?
The CCM Ultra Tacks pants are currently available at all major hockey retailers. If you’re shopping online, I recommend grabbing them for $189.99 at IceWarehouse.com. These guys are my favorite online retailer because of the quick shipping and excellent customer service. If you grab them today, you’ll get free ground shipping with your purchase, or two-day shipping for only $5.
Click here to check out the CCM Ultra Tacks pants at IceWarehouse.com!