Big Roller Hockey Pants Sizing Charts For Big Guys

A pair of pants that will stand up to abuse, provide plenty of comfort, and look great doing it

So I just wanted to share my personal thoughts on the Fate pants. I bought a pair back in late August/early september last year and prior to that I was wearing Mission that time, there wasn't a lot of information available, and our local hockey shop owner didn't know much about them yet, but he had some on order. I found them here on this website and the price tag wasn't horrible, so I volunteered to be the guinea pig, threw my money down, and waited for a pair to be shipped to me. Out of the packaging, the first impressions were that Valken is not messing around. The material appeared to be of pretty decent quality, definitely on par with the more recognized brands.

The stitching throughout the pants was very well done, with no visible blemishes, no signs of unraveling, no loose ends or anything like I had almost expected to see. And the padding... it's probably some of the best padding I've seen. The knee padding is nice and thick, and the material looked like it was built to last. The hips, legs, lumbar, and crotch all have ample padding as well, and the large stretch panels in the crotch and knees were a welcome sight. The one other thing that stood out to me was the fabric pattern. The red piping was nothing unusual, but these pants just look, well, different. If you're a fan of Affliction or Ed Hardy clothing, you'll love Valken’s style. The standard-flared front and each leg were present, as were the bottom cuff bungees to adjust the inseam.

So how do they fit? Well to me, their sizes actually run a little big. But for me, that's not a bad thing. My old Mission pants were quite literally tearing at the seams; they fit me great in the waist but my legs were somewhat cramped in them (I'm a big guy). I also felt like they were a bit short through the inseam. When I ordered the Valken pants, I got them one size bigger, XL, and when I tried them on, I expected they'd be a little bigger, but I found that these pants are huge. The waist fit me very loosely at first as expected, but the adjustment straps allowed me to take up the slack for a perfect fit. The legroom was quite ample; I probably could have stuck with an L and had room to move, but I figured I'd just roll with these and enjoy the added comfort. The inseam is plenty long for even the tallest of the tall, and at 6'3" I actually had to take up a couple inches of slack out of the leg cuffs. That is the only negative thing I found regarding the pants. Take that for what it's worth, I'm not complaining, but it's something that others might want to consider.

Durability is always one of my biggest concerns, and again, Valken does not disappoint. For the last seven months, I have been at our indoor rink every single weekend, both playing and reffing, and often I'm there Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. So these pants have seen a lot of use. Our rink is a sport court surface, so I knew the knees would not be put to the test. So far I see no signs of wear at all on the knees, and only a few very minor abrasion marks on the hips, but the material is fully intact and showing no signs of unravelling. All of the seams are holding up very well.

Generally, I think the Fate pants are a great product. The price is really good for what you get, which is a pair of pants that will stand up to abuse, provide plenty of comfort, and look great doing it.