Breaking both wrists snowboarding has a way of making you take protective gear a bit more seriously.
That’s how I originally ended up using Demon. I bought my first pair of Flexmeters years ago, long before we had any relationship with the brand, and I’m still wearing Flexmeters now. Since then I’ve worked my way through more of their protective gear, including impact shorts and spine protection, plus a few of the less exciting bits.
Demon definitely sits at the more serious end of snowboard protection. Some of their stuff is bulky, some of it is probably overkill for plenty of riders, but there are also a couple of products I genuinely wouldn’t ride without anymore.
This is what I’ve actually used, what I’d buy again and where I think Demon is worth the money.
There’s also a 25% Demon discount code if you need it – SNOWCHASERS.
Who Are Demon United?
If you’ve been looking for snowboard protection, you’ve probably already come across Demon. They’re the brand that seems to make a padded version of basically every body part you can injure.
I actually assumed they were relatively new when I first found the Flexmeters. They’re not. Demon has been around since 1999, started by two brothers who grew up skiing, snowboarding and riding BMX in California.
Their first product wasn’t even protective gear. It was the Stomplock, a snowboard stomp pad that doubled as a lock. Which is a pretty good bit of snowboard trivia you can now bore someone with on a chairlift.
These days, protection is basically Demon’s whole thing. Wrist guards, impact shorts, knee pads, spine protectors, body armour. If there’s something you’re worried about smashing into the ground, there’s a decent chance Demon makes something to strap over it.
That’s probably the biggest difference between Demon and a lot of brands selling snowboard protection. This isn’t a clothing brand that also happens to make a pair of impact shorts.
Whether you actually need all of it is another question. I definitely don’t. Some of Demon’s gear is more protection than I’d want for a normal day snowboarding. But after breaking both wrists twice, I’m also well past pretending protective gear isn’t worth wearing because it looks a bit stupid.
So rather than running through everything Demon sells, I’m going to stick to the stuff I’ve actually used and tell you what I think is worth buying.
Demon Gear I've Tested
Demon Flexmeter Wrist Guards
These are easily my favourite thing Demon makes.
I bought my first pair of Flexmeters more than ten years ago, after breaking my wrists twice and finally deciding that the cheap wrist guards I’d been using probably weren’t cutting it.
That original pair then followed me around for the best part of a decade. Park laps, icy groomers, powder days, spring slush, the occasional bit of skating. They got thrown in bags, forgotten in cars and generally treated horribly. One even ended up with a bite mark in it at some point. Long story.
Eventually the Velcro and stitching started giving up, so I replaced them. With another pair of Flexmeters.
What makes them different from most wrist guards is the flexible splint running along the back of your wrist. You still get some movement rather than feeling like your hand has been strapped to a plank, but there’s enough resistance there that when you do go down hard, the force isn’t all going straight through your wrist.
And I’ve tested that part more times than I’d like!
They’re also surprisingly wearable. I’ve done full days in them without wanting to rip them off at lunch, and they’ll fit under most normal snowboard gloves or mitts. Really tight-fitting gloves can be a problem, though, and there’s no getting around the fact that they’re bulkier than a basic slip-on wrist guard.
They’re expensive too. Around $70 for wrist guards isn’t nothing, especially when you can buy a basic pair for a fraction of that.
But mine lasted nearly ten seasons. More importantly, after breaking both wrists before I bought them, I’ve taken plenty of horrible falls wearing Flexmeters and haven’t broken one since.
I can’t promise they’ll stop you breaking a wrist. No wrist guard can do that. But if you asked me which piece of Demon gear I’d buy first, it’s these.
Would I Buy Them Again?
I already have. My first pair lasted me around a decade, and when they finally needed replacing, I bought the same ones again.
The Other Demon Wrist Guards
Demon also makes a couple of cheaper wrist guards, and I’ve tried both of them.
They’re considerably cheaper than the Flexmeters. Unfortunately, I think you can tell why.
The basic Demon Wrist Guard V2 is the more traditional design. It uses a rigid brace running along the wrist, with a fairly simple sleeve and strap holding everything in place.
It does the basic job of a wrist guard, but I never particularly liked wearing it. It’s stiff, restrictive and noticeably bulky once you try to get a snowboard glove over the top.
That’s always been my problem with traditional wrist guards. You can make something incredibly rigid, but if it’s uncomfortable enough that you don’t actually want to wear it for a full day, that’s not particularly useful.
The Demon Flex V2 is better.
Rather than relying entirely on one big rigid splint, it uses multiple flexible strips alongside a separate brace. That gives your wrist a bit more freedom to move and makes it less restrictive than the standard version.
It’s also slimmer and easier to get underneath a glove.
But I still don’t think it’s anywhere near as good as the Flexmeter.
The Flex V2 feels like a better version of a conventional wrist guard. The Flexmeter feels like a properly engineered piece of protective equipment. Its flexible splint gives progressively rather than simply locking your wrist in place, and having spent years riding in mine, it’s the design I trust far more.
There’s also a comfort difference. I’ve worn my Flexmeters for full days without really thinking about them. With both of these cheaper guards, I’m much more aware that I’ve got wrist guards strapped to me.
That doesn’t make them useless.
If you don’t want to spend around $70 on Flexmeters, the Flex V2 would be my pick of the two. It’s cheaper, less restrictive than the standard guard and still gives you proper wrist protection.
The standard Wrist Guard V2 is cheaper again, but personally I’d skip it.
Would I Buy Them Again?
No.
I’d buy another pair of Flexmeters.
The Flex V2 is the one I’d consider if I was trying to spend less, but having used all of them, I’d rather pay more for the Flexmeters and get the wrist guards I actually want to wear.
Demon Flexforce X D3O Impact Shorts
These are probably the other Demon product I’d recommend without much hesitation.
I’ve worn a lot of impact shorts over the years. Some are basically padded underwear. Others protect you brilliantly but make you look and feel like you’ve strapped a sofa around your hips.
The Flexforce X sits somewhere in the sweet spot.
There’s proper D3O/XRD protection around the hips and tailbone, plus removable padding so you can strip some of the bulk out if you don’t need maximum protection. I mostly leave everything in. If I’m bothering to wear impact shorts, I’d rather they actually do something when I hit the deck.
I’ve had some pretty horrible tailbone landings in these, plus the usual sideways falls onto hips and thighs. They take a surprising amount of the sting out of it. They also stay in place properly, which sounds basic but becomes quite important when you’re sliding down an icy piste on your butt.
They’re comfortable enough for me to wear all day too. Not invisible, and definitely bulkier than something like the Bodyprox shorts, but I’d happily make that trade for the extra protection.
There are a couple of genuinely useful extras. The padding is adjustable, and Demon’s X-Connect system lets you attach the shorts to their upper-body protection if you want the full RoboCop setup. I’ve tried it. It works. It’s probably more armour than I personally need most days.
The downside is the price. These are around the $150 mark without discounts, and if you mostly cruise groomers without falling much, I wouldn’t tell you to spend that kind of money on impact shorts.
But if you ride park, are learning tricks, regularly find yourself on icy terrain, or simply value your tailbone more than you value $150, these are excellent.
Demon has now released the V7, which adds a few updates to the design. I’ve tried those too and my first impressions are very good, but I haven’t ridden them for long enough to pretend I have the same experience with them yet. If the V7 is the current version when you’re buying, though, I wouldn’t hesitate to choose it.
Would I Buy Them Again?
Yep. They’re expensive, but I’ve taken enough nasty falls in them that I’d replace them if they disappeared tomorrow. I’d buy the newer V7 now, but only because it’s the updated version of something I already know works.
Demon Zero RF D3O Impact Shorts
These surprised me.
I’m generally quite happy to sacrifice a bit of comfort for more protection. That’s why I’ve always leaned towards the Flexforce shorts. They’re bulky, but if I’m going to wear crash pants, part of me thinks I may as well go all in.
The Zero RF changed my mind a bit.
They’re noticeably thinner and less restrictive than the Flexforce, particularly around the hips. They sit much closer to your body, move naturally and fit under normal snowboard pants without making you feel like you’ve added another clothing size.
After a few runs, I basically stopped noticing them. That doesn’t always happen with the Flexforce.
The obvious trade-off is protection. You don’t get the same coverage and I still wouldn’t choose the Zero RF for a day of repeatedly throwing myself at park features.
But they’re not just token padding either.
The D3O RF tailbone pad does a genuinely good job of taking the sting out of normal snowboard falls, and there’s useful protection around the hips too. I’ve landed on them hard enough to know they’re doing something. You still feel the impact, but considerably less of it.
That makes these much easier for me to recommend to someone who wants protection every day, rather than maximum protection on the days they’re expecting to crash.
The D3O RF itself is softer and more flexible than the padding in a lot of impact shorts I’ve used, which is a big part of why they disappear so well once you’re riding. The unisex fit worked better than I expected too. Nothing moved around or needed constant adjustment.
Durability is the one area where I can’t say much yet. Mine have held up perfectly so far, but I’ve only had them for a relatively short period. I’m not going to pretend that’s the same thing as the years I’ve put into some of my other Demon gear.
Would I Buy Them Again?
Yes, but probably alongside the Flexforce rather than instead of them.
If I’m pushing things or know I’m likely to hit the ground hard, I’d still grab the Flexforce. For normal resort riding, where I want some proper protection without feeling armoured up all day, I actually prefer the Zero RF.
They’ve earned a permanent spot in my gear bag, which I wasn’t expecting when I first tried them. Full review coming soon!
Demon FlexForce X V6 Impact Top
The first time I saw this thing, I laughed. There is a ridiculous amount of padding on it. Shoulders, elbows, ribs, chest, back. It looks like something you’d wear if you were fully expecting to hit the ground hard repeatedly.
Which is pretty much exactly what it’s designed for.
I’ve ridden and taught in the FlexForce, used it while learning tricks and taken some pretty horrible crashes in it. And in terms of outright protection, it’s excellent.
The back protection is substantial, but I’ve always particularly liked the rib and side protection. Awkward sideways slams are surprisingly good at ruining the rest of your trip, and very few snowboarding protectors give you this much coverage. The shoulders, elbows and chest are properly protected too.
Despite all that armour, it moves better than it looks. The padding is articulated, so you can still twist, bend and ride normally without feeling completely locked up.
But here’s the problem for me, it’s just too much.
It’s bulky, it’s warm and you never really forget you’re wearing it. I’ve reached the point where I’d rather have slightly less protection and actually be comfortable wearing it all day. That’s why these days I personally prefer the Demon Ghost, which I’ll get to next.
That doesn’t make the FlexForce bad. Far from it. It just has a more specific use case than I probably gave it credit for originally.
If you’re learning park tricks, hitting bigger features, mountain biking, coaching, or you simply want as much upper-body protection as possible, the extra bulk starts to make sense. I wore mine while learning backflips and tamedogs, and that’s exactly the sort of situation where I’d still choose it.
For normal resort riding though? I’d take the Ghost.
Would I Buy It Again?
Probably not for the riding I do now.
I’ve had some big crashes in the FlexForce and I’m very glad I was wearing it for them. But these days I value comfort and freedom of movement more, and the Ghost gives me a better balance.
If I were regularly learning high-consequence tricks again, or wanted maximum protection for mountain biking, then yes, the FlexForce would be back on the list.
It’s not the protective top I’d recommend to everyone. It’s the one I’d recommend to someone who knows exactly why they need this much armour.
Demon Ghost D3O Chest & Back Protector
This is much more my kind of protection.
The FlexForce above undoubtedly gives you more coverage. But after spending time in both, I’d choose the Ghost for the vast majority of my riding.
It’s basically the answer to the biggest problem I have with full upper-body armour: I don’t really want to wear it.
The Ghost strips things right back to D3O protection over your back and chest, with adjustable shoulder and side straps holding everything close to your body. There are no padded sleeves, shoulder caps or elbow protection. You lose a fair bit of coverage compared with the FlexForce, but the trade-off is a protector that’s dramatically less intrusive.
And for me, that trade-off is worth it.
I’ve worn the Ghost for full days on snow and it’s one of the few pieces of upper-body protection I can genuinely stop thinking about. It sits close to your body, moves naturally when you’re riding and fits easily underneath a normal snowboard jacket without making you feel like you’ve geared up for battle.
That’s why I’ve ended up wearing it far more than I expected.
The D3O back panel is the main event. It’s flexible while you’re riding but designed to firm up under impact, and it gives you proper CE-certified protection rather than just sticking a slab of soft foam over your spine. There’s D3O protection at the front too, although the chest coverage is smaller and this definitely isn’t trying to be full-body armour.
I’ve taken the usual collection of falls in it, but one of the more unusual tests came riding tight trees in Japan. I caught a branch sticking out pretty hard and the protector took it without much drama. Not exactly a laboratory test, but a good reminder that back protection isn’t only useful when you land flat on your butt.
There are limitations though.
Your shoulders, elbows, ribs and sides are largely exposed. If I’m deliberately doing something where I expect to get absolutely smashed, I’d still rather have the FlexForce. The Ghost simply doesn’t offer the same level of coverage.
But that’s also why I prefer it.
Protective gear only works when you’re actually wearing it, and this is the one I’d realistically put on for a normal day of resort riding. It’s comfortable enough for teaching, cruising around all day or riding trees, while still giving me meaningful protection in the areas I’m most bothered about.
Would I Buy It Again?
Yes. This is probably the upper-body protector I’d buy for myself now.
If maximum protection was my only priority, I’d buy the FlexForce. But it isn’t. I want something protective enough to be worthwhile without spending the whole day wishing I could take it off.
For me, the Ghost hits that balance better.
If you’re regularly hitting big park features, racing or doing anything where heavy crashes are part of the deal, I’d go FlexForce. For normal resort riding, I’d take the Ghost.
My Overall Brand Verdict
I really rate Demon. Probably more than I expected to when we started testing all this stuff.
They’re a protection company at heart, and that’s still very obviously where they’re strongest. Some of their gear is bulky. Some of it looks a bit ridiculous. And some of it is probably complete overkill for the average person doing a week in the mountains each year.
But the important stuff is very, very good.
The Flexmeter wrist guards are still my favourite thing they make. I’ve broken both wrists twice, so I’m probably more paranoid about wrist protection than most people, but these are what I wear. There are cheaper and less bulky options. I just don’t think they’re as good.
The FlexForce top is the other end of the scale. It’s a lot. Honestly, too much for me most of the time. I’d rather wear the Ghost, which gives up some coverage but is far easier to forget about once you’re riding. That said, if I was doing something where I genuinely thought I might get smashed, I can absolutely see the use case.
They’ve also started branching out beyond protection, with wax kits, tuning gear and other bits and pieces. Some of that stuff is good too, but I still think of Demon as a protection brand first. That’s their lane.
I wouldn’t blindly recommend everything with a Demon logo on it. But for wrist guards and serious impact protection, they’re one of the first brands I’d look at.
Demon United discount: We have a 25% sitewide discount code with Demon.
Use SNOWCHASERS for 25% off sitewide. We've checked it and it's currently working.
