Kneeling, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Kneeling

11/13/2023 6:57 pm

Now that we've stuck that ear worm in your head, let's focus on taking care of our aging knees. There are several ways you can protect your knees and make getting up and down easier or at least less unpleasant. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I recently acquired this extra large covered knee pad at Family Tree nursery, the Aqua pad. A nice soft cover is an improvement over the gnarly foam one that I've used for years, but I consider size, width and weight of the kneepad to be most essential.  At 15" x 20", there is lots of comfort here and it was under $20. You could even park your carcass on it.

 

 

A long time favorite is now hard to find, but worth seeking out because it folds, is extra thick and extra durable. Should you come across the OXO kneeling pad, just buy it. It goes out of stock for months at a time and you will always find a use for this, be it in the garden, garage or house.  Just don't remind me that according to the pictures on the internet, I have been using it upside down for years. My knees never noticed.

Lastly, my favorite gardening solution is pants with built in knee pads. For years, these were Smith and Hawkens Japanese Gardener pants with neoprene pad inserts and great pockets. Then Smith and Hawkens retail went away for a while taking the pants with them. Duluth Trading later began to sell a very similar pair called "Heirloom Gardening Pants". Recently, they've been "out of stock" of these and may have put them on the backburner to sell more overall styles (which still take knee pads). I've expressed my discontent to Duluth. Overalls are not for women of a certain age with certain quick urges!  We'll see what happens. Their "Fire Hose" pants include knee pads, but sacrifice all the important pockets I've come to rely upon.  If you can tolerate overalls, Duluth Trading is running a great sale on these now. Knee inserts sold separately.  Get those. And be lazy like me and leave them in when you wash the pants. My two pairs are about 20 years old and showing no signs of wear.

 

 

Meanwhile, you can find pants with built in knee pads or that accept inserts at Cabela and Bass Fishing. They don't have some of the special garden style pockets I've come to love, however. Or you can scour eBay for Heirloom Gardening Pants and see if you can find a deal. They run one size bigger than most clothes, so step down a size if you find them.

 

Contributed by Liane Schleifer