Protective gear is a category of wearable safety equipment, in particular, sports equipment, that protects various human body parts from injury in sports, martial arts, combat, etc., as well as for job-related occupational safety and health purposes.

In fact, the original purpose of the whole clothing is the protection of body from hostile environments. At the same time, specialized protective clothing has been introduced to deal with additional occupational hazards. Personal armor is a combat-specialized protective gear.

The terms "protective gear"/"protective clothing" are in many cases interchangeable, with the term "protective clothing" used when applied to traditional categories of clothing, while "gear" is a more general term and preferably applied to uniquely protective categories, such as pads, guards, shields, masks, etc.

For riding a motorcycle, prorective headgear and eyegear are required by law in many countries.

• Arm/shoulder protection
  • Shoulder pads
  • Hand guard
  • Forearm guard
  • Fist guard
  • Knuckle guard
  • Wrist guard (Wrist guards)
  • Elbow guard (Elbow guards)
  • Elbow pads (Elbow pad)
  • Hand/wrist wraps
    • Boxing tape, handwrap gauze
  • Gloves
    • Baseball glove
    • Belay gloves
    • Cycling gloves
    • Hockey glove
    • Wicket-keeper's gloves

• Leg/hip protection
  • Foot guard
  • Hip pads (Hip pad)
  • Knee pads
  • Instep guard/instep protector
  • Shin guard (shin guards)
  • Combined khee-shin guards
  • Padded shorts ^*
  • Bouldering mat

• Body protection
  • Groin guard/groin protector
  • Chestguard (Chest guard, Hogu)
  • Rib guard
  • Riding suits (abrasion-proof: made of leather, kevlar, ballistic nylon, cordura, etc., and waterproof)
  • Wetsuit
  • abdomen guard (cricket box)
  • Splash suit, to protect against splashing chemicals
  • Hazmat suit
  • Motorcycle armor
  • Protective vest

• Head/neck protection
  • Helmet
    • Batting helmet
    • Bicycle helmet
    • Cricket helmet
    • Diving helmet
    • Hard hat
    • Hockey helmet
    • Motorcycle helmet
  • Throat guard
  • Face shield/Face mask
    • Goalie mask
    • Face cage
    • Visor (ice hockey)
  • Headguard (Head guard)
  • Boxing headgear
  • Mouth guard
  • Mouthpiece
  • Armored/insulated hood
  • Tin-foil hat, a protection against mind control

• Sensory/internal organs protection
  • Diving mask
  • Gas mask
  • Face shield
  • Earplug
  • Earmuffs
  • Earpads / earflaps
  • Goggles
  • Safety glasses
  • Sunglasses
  • Visor
    • Baseball cap

• Other
  • Warning equipment: flashing lights, reflective strips, reflectors, etc.
  • Safety leash (to keep, e.g. a snowboard or surfboard within reach)
  • For equestrians, protection of their horses is not less important
    • Tail guard
    • Polo wraps
  • Chastity belt

Protective gear | Sports clothing