Leg protector

Abstract

A leg protector sized to fold over the wearer's leg to cover the front side of the wearer's leg while leaving the backside of the wearer's leg exposed for easily placement and removal of the leg protector. Unlike conventional gaiters and half chaps that effectively operate as a second pant leg positioned over the pants, the adjustable strap of the insulated leg protector extends across the rear side of the wearer's leg to retain the leg protector without fully covering the backside of the wearer's leg. The arrangement allows the leg protector to be quickly put on by the wearer by draping the leg protector over the wearer's leg and secured with the adjustable strap. Similarly, the leg protector can also be removed by simply undoing the adjustable strap.

1 . A leg protector, comprising:
 a flexible body defining a shin portion, a knee portion and a thigh portion, wherein the shin portion and the thigh portion each include at least one adjusting strap having a fastening element, wherein the flexible body is formable with the adjusting strap such that the shin portion and the thigh portion are formable into a u-shaped cross-section.   
     
     
         2 . The leg protector of  claim 1 , wherein the flexible body comprises an outer environmental layer and an inner comfort layer. 
     
     
         3 . The leg protector of  claim 2 , wherein the outer environmental layer has an environmental performance trait selected from the group consisting essentially of: wind resistance, water resistance, optical reflectance, optical viewing enhancement, optical viewing reduction, puncture resistance, tear resistance, bite resistance and combinations thereof 
     
     
         4 . The leg protector of  claim 3 , wherein the inner comfort layer has a comfort trait selected from the group consisting essentially of: thermal performance and moisture control. 
     
     
         5 . The leg protector of  claim 2 , wherein the shin portion comprises a center segment and a pair of side segments, wherein the side segments are foldable relative to the center segment to define the u-shaped cross section. 
     
     
         6 . The leg protector of  claim 5 , wherein the adjusting strap is attached to a first side segment, and wherein the fastening element comprises a first fastening element on the adjusting strap and a second fastening element on a second side segment. 
     
     
         7 . The leg protector of  claim 5 , wherein the center segment includes a pocket in the outer environmental layer. 
     
     
         8 . The leg protector of  claim 7 , wherein the pocket can include a transparent portion for displaying interior contents of the pocket. 
     
     
         9 . The leg protector of  claim 1 , wherein the knee portion includes a plurality of articulation segments adapted to provide flexibility between the shin portion and the thigh portion. 
     
     
         10 . A method for enhancing comfort of a motorcycle rider, comprising:
 positioning a flexible leg protector adjacent a wearer's leg, wherein a shin portion covers a wearer's shin, a knee portion covers a wearer's shin and a thing portion covers a wearer's thigh;   forming the flexible leg protector into a u-shaped cross-section around a wearer's leg; and   fastening at least one adjusting strap on both the shin portion and the thigh portion to retain the flexible leg protector around the wearer's leg.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein forming the flexible leg protector into a u-shaped cross-section, further comprises:
 providing the shin portion with a center segment and a pair of side segments; and   folding the pair of side segments relative to the center segment.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 forming the flexible leg protector to having an outer environmental layer and an inner comfort layer.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 selecting the outer environmental layer to have an environmental trait.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the environmental trait is selected from the group consisting essentially of: wind resistance, water resistance, optical reflectance, optical viewing enhancement, optical viewing reduction, puncture resistance, tear resistance, bite resistance and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 selecting the inner comfort layer to have a comfort trait.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the comfort trait is selected from the group consisting essentially of: thermal performance and moisture control. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 providing a pocket in the outer environmental layer.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 including a transparent window for displaying interior contents of the pocket.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 providing a plurality of articulation segments in the knee portion so as to allow flexing of the flexible leg protector between the shin portion and the thigh portion.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 removing the flexible leg protector from the wearer's leg by unfastening the adjusting straps on the shin and thigh portions; and   rolling the flexible leg protector to form a rolled configuration for storage of the flexible leg protector.