Do kids hockey equipment stink more than adult hockey equipment?

Oh yeah — kids’ hockey gear absolutely can stink more than adults’, and there are a few solid (and kind of gross) reasons why:

Kids sweat differently but wash less often.

Kids’ sweat has less odor at first, but their gear usually doesn’t get cleaned as regularly as adults’ gear does.

Over time, that trapped moisture becomes a bacteria buffet, and the smell compounds fast.

Bacteria and fungi thrive in damp youth gear.

Kids often stuff their wet gear into their bags right after practice and leave it there until the next game.

That warm, humid environment is perfect for Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium, and odor-producing microbes to multiply.

Youth equipment tends to be handed down or reused.

Hand-me-down pads or gloves may already have a colony of odor-causing bacteria that “reactivate” with new sweat.

Less consistent hygiene routines.

Adults are more likely to shower right after games and dry their gear properly; kids sometimes skip both.

Smaller gear = denser funk.

Because youth equipment is smaller, sweat and bacteria get trapped in tighter foam padding and fabric layers — meaning a more concentrated smell.

In short: kids’ gear often smells worse not because they sweat more, but because the bacteria have a much easier time thriving in unwashed, closed-up equipment.