These are the ForEverlast G2 Ray Guards that I bought in October 2024:
Here’s what they look like laid out flat:
I meant to include a picture of the packaging but accidentally threw it out, so apologies for that. Please note that this review is for their ray guards that secure to your leg with only velcro (you can see the wide velcro strip in the photo above). This is not a review of their ray guards that are secured with straps and buckles.
Ray guards are intended to prevent stingrays from sticking their barb into your foot or leg if you accidentally step on them. After years of wadefishing without guards (and without incident), I have started to get uneasy that my luck would end at some point. So I decided to spend some hard earned money on ray guards. There aren’t many on the market, and these guards are the only type available at my local Academy. So that’s what I bought.
This review will be short because I fished with these things one time, and they didn’t work well. The main problem is that they attach to your leg with Velcro strips, instead of adjustable straps and buckles like they should have.
I don’t like Velcro in the first place because it wears out easily. See my article about that here. In the fishing world, buckles and nylon straps are much better and longer lasting than Velcro.
However, the Velcro alone is not the reason that these things don’t work. They don’t work because you can’t tighten them down enough. To snug them to your leg effectively, the Velcro “hooks” would have to line up with the Velcro “loops”. As you can see here, with the velcro secured in the normal position, these guards are only suitable for guys with extremely large calf muscles. For us normal folks, the leg hole is far too big.
If I try to snug them, the hook pad extends beyond the loop pad, and there is no place for the hooks to attach.
The best I could tighten them down was to get the very edge of each each Velcro pad to touch. This is obviously not very strong or secure. I tried fishing with them this way, but the guards kept rotating on my legs and were very loose.
Another negative aspect of these guards is that the hook at the bottom. I’m not sure what this hook is intended to do, so somebody smarter than me can figure that out. I assume it is intended to to attach to a certain type of wading boot (maybe the ForEverlast brand boots), but it doesn’t do me any good….I primarily use neoprene boots, and it feels like it is in the way. Also, it is attached with a carbon steel rivet that has started to rust after one use. Carbon steel is almost never a good choice on saltwater fishing gear, due to it’s propensity to rust. Acceptable metals would be brass or stainless steel, but not carbon steel.
On the plus side, the the plastic that is used for the guard material (inside the fabric) feels durable and would hopefully prevent ray stings, although I have no proof at this time.
For thoroughness, let’s run through some review criteria:
Cost and Availability, 5/5
I paid about $30, and I feel this was a fair price. These were bought at my local Academy, and I’ve seen these for sale at several places online, so availability is good.
Design, 1/5
As stated above, the Velcro design is not good and the hook is in the way. Fabric quality, as well as the internal plastic guards, feels OK.
Build and Finish Quality, 3/5
The carbon steel rivet is not acceptable. The fabric quality, the stitching, and the internal plastic guards are acceptable based on inspection and first use.
Real World Testing, 1/5
After one fishing trip, I determined that the guards did not do what they are supposed to do.
Customer Service, (not determined)
I did not have chance to test ForEverlast customer service.
Maintenance and Upgrades, (not determined)
Maintenance should be a simple wash down after use, and there are no upgrades available for this product. Honestly, I didn’t get far enough to test this.
Longevity, (not determined)
I won’t be using these, so I won’t be able to test longevity.
Overall Score, 2.5/5
So, would I recommend this product? No, I wouldn’t. In it’s current state it is quite inferior from a design standpoint and does not do what a fisherman needs it to do. I did not contact ForEverlast directly with my complaints (didn’t have the time), so I can’t gauge their customer service or money back policies. If anybody from ForEverlast or Academy sees this, please fix this product or stop selling it.
My goal with gear reviews is never to bash a company or a product, but rather, to give an honest opinion so that you can buy gear that works. Also, honesty gives the company a chance to improve should they ever see this.
If I can find a better ray guard out there for a good price, I’ll post a review.
Have a reel good day,
– The Simple Fisherman