Lacrosse Equipment Guide for Beginners

Your kid signed up for lacrosse, and three days later the coach's email lands: "Players need to show up with their own gear." If you've never played, that sentence is intimidating — lacrosse has more equipment than soccer and different rules for boys and girls. This guide breaks down exactly what a beginner needs, what it roughly costs, and how to avoid overspending in year one. The short version: the boys' and girls' games require very different gear, so start by knowing which list applies to your player.

Why Boys and Girls Need Different Gear

This is the single most important thing for a new lacrosse parent to understand. Boys' (men's) lacrosse is a full-contact sport, so it requires protective equipment. Girls' (women's) lacrosse is a limited-contact game by rule, so it requires far less protective gear. Buying the wrong set is a common and expensive beginner mistake. The governing body, USA Lacrosse, publishes equipment standards and rules for both games, and your league will follow them.

If you want the bigger picture on how the two games differ beyond equipment, our guide to men's vs women's lacrosse differences covers the rules side in detail.

Required Gear for Boys

Boys' lacrosse is built for contact, and the required protective equipment reflects that:

• Helmet with a full face mask — the single most important piece, certified to the sport's safety standard.
• Shoulder pads — protect the chest, shoulders, and upper back.
• Arm pads — guard the elbows and forearms from stick checks.
• Gloves — heavily padded; protect the hands and wrists, which take a lot of contact.
• Mouthguard — required at every level.
• Stick (crosse) — the boys' stick has a deeper pocket for ball control.
• Cleats — molded cleats, similar to soccer or football.
• Athletic supporter/cup — required protective gear.

That's a full kit, which is why boys' lacrosse costs more to outfit than the girls' game.

Required Gear for Girls

Girls' lacrosse is a finesse, limited-contact game, and the required equipment is much lighter:

• Eye protection (goggles) — a hard wire/cage goggle meeting the sport's standard. This is the key required safety item.
• Mouthguard — required at every level.
• Stick (crosse) — the girls' stick has a shallower, tighter pocket by rule, which keeps the game focused on stick skill.
• Cleats — molded cleats.

Helmets and full pads are not required in the girls' field game (goalies are the exception — they wear full protective gear). That difference makes outfitting a girl for her first season noticeably cheaper than a boy.

Boys vs. Girls Gear at a Glance

The takeaway: a girl can be game-ready with goggles, a mouthguard, a stick, and cleats. A boy needs a full protective kit on top of his stick and cleats.

What to Budget

Prices vary by brand, quality, and whether you buy new or used, so treat these as general guidance and confirm current pricing at a retailer:

• Girls' starter kit is the more affordable of the two, since it's essentially goggles, a mouthguard, a stick, and cleats.
• Boys' starter kit costs more because of the helmet, shoulder pads, arm pads, and padded gloves — the helmet alone is usually the most expensive single item.
• Sticks range widely. A beginner does not need a top-tier stick; an entry-level complete stick is plenty for a first season.
• Mouthguards and cleats are the cheapest items and the easiest to buy locally.

The honest advice for year one: buy reliable entry-level gear, not the premium stuff. A beginner will outgrow equipment and may decide the sport isn't for them. There's no advantage to an expensive stick in a first season.

Buy vs. Borrow vs. Rent

Before you buy anything, check whether you even need to. Many youth programs and clubs have loaner gear or equipment-swap events, especially for first-year players, precisely because they know the upfront cost is a barrier. Ask your program directly — the local clubs like Boulder Lacrosse are good first stops for what's available. Borrowing or buying used for a first season, then investing once your player is committed, is the smart financial play. Helmets and goggles are the exception: for safety, make sure any protective gear is certified, undamaged, and properly fitted, whether new or used.

Sizing and Safety

Fit matters as much as the gear itself:

• Helmets must fit snugly and sit level — a loose helmet doesn't protect. Most have an adjustable fit system.
• Goggles should sit firmly without pinching and not slide during play.
• Gloves and pads should allow a full range of motion; too big and they shift, too small and they restrict.
• Sticks come in different lengths by position and age — a beginner attacker or midfielder uses a short stick. Your program will tell you the legal length for your player's level.

Always confirm that protective equipment meets the current safety certifications referenced by USA Lacrosse. Certification standards exist for a reason, and leagues enforce them.

Caring for Gear So It Lasts

A little maintenance stretches a season's worth of equipment into two or three, which matters when you're outfitting a growing kid. The biggest enemy is the gear bag itself: pads and gloves that get zipped into a sealed bag wet after every practice break down fast and start to smell worse. After each session, pull everything out of the bag and let it air-dry — a garage hook or a spot on the porch is plenty. Wipe down the helmet or goggles, and check the stick's pocket and shooting strings periodically, since a pocket that's stretched out or too deep can become illegal and will get flagged in a stick check.

Inspect protective gear for cracks, frayed straps, or broken buckles before each season, and replace anything compromised — a cracked helmet or a broken goggle frame isn't worth the risk. Hand-me-downs and used gear are great for the budget, but apply the same inspection: cosmetics don't matter, but structural integrity and proper certification do. Sticks are the most forgiving item to buy used; helmets and goggles deserve the most scrutiny.

Where to Shop

You have two good options near Boulder. Local sporting-goods stores and the Front Range's specialty shops let you try gear on — invaluable for a helmet or goggles, where fit is everything. For selection and price comparison, online lacrosse retailers like Lacrosse Monkey carry full beginner kits and position-specific sticks. A reasonable approach is to fit the helmet and goggles in person, then fill in the cheaper items wherever's convenient.

Getting your first-year player geared up doesn't have to break the bank: know whether you're shopping the boys' or girls' list, buy entry-level, borrow what you can, and prioritize fit on the safety items. Once your player is outfitted and ready, our field lacrosse beginner's guide will help you actually follow the game from the sideline.