i wouldnt worry too much about all this,
at the end of the day if dye feel that they have a problem with their gear not being legal for use in top level tournies they will more than likely remove the padding and re-release the tops without.
as for all the other stuff
knee/shin pads - worn trace pads for ages and they have saved my legs from taking several knocks and i dont think anything much bounces off them at all
elbow/forarm pads - never worn em tho i might have a look at the newer ones, could be handy for the od crawl
chest pads - any bloke wearing any padding on his torso is a pussy plain and simple! althou for the ladies they are obviously a nessesety