I have been riding my 36 guni for a few weeks (without mishap so far). I definitely wear a helmet and Hillbilly gloves with wrist protection. I am debating the need for leg protection. So far, I have been wearing my KH Leg Armor as a precaution. I am sure that I do not need shin protection, but it seems that knees could get scraped in a fall. I am considering look into knee pads w/o shin protection. What do you other 36 guni riders wear?
I also recently started riding a 36" guni and decided to wear knee pads regularly to avoid loosing skin in UPDs. I have had several UPDs that left skin on the ground in my normal 36" riding, so if my speed is going up, it only makes sense to take some precautions. I usually roll on a high-speed crash and end up with a scraped knee and a scraped elbow.
I got a pair of these knee pads and also a pair of elbow pads (that I usually under my shirt.)
http://g-form.com/product/knee-pads/
They are comfortable and flexible. They cover the parts of my knees that have scaring from previous crashes. I have not yet had a UPD at speed, so I do not know if they are really effective, but I am hopeful.
They will also be useful for Halloween, when I will dress as a Ninja Turtle. 
Scott
My general rule with geared riding on-road, is that falling is not an option, so I don’t go with leg protection. Off-road, I’ll wear my normal MUni armor.
As you helmet, gloves and I have knee pads, only bad mishaps I have had and those knee pads have saved the day. Enjoy your 36. Photo shows type I use.
I like your philosophy, but I have not been able to live up to it.
Scott
That has worked for me up to this point. I want to have some insurance if that policy fails.
Of course, I have a few scars on my knee from muni. And that was WEARING shin/knee guards.
Those G-forms are neat, but they look like they might be kind of hot.
I wear Black Diamond Telekneesis Kneepads. They’re quite cool (temperature-wise) and well designed.
Those are made for wearing over pants for XC skiing. Are they comfy on bare flesh for long distances?
I like the Telekneesis also, for road riding. They fit easily on my leg. They are not uncomfortable on the bare leg (for me) and I’ve used them in 90 degree weather.
I find the G-form pads comfortable to wear and not too hot. The material is basically lycra, with a yellow foam-rubber like material over the front of the knee. They claim to absorb a blow well, but I have not tested it. For my own falls I think they will be enough protection. The weather here is not all that hot, so your experience may be different. I put them on and then forget I am wearing them. 
The Telekneesis knee pads look fine, and I would certainly consider them if I did not already have the G-form knee pads.
Steve and Heather, have you had any hard UPDs with them? Do they provide good protection? I end up doing rolls rather than superman slides, so I suspect either one would be good enough for me.
I also wear a helmet and hillbilly gloves.
Sott
My Telekneesis are pretty scratched up from two falls (superman style). They stayed in place and did their job. The knees don’t seem to take the hardest blows, but without them I would have been hurting. I’m too old to risk that kind of injury. I also use Hillbillys, helmet, and a Camelbak. When I am using 150 cranks on the 36", my knee pads sometimes hit the tire. It doesn’t interfere with riding, but it is annoying.
I’ve had plenty of UPDs with them, though, to be honest, I use them more for muni than long road rides. As mbalmer said, they stay in place and do their job. One minor gripe: after a couple sweaty hours riding with them, the straps can be a little irritating behind the knee.
Don’t yet qualify as a “rider” as I just got my 36 guni last week but I can tell you that I spent way more for my knee pads than you guys did. My normal trend is to buy the cheap stuff (started with ProTec skateboard pads) then spend the mother-load.
I wear these SixSixOne EVO D3o knee pads. I like them but sometimes forget to put them on before my FiveTen Impact Mid shoes and end up wearing my KH Leg Armor. These are overkill. Save your $ and get the Veggies (not much cheaper) or Kyle Straits (a bargain) from SixSixOne.
I like the modular approach so I also bought these SixSixOne EVO D3o shin guards. I wear them practicing freemounting and in the winter I wear everything. Edit: can’t upload image. Google it.
For the elbows, I wear POC Joint Visco-Elastic Polymer Dough (VPD) pads. The dough is soft and pliable like the D3o but it gets rock hard on impact. My next pair of knee pads will be POC (I think it stands for PieceOfCake).
This summer was hot and humid and I found myself cheating and just wearing these UnderArmor Volleyball Knee Pads. I got them at TJMaxx for $7 which is about $33 less than I paid for my daughter’s pair at Dicks Sporting Goods. I swear, these kids sports are breaking me. But, I digress. These things work great for sliding across the gym floor (I’m a very interactive coach) but I am kidding myself if I think a UPD on asphalt would not rip them off just as it does most anything without a hard shell exterior.
I don’t fall much. But when I do, I like to be able to get back up unharmed and live to ride another day. My kids tuition requires I show up at work on Monday morning. In the winter, I wear everything short of my old (grew up on a Yamaha YZ 125cc) motorcycle jacket. In the summer, I have to be a little more selective but I am still pretty much all-gear-all-the-time which I think is mandatory for the big wheel. In the end, I hate all pads. They stink even when I spritz them with rubbing alcohol to dry. It’s the price you pay to play.