I have a little set of silicon pulgs with a diaphram insert, it reduces the amount of sound going into the ear while keeping the timbre change to a minimum. its like turing the volume down on youre TV. only thing is, I dont remember what they are called, as aI bought them nearly 8 years ago.

Yeah the super expensive or super protection kind really isn't necessary. Just something to plug up your ears with. I've used some fat squishy orange kind and it works fine. Those other types of ear protectors are designed for much louder stuff.
You don't really need ear plugs outside as much as you do inside. Inside, the high frequencies bouncing off the walls leaves no room for the sound to escape making it all go to the ears. Outside, the sound can travel out more like it was designed to. The only exception would be for larger rooms such as WGI places (Basketball gyms.
But anywho.
Yeah, don't worry about the best possible protection, because it isn't needed. The cheep kind protects your ears just fine.

While practicing, I also use cheap earplugs. My dad works at a mill and he brought a bunch of them home for me. I've found that as well as quieting the sound, it also filters out reverb (the sound bouncing off the walls, as stated in the previous post) so I can hear the notes I'm playing more clear, thus allowing me to clean my playing even more.

I have a set of the musician's plugs that you can get at most ENT doctors. I went for a hearing test a couple of years, & I was told that my hearing was that of a 60-something year old construction worker (I was 25). Since the plugs filter out a set decibel rate, they work extremely well in all situations. I have the 15 db set, & it works best because I am a band director so I can hear the soft parts (woodwinds, brass, percussion, etc).

Yeah, true. I just use the cheap earplugs that are avaliable at any pharmacy or retail store or something, and I notice that my snare sounds a lot more articulate, as if I'm playing outdoors.

There are some really good rifle ear plugs which you can buy at walmart. I got mine there, and they work perfect

I was mowing the lawn and i could barely hear the lawn mower itself. They were $1.89 and came with a case. They weren't like the styrophome self forming ones, but they were better.

I'm glad I bought it, and you'd really be surprised how much this will save your hearing in your future. So no matter what brand, wear protection (thats what she said)

Yeah I have a pair of these and they work beautifully

My dad brought home a few pairs of ear plugs when he went with one of his friends to a racetrack. These things were made to block out the sound of the cars, so they work perfectly when we have rehearsals.

I got $10 really nice plugs from Westone. They reduce the noise level with out changing the pitch and getting that muffled sound. I've had mine for 2 years now, got it with a cord to wrap around my neck.