Air Jackets

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Jasmine2023

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Following on from my back protector thread I want to buy an air jacket so need recommendations as it's an expensive piece of kit I want to get it right. I would like one that gives protection as far down the lower back as possible. Also is second hand okay or a real no no for these jackets. Thanks.
 
Second hand can be ok because some of the manufacturers will do quite a comprehensive service of older ones, i.e. check them, fix any damage, and return them to you for a fee. Point2 is better for this than Hit Air as Hit Air can be a bit funny about servicing older ones, and there's more of a limit to the parts HitAir are willing to replace.

Personally I much prefer the design of HitAir (that's what I've got and it's excellent) but the better servicing options from Point2 might sway me that way when I need to replace my current one.

Do a search on the forum for "air jackets" and "air vests", and for the main brands (which I believe are HitAir, Helite, and Point2). There are *loads* of threads on the pros and cons of the different options. But if you part company with a horse at speed, they will all protect your lower back and neck better than a BP will.
 
I got a refurbished ProAir from Point Two in 2023, never had an issue with it, it's always inflated when it's needed to. I make sure I store it properly and always I send it off for it's yearly servicing.
I did bash my coccyx in whilst wearing it once, I got thrown like a ninja star into a solid bank and just got unlucky with the angle, but every other time it's protected my backside quite nicely.
 
Nasicus said:
I got a refurbished ProAir from Point Two in 2023, never had an issue with it, it's always inflated when it's needed to. I make sure I store it properly and always I send it off for it's yearly servicing.
I did bash my coccyx in whilst wearing it once, I got thrown like a ninja star into a solid bank and just got unlucky with the angle, but every other time it's protected my backside quite nicely.
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I will only be doing light hacking on fairly quite roads so don't predict any issues anyway but just want one for reassurance. When you get to my age it does take longer to recover from a fall.
 
My partner got a used one locally. He took a gas canister with him to test it before paying for it. A used / refurbished one from point two sounds like a good option - I wasn't aware they did that.
 
I recently invested in the new hit air, its light, it does the job and good for lower back, however, like all air jackets, it is designed to protect your neck and back foremost....having come off twice and deployed it, both times I have landed on my arse and it hasn't come into play lol (which I didnt expect it to!), I have been hobbling around for 3 weeks due to landing and tearing groin and hip muscles badly, it wont stop you hurting necessarily and lower back be aware depending how you land it can push up if you land and move on your bum!! x Interestingly my only fear was it scaring the horse, it didnt both times and horse stayed with me (youngster) and also briefly saved me from being trodden on as he moved a foot away from the noise!
 
CJoe said:
I recently invested in the new hit air, its light, it does the job and good for lower back, however, like all air jackets, it is designed to protect your neck and back foremost....having come off twice and deployed it, both times I have landed on my arse and it hasn't come into play lol (which I didnt expect it to!), I have been hobbling around for 3 weeks due to landing and tearing groin and hip muscles badly, it wont stop you hurting necessarily and lower back be aware depending how you land it can push up if you land and move on your bum!! x Interestingly my only fear was it scaring the horse, it didnt both times and horse stayed with me (youngster) and also briefly saved me from being trodden on as he moved a foot away from the noise!
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I understand what your saying about the bum area if it gets pushed up lol. I guess nothing is 100% able to stop all injuries.
 
I don't think anything other than padded pants will save your bum if you land square on it.
FWIW I love my Point2. It has saved my bacon when Dave tripped in canter & we both fell. When I sent it for a service, it had the whole airbag replaced & was cleaned. AFAIK no other companies replace the airbag.
 
I’ve got the hit-air - when I was choosing the assistant set off the ones on my shortlist so I could see how it felt when they went off and I preferred the way the hit-air worked. It’s not at all constricting when it’s on and I’ve worn it on some of the hotter days this summer. There was another one which had a body protector incorporated in the design (wouldn’t be accepted for XC but I’m never going to event so that’s not an issue) but I didn’t like the way it fitted.
 
I'd definitely suggest getting one fitted - I went to Redpost Equestrian for mine and I thought I knew exactly which one I wanted. In fact, I ended up buying the Equiline as it fitted the best of all of them!
 
Jasmine2023 said:
I will only be doing light hacking on fairly quite roads so don't predict any issues anyway but just want one for reassurance. When you get to my age it does take longer to recover from a fall.
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Funnily enough it was a gentle hack along an off road path that led to the aforementioned butt bashing! But I am also a happy hacker, and always wear mine whenever I'm on board regardless of what I'm doing :)
 
Sorry to hijack your post @Jasmine2023, I am also looking for an air jacket after a recent fall resulting in a bad fracture. I just wondered if anyone can tell me how loud the noise is when the air cannister goes off? Sounds like a silly question but I am autistic and really sensitive to sudden noises (e.g. I can't stand balloons!!)- is it as loud as a balloon pop? I genuinely can see myself becoming more tense and nervous about this than actually hitting the ground! 😂
Also @Jasmine2023 I will struggle to get one fitted too, I am hoping if I measure myself carefully it will fit but if not that they have good returns policy 🤞
 
Candid8 said:
Sorry to hijack your post @Jasmine2023, I am also looking for an air jacket after a recent fall resulting in a bad fracture. I just wondered if anyone can tell me how loud the noise is when the air cannister goes off? Sounds like a silly question but I am autistic and really sensitive to sudden noises (e.g. I can't stand balloons!!)- is it as loud as a balloon pop? I genuinely can see myself becoming more tense and nervous about this than actually hitting the ground! 😂
Also @Jasmine2023 I will struggle to get one fitted too, I am hoping if I measure myself carefully it will fit but if not that they have good returns policy 🤞
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I have a point 2, it's loud when it goes off, especially indoors it can echo and sound louder. At the time, if you are falling it's usually the least of your worries, but only you know how much of a problem anxiety about the noise will be or potentially if you end up not wearing it. It sounds like it would be worth trying to get one demo'd in a shop as it's an expensive item if your not comfortable with it.

If your going to wear it over a body protector then you need to measure with this on as you become bulkier.
 
Candid8 said:
Sorry to hijack your post @Jasmine2023, I am also looking for an air jacket after a recent fall resulting in a bad fracture. I just wondered if anyone can tell me how loud the noise is when the air cannister goes off? Sounds like a silly question but I am autistic and really sensitive to sudden noises (e.g. I can't stand balloons!!)- is it as loud as a balloon pop? I genuinely can see myself becoming more tense and nervous about this than actually hitting the ground! 😂
Also @Jasmine2023 I will struggle to get one fitted too, I am hoping if I measure myself carefully it will fit but if not that they have good returns policy 🤞
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That's okay hijack away ☺. They do make a loud noise when they go off. If you have a look on You Tube at air jacket videos there are plenty on there that show them going off so there will give you an idea of how loud there are.
 
Not all air jackets offer the same level of neck support. It’s definitely worth checking things out and if possible getting a demo. There are air vests made for cycling and motor racing which might be worth a look. I have been trying to find out if anyone has carried out a standardised research project, it could be an interesting topic for a masters degree.
 
nutjob said:
I have a point 2, it's loud when it goes off, especially indoors it can echo and sound louder. At the time, if you are falling it's usually the least of your worries, but only you know how much of a problem anxiety about the noise will be or potentially if you end up not wearing it. It sounds like it would be worth trying to get one demo'd in a shop as it's an expensive item if your not comfortable with it.

If your going to wear it over a body protector then you need to measure with this on as you become bulkier.
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You can get extension straps for a hit air vest, useful in winter when you’ll need more layers 😀
 
nutjob said:
I have a point 2, it's loud when it goes off, especially indoors it can echo and sound louder. At the time, if you are falling it's usually the least of your worries, but only you know how much of a problem anxiety about the noise will be or potentially if you end up not wearing it. It sounds like it would be worth trying to get one demo'd in a shop as it's an expensive item if your not comfortable with it.

If your going to wear it over a body protector then you need to measure with this on as you become bulkier.
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Thank you, that's really helpful to know. I think the anxiety about the noise might make me tense and affect my riding far more than the fear of falling, sounds crazy I know but it's true!
Hadn't thought about getting a body protector too, I will look into that.
 
I’m not sure that body protectors give as much protection as air vests. I was chatting to someone who works in A&E recently about internal injuries and the view seemed to be that there is a ‘weak point’ if you have a fall and bend in the middle and that area would be more likely to take an impact than further up or down which would have more protection ….so the trick seems to be to be careful how you fall which of course isn’t always possible. A body protector will absorb part of the impact of a fall so may be better than nothing but both are the gold standard.
 
gallopingby said:
I’m not sure that body protectors give as much protection as air vests. I was chatting to someone who works in A&E recently about internal injuries and the view seemed to be that there is a ‘weak point’ if you have a fall and bend in the middle and that area would be more likely to take an impact than further up or down which would have more protection ….so the trick seems to be to be careful how you fall which of course isn’t always possible. A body protector will absorb part of the impact of a fall so may be better than nothing but both are the gold standard.
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A body protector offers much more protection than an air jacket. It also won’t 'fail' in any fall situation, such as when you don’t actually separate far enough away from the horse, eg when horse falls too.
If you really want the gold standard then look for an Exo cage. I have one, it is brilliant.
 
I bought mine from Your Horse Live in Nov 2014. I went to the P2 stand first and looked at their air jacket on a mannequin. I then went to the Hit Air stand and met with Rachel Ricci the MD of Hit Air.

She explained the jacket in detail and I tried it on and she then pulled the lanyard and set it off so I could see what it was like. I was impressed with the detail and to my untrained eye the P2 didn't even come close to the quality and additional coverage of the HA.

I think it cost £440 and I got three canisters and a spare lanyard in the deal. The month before I'd been catapulted out of the saddle and had actually done a 360 in the air before landing on my back. I was incredibly lucky not to have ended up seriously hurt - as it was I was left with traumatic injury to my left s.i joint which has plagued me ever since. This was the reasoning behind me buying an air jacket.

I set it off once on purpose, another time I had a very minor fall in it and never really did much competing after this point due to unrelated issues but I will use it for the next horse.
 
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