Hat recommendations

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teach

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After a fall the other week resulting in a fractured (now plated) collar bone and fractured ribs, I've decided I really need a new helmet.
There seems to be so many more options than there used to be, gone are the days of Charles Owen or Gatehouse as the two choices...Does anyone have any recommendations for mid budget (none of these £1000 hats please!) helmet.
I will of course try any hat on before purchase!!!
 
It really comes down to the shape of your head. Some people have "Charles Owen" shaped heads and some people have "Gatehouse" shaped heads! The best thing to do is go and try I'm afraid. In so far as I have a preference (and incidentally a "Harry Hall" shaped head) I prefer the highest safety rating I can get for the money I am prepared to pay. I would love an HS1 - but it isn't comfortable.
 
You'd have to go to a shop and try them on. Charles Owen do not fit me at all, but Champion and Gatehouse do. I'd go to a shop and try on any that have good safety ratings and are within your budget that you like the look of! Many shops will be able to tell you which are likely to be the best fit based on what your current hat is, but you still need to try them on to make sure!
 
I find the Decathlon hats really great, and good value. It's too bad I can't use them in my riding school because they aren't PAS15, just BSEN1384 (European standard which is no longer good enough for the UK since 2016). If that doesn't matter for you, then I definitely recommend them.
Alternatively, Champion X-Air are lovely, and they are especially great if you have long hair because they have an adjustable little flap at the back for the hairnet to fit.
In the end, most brands still sell the following three types: skull, velvet and vent. As for the brand, as long as they fit and meet the standards (EU or UK), they are good enough for me. :)
 
Nici, it's not that EN1384 isn't good enough for the UK: the standard was withdrawn across the whole of the EU, and replaced on an interim basis by VG1.

Shay uses the same approach I use when hat shopping.
 
Echo that - the (BS)EN standard was withdrawn across the EU. It is the oldest hat standard and no longer considered a safe option by most EU bodies. Even the VG1 standard which replaced it is tested to 2014 levels - not 1997!

You can still compete in older safety standard hats in some high level showing, side saddle and high level dressage - top hats can't be made to modern safety standards. Nor can the western hat for western disciplines; although junior riders often have to wear a safety hat. Otherwise - why put your head at risk?

You can see the technical difference in the standards here http://www.beta-uk.org/media/safety/download/Riders - safety - hat standards.pdf but basically the difference is to the level of protection tested.

EN1384's protection is only tested by being dropped on a vertical plane from 75mm to land on its edge on a smooth surface - very few riders fall like that.
PAS015 added a level of crush resistance and above impact test, but onto a rough surface not a smooth one.
ASTM is basically the same test as PAS015 but has no crush resistance - so these hats tend to be slotted or vented.
SNELL is the highest standard with the hat not only have to resist a higher impact, but also impact from a sharp object simulating a horseshoe and impact with a rounded irregular object simulating a tree of fence.

All riding has risks - of course. And no hat will protect you 100% in the case of a fall. But for me - with a family to worry about - I want to be as safe as reasonably possible.
 
View said:
Nici, it's not that EN1384 isn't good enough for the UK: the standard was withdrawn across the whole of the EU, and replaced on an interim basis by VG1.

Shay uses the same approach I use when hat shopping.
Click to expand...

AAH, I see, thank you. That makes more sense, actually.
 
Shay said:
Echo that - the (BS)EN standard was withdrawn across the EU. It is the oldest hat standard and no longer considered a safe option by most EU bodies. Even the VG1 standard which replaced it is tested to 2014 levels - not 1997!

You can still compete in older safety standard hats in some high level showing, side saddle and high level dressage - top hats can't be made to modern safety standards. Nor can the western hat for western disciplines; although junior riders often have to wear a safety hat. Otherwise - why put your head at risk?

You can see the technical difference in the standards here http://www.beta-uk.org/media/safety/download/Riders - safety - hat standards.pdf but basically the difference is to the level of protection tested.

EN1384's protection is only tested by being dropped on a vertical plane from 75mm to land on its edge on a smooth surface - very few riders fall like that.
PAS015 added a level of crush resistance and above impact test, but onto a rough surface not a smooth one.
ASTM is basically the same test as PAS015 but has no crush resistance - so these hats tend to be slotted or vented.
SNELL is the highest standard with the hat not only have to resist a higher impact, but also impact from a sharp object simulating a horseshoe and impact with a rounded irregular object simulating a tree of fence.

All riding has risks - of course. And no hat will protect you 100% in the case of a fall. But for me - with a family to worry about - I want to be as safe as reasonably possible.
Click to expand...

Thank you, that was really interesting! I'll look out for SNELL when I next go hat-shopping. :thumbup:
 
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