Is there anyway to tell if a hat is broken

[snooples]

So I had a fairly bad fall the other day where I fell on the road and was kncoked unconscience,and Iv no doubt my hat saved my life.

Now hat appears to be in exact same condition as before the fall and Im a bit low on money so I was wondering if there is any checks I can do to see if its ok or should I better be safe than sorry and fork out for a new one.
Iv never had a fall like this where my head has taken the brunt of the fall so never been in a position where I might have had to replace hat. So im not really sure how people decide when to get a new hat because of a fall.


I havent ridden in hat since the accident as I am injured so havent been putting myself at risk if the general consesus is to defo get a new hat!

 

[sam_m]

New hat I'm afraid, better to be safe than sorry.

 

[unbalanced]

Sorry you have to buy a new hat. Yours took the impact of your fall so the inside will be crushed especially if you were knocked out. The only way to know how badly is to have the makers test if but to do that they have to destroy it so either way you need a new hat. At least you are ok.

 

[snooples]

Ok that perfect, I was thinking thats what the answer would be alright, new hat for me so!


I really just asked as I was curious to know if there was any easy way to tell if its a write off!

 

[JustKickOn]

Sometimes they rattle when vigorously shaken!

Hope you're ok after your fall.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

With our motorbike helmets - if they hit the deck then they get chucked (and we cut the straps so they cannot be re-used)

It is possible to have a helmet x-rayed to check, but to be honest with a riding hat which is pretty cheap in comparison to bike helmets (decent ones start at £300 & go upwards) its not worth it.

As others have said - bin it

Tip: for old hats/helmets, cut off the straps & shove them (helmet, not straps! ) sideways into a hedge- they make brilliant bird nesting places

 

[snooples]

haha thats brilliant about the birds nests!

As Im here does Anyone have any good reccomendations for skull caps, my last one was a champion ventair which I did like quite a bit but it was many moons ago I bought it and im sure there is plenty more competition these days!

 

[its_noodles]

i would deffy get a new one...

 

[Rebels]

I get the simple Champion skullcaps, on my fourth now and saved my brain in 3 major falls when my head has taken the majority of impact , I've left the last 2 dented on the inside but not lost consciousness (the last one was debatable, I say no, friend says briefly but I was testing to make sure my neck wasn't broken before I moved!)

 

[snooples]

I just went and bought the exact same one on equestrian clearance for 40 euro less than my local tack shop.
I figured since i was buying online it was best to go for the same one as I know the exact right size for it and I was scared sizes might differenciate between brands and i prob end up with the completely wrong size, knowing my luck

 

[snooples]

I get the simple Champion skullcaps, on my fourth now and saved my brain in 3 major falls when my head has taken the majority of impact , I've left the last 2 dented on the inside but not lost consciousness (the last one was debatable, I say no, friend says briefly but I was testing to make sure my neck wasn't broken before I moved!)

All I can say is

 

[MungoMadness]

Unless you remove the shell and look at the core, which obviously cannot be undone, no Definately best to get it replaced.

Although you may find it interesting to take it all apart and have a look anyway. I did when I replaced my old hat and at the same time was doing a report on polymers for uni, I was sooooo surprised at how much damage mine had. I wouldn't have said I had any serious serious falls on it either. Bit of an eye opener!

 

[Rebels]

I space them well Snooples, every 10 months or so...
First was a pheasant flying up between the front legs of a super sharp youngster hacking up a steep grass hill on a wet day. He whipped round, shot down hill, my brand new reins snapped on one side. He then slipped, nearly fell and I javelined into the fence post. Hurt a bit but OK
Second was my 17.3 WB decided to semi rotate after getting a pole between his fore legs jumping a piddly fence. He fell at the perfects angle to catapult me head first into the sand. Left a nose shape dent on the right side on the forehead area of the hat. Still not sure how. Horse had immediate physio from on site chiropracter whilst I got my spare hat and rode second horse. Can't remember much of that lesson!
Third was on a race horse who ducked left on a circular gallop, hit the bank, lost its legs and fell. I used the chalk bank to stop via my head. Pretty sure I didn't get knocked out but kept still as my neck hurt a lot. Scraped up by trainer and walked horse back as he didn't want to miss the Grand National... Serious concussion and also post concussion syndrome. 4 months later I think I'm fine.

My point is that several of these hats looked OK from outside but saved me from serious damage, no way was I putting them back on, they were around £50 so not expensive. They did their job so I'm sticking with them!

 

[Blythwind]

I recently contacted Charles Owen after I had a fall, to find out if they could somehow scan/check my hat. They basically said that a hat is a hard shell with polystyrene underneath. When the hat takes an impact, the bubbles in the polystyrene pop and it compresses. The bubbles don't refill, so the hat is basically non repairable and should be replaced. You probably already know that, but if not i Hope that helps x

 

[theopuppy]

Stupid question ,but what if you drop it on the floor as I did the other day ? Still safe or not?

 

[Mike007]

Providing the outer shell isnt damaged it is ok. But dont do it again!. The polystyrene crushes and slows the impact down .If it has already crushed ,your neck gets the full force of the impact.Merely dropping a hat does not affect the polystyrene. The design and testing of these hats is bad enough without adding to the problems. I am told that Patey are bringing out a new design of hat that will meet the test criteria but actualy work!I am watching with interest.