just measured my head for new hat? what size would you go for

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SKY

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none of my tack shops has this hat i want, charles owen J3. so have to get online, i really like it, as want a skull as i think is safest. also a very low profile one that doesnt make me look like i have massize head. which most skull caps do.
so ddecided to measure my head of course i am a size that doesnt exist. 58 1/2 cms. which is 2 3/4 inches. hat is done in 2 1/2 or 3. what to do, dont want to lose or tight.. what you all think. has been years since i got hat and mine is done, ready for bin.
what would you do. can tighten tape to 58 and loosen to 59 but why is there no in between.

http://www.robinsons-uk.com/product...arentGroupCode=0104&groupCode=01402#sku.20216
 
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Have you tried the hat on before? or at least another charles owen hat?

I have a CO and my mum had a champion and I swear I can't actually think in the Champion because it squashes my forehead into my brain.

I would think very carefully about buying a hat that you hadn't tried before - you can't take them back so if you get one that doesn't suit you or doesn't fit,that's a very expensive mistake!!

could you not find the closest stockist and go for a day trip? even if it's 2 hours away, it would be better than getting the hat and finding it useless!
 
any chance you can find out if your head is oval or round. if it is round then the Charles Owen will be an ok shape , if it is oval then it won't fit. Trouble is it is impossible to advise which to buy as you can't normally return a hat that doesn't fit. If you are planning on buying on line check their returns policy very carefully with regard to hats.
 
I wouldn't buy a hat without trying it and getting it properly fitted unless I had tried the exact design on in the past. When I bought my current hat I ordered the exact same as my previous one, and when I first got it I wished I'd had a half size bigger so you really can't tell without trying it first.

If your local tack shop stocks other CO hats then they may be able to order you one in with no obligation, several near me will do this. If it is no good to you they either return it to the manufacturer or sell it to someone else. Ask and see what they say, I find the small independants are better for this.

Alternatively why not have a day trip to robinsons or rideaway or try and buy it at Your Horse Live, HOYS or another equestrian event. I think horse trials and shows are the best place to buy items like hats and body protectors because you can try several brands on all on the same day, whereas many shops only stock a couple of brands.


PS your head isn't massive at all, I wear a size 4!!!! :eek:
 
i would urge you to try it on.......if it is too big even just slightly it runs the risk of slipping forwards and blocking your vision....(speaking from experience)
I have got a tiny head, a size 1 1/2 is verging on being too big.
I went to a show and the catch on mine broke and so i borrowed one that was only slightly too big and i did a jumping class and partway through the course it slid down and covered my eyes. Pony i was riding was quite young and was pulling like a train and messing about a bit and so i couldnt use a hand to push it back up again and it all got a bit scary.
Also if it slops about it will drive you mad constantly having to push it back into place.
Double check first that they will definately take it back and refund if it is too big alot of places wont have hats/body protectors back.
 
Rather than run the risk of wasting any money, maybe you can go and take an outing to a tack store first, and try loads of different makes and models of hats on and get it properly fitted- they really do all vary so much, and some head shapes are more suited to jockey skulls and some more suited to a velvet or GPA style hat.

If the hat is slightly too big you can get strips to put in the sides of the hat to pad it out, but a trained hat fitter would be the best person to advise you really. Too small and it will give you headaches and leave marks on your forehead!

I've a really awkward shaped head and I must drive the sales assistants scatty in tack shops as they always have to get loads for me to try on, and then normally only one fits me, if I'm lucky!
 
thanks for advice, think your all right. just really want one now, as will be a few weeks before i am free to go further a field to get one as mine is really ready for bin its that old. its just the 2 beside me is useless. thanks for help
 
You really should have it properly fitted.

People who fit themselves usually plump for too big and then wonder why it moves after a month of wear. The industry is pushing for rules to say that you can't by a hat unless properly fitted and they're right to do so IMO.

It really is worth waiting and driving somewhere that stocks it to get it fitted. Will one of your local shops not order it in for you and fit it?
 
If you have an oval head I suspect that you will be out of luck with a CO, I wanted one of the CO velvets for hunting, but couldn't get anything that didn't either give me a blinding headache or was dangerously loose at the sides. From memory I think I went with a Champion and I think a "Just Togs" in the end as a crash hat, ended up getting a Patey for hunting.

I would seriously suggest that you spend time with a fitter, where they will let you keep the hat on for a while rather than just a quick "Yes that one fits!", even if you end up buying one over the net, it still wont be padded properly to fit your own headshape.

Better get it right first time, for safety and also its difficult to sell on a "Used" riding hat, even if its only been on your head once/twice...I certainly wouldn't buy one, at £100 a throw (no pun intended!) it could be an expensive mistake to make
 
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