More XC Safety thoughts - how old are your hat/bp/boots?

Despie the fact that I don't do anything scary like XC, I'm a stickler for replacing my hat every two years, or sooner if necessary and I probably really annoy other people by reminding them to replace their hats
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My BP is less than 2 years old but I can quite understand that the foam would have a shelf life and it will need replacing in the next few years.

It's amazing how many people are replying to say "i really should get round to replacing my hat but..." It would be great if H&H and perhaps some of the hat/BP manufacturers ran an 'old hat/BP amnesty campaign' whereby those giving up their aged safety equipment could get a discount off new stuff. Might give people a little extra push...
 
chloe, as above, you can take all the foam pieces out and wash it properly. i only did this once after a spectacularly muddy fall, when the grass stains and mud smears wouldn't budge, it's a bit of a faff but washes well and doesn't shrink (well, wash on low temp obv!)
it is a bit of a shock though, seeing how thin those bits of foam are, it removed a lot of the mystique for me - i stopped thinking of it as a magical life saver and realised that actually all it'll do is reduce the bruises if i'm lucky.
i think you need to be touching up bp manufacturers for a new bp, surely your lovely sponsors Charles Owen will heed your plight...
just cos your old one is pretty colours, honestly, bin it girl!
 
Hmmmmmm

Think I need a new back protector. Mine must be 7-8 years old and a couple of years ago I had a still fall schooling and landed really heavily on the bottom of my back.

On a positive a good excuse to change XC colours!!!!
 
I had no idea you could wash the bits!
I've had that BP 11years and it never dawned on me to see if I could wash it
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honestly sometimes I question my intelligence what a bimbo!!!

bin it? NEVER!!!! *runs off to find precious 11year old bp and hug it even though it stinks and is covered in sweat*

Serously though I will look to replace it for next season but am holding back till we are deffo doing predominantly PN and also im my case with xc being our good phase I'm much more likely to fall off and land on a fence in the sj! and you don't even wear a bp for that!
 
haha, i am very emotionally attached to my 'lucky' rugby shirt (about 18 years old and counting) but not my bp.... good job! at least i wash it every time!
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if your bp really is that old, you probably might as well wrap yourself in bubblewrap. might be more protective actually, a bit sweaty though.
i think a beautifully worded plea to your sponsor, saying you've only just been told about the shelf-life of a bp, and that yours was bought when dinosaurs still roamed the earth, would be well worth the effort.
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Without meaning to totally thread-jack.
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Those who wear bp's, do you wear them at competitions only, or schooling/hacking as well?

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for xc at events and xc schooling, always.
for backing and early work on unpredictable 4 yr olds - all the time.
(someone on here got bucked off a youngster at home without a bp one day and landed on the sleepers round the edge of the arena, breaking ribs... ouchies. no thanks.)
if i don't trust the horse not to do something totally daft (and 4 yr olds are ace at this) i always wear a bp. i know how fast the little gits can drop me if something goes wrong!
there are very lightweight ones around, the ones Endospink (on youtube, fantastic horse behaviourist etc) has on his website look very light and comfortable but a LOT better than nothing.
 
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i think a beautifully worded plea to your sponsor, saying you've only just been told about the shelf-life of a bp, and that yours was bought when dinosaurs still roamed the earth, would be well worth the effort.
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I think they do the Kan-Teq in 2 diff 'bust shapes', but most eventers go for the 'flatter' version!
still, must be nice to be able to get something comfy if you do actually have anything up there!
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Will agree - Kan-Teq comfy up front, however, seriously uncomfortable back panel. Not at all flexibly, and very restrictive of scapula movements.
 
last year the sales woman for Kan-Teq told me they didnt make a body protector to fit me, i think i have too little up there and am too long.
i need a new hat as it is 3 years old and my BP is 4 years i think. gonna be a big christmas this year
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QR had heard this about body protecters so replaced mine last year. Also replaced the girls in the last 2 yrs, but they had outgrown them.

HS1 hat is 18mths old, but only used for competing and xc schooling.

GPA worn every day in the summer should really be relaced next year
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, really suspose skull cap work in the winter should be replaced this yr
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, I can see what I will be spending my birthday money on!!
 
hat is about 2 years old but im currently looking to buy a nice new gpa speed air
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and my bp is a good 5 years old at least but only bought for very occasional xc and meant 2 where it when i break my youngsters but i never ever do
 
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All my competition hats are less than 18 months old, that includes my XC hat. I only wear these once a week so I'll be hoping to have them a bit longer than 3 years tbh.

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But the issue is not really how much you wear them, more that after 3 years, the foam inside your hat/BP is towards the end of it's "shelf life" and will not offer as much protection as new foam. Old foam will become brittle and less able to squash and disperse energy if needed.

This is why I buy a hat to wear on a daily basis as well as competition, means I "grudge" replacing it less as I feel I've had my money's worth by wearing it so much!

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What I'm saying is my everyday hat I replace every 3 years and my competition hats every 4 ish unless I fall off. I do also keep my comp hats in a dark place too, in the hope that'll make them last longer.

I would wear mine for both although I have a habit of banging my head on things - when not on the horse and scratching the velvet off
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Hi - I have a Kan and wouldn't be withouit it. Seriously comfortable, and when I compare it with my old bp I can't believe I ever wore anything else. Definitely to be tried!! They do 2 different back lengths (one for shorties like me!!) so you should be able to get one that fits.
 
I'm a bit late to this party.

As I am just about to get into XC, my BP is brand new. I have three good hats, two with peaks and one without and I have a slightly different attitude towards safety equipment, as I have ridden motorcycles since I was 16. This means I regard crash helmets, gloves and even leathers as disposable items. My current helmet cost around £400 and my leathers around £200 for the two piece and double that for the one piece, cheap gloves cost £40 a pair and really good ones £150.

By comparison, replacing a £70 Ventair in the event of a heavy impact is nothing and if I get into XC on a regular basis I will be buying the best helmet I can get my hands on. I am not wealthy, but as I only have one head and one brain, I figure I had better look after them.
 
I keep asking my friend who came off in May whether she's replaced her hat yet (given that she was completely knocked out) and I just get a mumbled answer!

I swear I saw the Kanteq at Tweseldown (recognize the logo now that I've googled it) and it looked really good - think it was on a trade stand. The best bit is that it's shaped over the boobs (not a problem for me, but for others
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glad to see this thread is still mumbling on!
i think Neil's got the right idea - safety equipment as disposable items. they protect you once, wow, you still have an intact skull, and then you thankfully replace them.
the trouble is, we horsey people are SO used to low-tech stuff (e.g. tack made of leather) that improves with age, that goes on for donkey's years, that it's a real wrench to chuck something that still LOOKS okay in the bin!
teapot, i haven't seen a Kan-Teq yet but i'll have a look at Burghley. i've heard they're heavier than normal bps (but, as the foam is properly shaped, also comfier) but i think it's got to be worth it for the increased protectiveness, the biker-protection technology. also, the foam doesn't go obsolete after 5yrs ish, or after one good impact, it behaves unlike normal foam. amazing stuff.
 
Yeah, it looked really good, as in there was something quite, not impressive as that's the wrong word but a definite case of this is far more than the normal BPs you can get on the market at the moment. Deffo worth the £225 price tag.

If and when I come to need to buy a new BP - it'll deffo be at the top of my list!
 
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