New crashcap - has made my head go numb. Is this right?!!!!!!!!!

Christmas Crumpet

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Bought a new crashcap today (was fitted at saddlers) because my old hat has got rather large on my peahead.

I am a 51/52 cm head (weeny I know). Have been wearing new hat at my desk to wear it in but when I take it off it has made the top of my head go numb and it feels very secure and I'm sure if I wore it hunting tomorrow I'd get a headache. I am sure this isn't right. Please can someone confirm that my new hat is too small or will it stretch a bit after being worn?!!!
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My friend had one fitted in a tack shop and she got a head ache more or less as soon as she put it on! She told the lady fitting it, it was fare to tight but she said it would adjust to the shape of her head!
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She didnt get the hat!
 
Might take it back and get the next size up tomorrow. Don't fancy having a headache every time I ride!! I know they should be tight but surely not so tight that it makes my head go numb!!
 
My new one gives me a numb head if i go for a hack, but if i have a lesson/compete it is usually ok.
Will not be hunting in that one though, think that might give me a headache, they do usually stretch though and i have ended up stuffing mine with cotton wool!!
 
They should be tight enough that you skin moves with the front of it if you wobble the hat around, but I think a headache/numbness is way too tight!

BTW, yes, that's a teeny head!!! Mind you, as long as you're not 6'7", I'm sure you're perfectly normal.
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I'm a trained hat fitter and as others have said, a hat should definitely not give you a headache or any numbness. At the side of the hat where your temples are, you should be able to just fit the tips of your finger up the side. Any tightness in this area is generally what causes headaches.
With the hat on, gently rock it backwards and forwards and the hat should not slide but your eyebrows should move up and down! Also push the bottom of the back of the hat up, it should not slide forwards. These are only a couple of pointers out of many that ensure a hat fits, but are the most general.
hats don't stretch but the padding inside the rim does mould to your head and can go a little thinner in places as it beds in. So a very small amount of 'snugness' is fine but nothing more!
HTH
 
I have to say, some hat fitters aren't all they're supposedly qualified to be. I had one of my children's hats fitted by a qualified fitter, and IMO the hat was ridiculously too big, it fell over their eyes all the time!

Try a different make of hat. It may be that the size is right but the 'make' doesnt suit your head shape. Also traditional velvet and scull caps can have different shaping to one another, so try a different style
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My other jockey scull used to give me a bit of a headache after 30 minutes, however when I went to get measured...years later they fitter measure me for the same size hat 6 7/8's (which is small, not sure what it is in cm's) but they did say they do give a bit, but I tried the next size up and they said it was not a correct snug fit and would be too big.

May we have odd shaped heads
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I have to say charlie is quite right, most hat styles fit differently ie: skull caps are more round in shape, ventairs are very oval shaped etc...therefore a 6 7/8's in one style may not fit you in another! For some people (like me) I can only ever wear skull caps as my head is quite round!! My normal size in a ventair etc is too big and as I go smaller in size, they 'perch'.
One thing I would say is always ask to see the hat fitters certificate and see who it was issued by. Some people call themselves qualified, when in actual fact, they have had a half hours 'training' off the hat distributors...a different thing altogether! I had my cert. in a frame next to the hat display so that anyone could examine it if they so wished. One good question to ask is what the hat is made of inside....a properly qualified fitter will be able to tell you exactly what is in there and exactly what happens to it when you fall or drop it!
 
its too small
you should be able to wear it happily for at least 1/2 an hour even when breaking it in as you are only breaking it in to the shape of your head

take it back is my advice
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As with previous opinions I think the shape of the hat is often as relevant as the size. I had a skull cap for years then got a beagler style one. Its never really fitted perfectly and always gives me a headache so I'm going back home to pick up a skull cap that I forgot I had! I suggest going back to the shop and trying on a variety of brands/styles before you make a decision.
 
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