New hat needed!! Recommendations?

atlantis

atlantis

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So I'm hopefully gonna have something to ride soon and I have a pending trip to yhl coming up, I need a new hat.

I've always had skull caps, but the likelihood of my doing cross country in the future is slim so I was thinking of a peaked hat.

I liked the one that Charlotte Du Jardin wore at the Olympics, which I think is Charles Owen but I've never got one of them to fit as I have a pretty oval head.

So any recommendations? I don't have an enormous budget but obviously will pay what I need to to be safe. Was thinking £100 - £150 max!!
 
Fruitless afternoon as they didn't have the one I went to try. Came away with a 120 quid Charles Owen one but I wore it driving home and it gave me a sore head so I am taking it back (checked I could before I bought it!).
 
I've recently bought a Champion Skull ventair but I wouldn't buy another -my head gets really hot and I look like a beetroot. The fit is fine but it doesn't breath very well - great when its cold like now but in the summer its too much. I also have a Just Togs ?HC2 traditional velvet covered hat and that's lovely - looks nice and is really comfy and cool (temperature not coooool man)
 
I ride day to day in a Harry hall legend... It's fabulous. Light, and in pretty colours :)

I have one in brown/tan and one in PINK!! For the times that I feel the need to act like a small child and play ponies... Which is regularly!
 
i fin that people who fit charles owen j3 jockey skull will not fit te gatehouse vice versa. i tried on both, the gatehouse gae me a horrid headach ust after a couple of minutes, an then i tried the j3, and i love it! so comfy, and light, my he doesnt get horribly hot and sweaty even in summer on long hacks, it is great, love it!
my friend though, has a gatehouse and she loves hers, and doesnt really like my hat. So it all depends on the shape of your head really. best thing, to go to a shop and try loads of them on, you can always not buy one from a shop ut at least you will have the exact hat and size that you can look for online :)
 
Hi,

I'm not going to recommend as what suits one won't necessarily suit you - most hats have a slightly different fit/shape. You're better off finding a tack shop and trying different hats out/being measured properly until you find something that suits you. :D

Even if you have a travel a way to find a good tack/riding wear shop - it's well worth it for something that - all being well should last you many years......
 
Yep..find a good tack shop with a properly trained fitter. Mine made me try various hats and leave them on for at least 5 mins each time. Most of the ones I though were comfy she rejected as they were too big. So left to my own devices I'd have chosen the wrong hat. I've got a Charles owen as I have a more oval head. It felt tight to me but the fitter was right as it's really comfy and I don't feel it once I've squashed my bonce into it.
 
A third vote for the properly trained fitter route. I've just bought a new hat which I don't like the look of much but was the only one that actually fitted. I must have tried on 20 hats all at least twice in selecting a hat which I then wore round the shop for half an hour before I actually bought it. It is really comfortable and I know it will do it job which is saving my head not making an equine fashion statement.
 
Kat said:
Charles Owen hats don't fit me either, but gatehouse ones fit beautifully.
Click to expand...

This^^^ I recently bought the H.S.1 gatehouse hat in silver and it's amazing! I love it, it's sooo comfy:D I'd previously tried on champion and charles owen hats and they were too round for my head shape and although they weren't uncomfortable, I didn't think "Wow, I love it!"

Only problem for you is that it's not peaked. Gatehouse do do a lightweight ventilated hat which is used by the UK endurance team (according to the sales people who were selling it!), which my mum bought at hoys last month because she wanted a new ventilated one! http://www.gatehouserange.co.uk/gatehouse-airrider-helmet-p-266.html
 
elliebrewer98 said:
This^^^ I recently bought the H.S.1 gatehouse hat in silver and it's amazing! I love it, it's sooo comfy:D I'd previously tried on champion and charles owen hats and they were too round for my head shape and although they weren't uncomfortable, I didn't think "Wow, I love it!"

Only problem for you is that it's not peaked. Gatehouse do do a lightweight ventilated hat which is used by the UK endurance team (according to the sales people who were selling it!), which my mum bought at hoys last month because she wanted a new ventilated one! http://www.gatehouserange.co.uk/gatehouse-airrider-helmet-p-266.html
Click to expand...

I've had Champions for years and they fitted ok and were comfy enough but when I tried a new one on at Burghley it felt awful and perched. I tried a CO on and had to go up two sizes (I didn't even know they made hats that big) and then they padded it - I wasn't happy with a hat that needed so much padding, I've never needed padding before, OH has a bit in his but it soon squashes down and starts to degrade. I then tried on the gateshouse HS1 and it felt more comfy than any other riding hat I had ever tried on.

I went to the gatehouse stand and tried a velvet peaked one on too and that was comfy as well, they also make vented peaked styles but I was less interested in those.

If you want a traditional velvet then the just togs one looks really good and is a VERY reasonable price, my OH has one and if it fitted me I would have one but doesn't so I'm saving for the gatehouse hickstead. OH has had the peaked vented sj style just togs hats too and they are pretty good quality for the money.

You do need to try as many on as possible really.
 
I got a harry hall legend in summer and love it! soo light you barley feel it on your head but feels really sturdy and safe at the same time. was only £60 and waaay better than charles owen ones I've had before which were £100+
comes in such nice colours as well, I got the black embossed/snake skin one its so lush!
 
Wow thanks everyone for the advice. I think the gatehouse ones look great and if they fit people who don't fit co hats then they might be a good place to start. I'll have a look at who is at yhl next week as I think it'll be a good place to try loads of different hats on.

I like the idea of the dial adjustment. My oh is a cyclist and has had a dail adjust hat for years. He's never been able to understand why horse riding hats didn't have them, but they have obviously started since I last bought a hat!!
 
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