New hat with MIPS help and advice gratefully received

[webble]

I could do with a new hat in the next few months and, having read lots of posts on here am looking at one with MIPS. I know the answer to which one is one that fits but stockists are all half hour away and not in the same direction so wanted to get as much info as possible before going to try on.

I don't have a bottomless budget and have narrowed it down to the uvex exxential 2 or the Charles owen ms1 pro. The Charles owen looks like a better quality product but the uvex looks more adjustable and of course fit will be the main factor. Does anyone have any experience good or bad before me and my wallet venture out please?

 

[AntiPuck]

I have the Uvex and it's great. In my opinion it's well-made, lightweight, well-ventilated, and the adjustability is very useful.

 

[Barlow]

I had an early CO one and was v annoyed when the lining fell out after a couple of months. To be fair to CO they sent me some glue dots but I changed to a Uvex as I had lost confidence in the CO and I haven’t looked back

 

[Jellymoon]

I recently bought the Uvex one online, and really like it. Comfortable and adjustable. I do it while I’m riding along too, give it a twiddle if it feels a bit loose!

 

[Tiddlypom]

I've got the Uvex Exxential MIPs and I'm very pleased with it. It's also much more flattering than my Gatehouse HS1, which while that is a minor consideration it helps .

I got mine fitted in store at Edgemere. They didn't have a CO one to try, so I can't comment on that.

 

[Nasicus]

Not a Uvex Mips helmet, but I recently bought the Uvex exxential II LED and I am a big fan of the adjustor dial on the back! Plus the hat overall is pretty nice, very light!

I recently bought the Uvex one online, and really like it. Comfortable and adjustable. I do it while I’m riding along too, give it a twiddle if it feels a bit loose!

Same here! I like that adjustability as I can tighten incrementally as my head/muscles adjust to the hat when riding, meaning it stays more secure throughout the ride. Means I don't have to choose between a hat that fits at the start but is looser by the end, or a hat that squashes my head at first but fits better by the end of the ride.

 

[Fieldlife]

I have had 2-3 Uvex Exxential hats over the years and loved them.

I am not so sure about the Uvex Exxential MIPs I bought in March this year. It is nowhere near as breathable or ventilated as the Exxential (non MIPS) and it is heavier. It is comfortable and adjustable. But I have got used to the coolness in summer of the non MIPs version.

I am considering buying a new non MIPs version for schooling / flatwork and keeping MIPS for hacking.

 

[webble]

I have had 2-3 Uvex Exxential hats over the years and loved them.

I am not so sure about the Uvex Exxential MIPs I bought in March this year. It is nowhere near as breathable or ventilated as the Exxential (non MIPS) and it is heavier. It is comfortable and adjustable. But I have got used to the coolness in summer of the non MIPs version.

I am considering buying a new non MIPs version for schooling / flatwork and keeping MIPS for hacking.

Ah well I think either will be cooler than my current Champion one. I have read that the MIPS isn't as cool

 

[webble]

I've got the Uvex Exxential MIPs and I'm very pleased with it. It's also much more flattering than my Gatehouse HS1, which while that is a minor consideration it helps .

I got mine fitted in store at Edgemere. They didn't have a CO one to try, so I can't comment on that.

Yes I've got Edgemere, Charlie's and Zebra all reasonably close

 

[Pippity]

I loved my Uvex Exxential but, when I had a fall wearing it, I came away with a concussion bad enough that I couldn't see properly for a few weeks. It could have just been a very bad fall that no hat could have protected me from (horse cleared a raised trotting pole by a good few feet and jumped me out of the saddle, landing on an arena surface) but I've been a little wary of them since, especially as they're only tested to VG1.

That said, I'll be spending a week or so trekking through NZ next year, and I'm tempted to pick up an Uvex just for the ventilation. I have a Gatehouse RXC1, which does have a vent, but it's nowhere near as effective as the Uvex was.

 

[HashRouge]

I loved my Uvex Exxential but, when I had a fall wearing it, I came away with a concussion bad enough that I couldn't see properly for a few weeks. It could have just been a very bad fall that no hat could have protected me from (horse cleared a raised trotting pole by a good few feet and jumped me out of the saddle, landing on an arena surface) but I've been a little wary of them since, especially as they're only tested to VG1.

.

Was that a MIPs one though?

 

[webble]

Ok so next question, I'm normally a size 2 or 57cm and the uvex goes 55-57 then 57-59 if I ring somewhere to check stock before I go which am I likely to need? I'm thinking the smaller one

 

[Tiddlypom]

The smaller one, probably. I'm a full up 59cm and the 57-59 fits me with room to spare.

 

[webble]

The smaller one, probably. I'm a full up 59cm and the 57-59 fits me with room to spare.

Thank you

 

[Pippity]

Was that a MIPs one though?

No, but it's made me wary of the extremely lightweight, well-ventilated style of hat as a whole, especially when they aren't PAS or SNELL.

As I said, it's possibly a fall that even a heavier hat couldn't have protected me from - I don't remember enough of it to say - but it's a personal "What if...?" that I find hard to ignore.

 

[ThreeFurs]

Can you get Back on Track products over there? I've got the EQ Lynx and its very good, MIPS and seems quite a bit less expensive than Charles Owen etc. It comes in three sizes with an adjustable dial.
"EQ3 Lynx riding helmet has the latest brain safety technology for the equine industry (MIPS). Comfortable, well ventilated and adjustable.
Rating: 4.8 · ‎43 reviews · ‎$425.00 · "

 

[webble]

WI'll have

Can you get Back on Track products over there? I've got the EQ Lynx and its very good, MIPS and seems quite a bit less expensive than Charles Owen etc. It comes in three sizes with an adjustable dial.
"EQ3 Lynx riding helmet has the latest brain safety technology for the equine industry (MIPS). Comfortable, well ventilated and adjustable.
Rating: 4.8 · ‎43 reviews · ‎$425.00 · "

I will go and look thank you

 

[HashRouge]

No, but it's made me wary of the extremely lightweight, well-ventilated style of hat as a whole, especially when they aren't PAS or SNELL.

As I said, it's possibly a fall that even a heavier hat couldn't have protected me from - I don't remember enough of it to say - but it's a personal "What if...?" that I find hard to ignore.

My understanding though is that MIPs is a system specifically designed to protect against injuries like the one you had, so I would imagine that the UVEX hat with MIPs and the one without will be very different products. That's just my limited understanding though! I know Bunnydog on here had a very nasty incident where her MIPs hat saved her from a traumatic brain injury after a loose horse jumped out of an arena and landed on her.

 

[ThreeFurs]

MIPS - Multi-directional Impact Protection System - doesn't look like much. If you take the helmet padded liner out, there's a piece of attached yellow plastic [like a stiff document sleeve type plastic] and this is only loosely secured to the helmet itself, so when your head presses up against it, it slips around a bit. This is the low friction liner. Very high tech research and background, but, at end of the day, simply achieved. Very popular for bike and snow helmets.

Bought mine around same time I bought a 4 y o wb mare ... [the latter I no longer have, but I treasure my mips helmet and beta 3 rated back protector]

 

[webble]

Update to say I went with the uvex one and after a bit if faffing with the dial it's lovely and comfortable. Did 11 miles in it on Mon and my head was lovely and cool at the end