Hi all!
I am venturing over here from H/J land. I am wanting to buy a vest to ride in and would love to know what everyone’s preferences are!
It seems the latest “trendy” thing in H/J land is to wear an air vest on its own, but it is my understanding (and please correct me if I am wrong) that for it to be truly effective, you would need a hard shell vest underneath.
I am looking at hard-shell vests and am eyeing the Airowear Outlyne Body Protector.
Thanks in advance!
Welcome! My vote is the Tipperary Event Vest would be the best way to go. They seem to be lighter and a little more movable in than the Airowear (I have had both)… If you do find yourself out at a recognized event, the body protector is needed underneath of an Air Vest, just FYI. See you out on the XC!
I want rib protection (having broken ribs and punctured my lung when not wearing a vest). My old Charles Owens which doesn’t seem to be in production anymore give rib protection rather than laces at the ribs. my understanding is that ribs are often broken when one falls on their arm.
I’m all about the Champion Titanium. Most comfy and cool out there!
CO vests are now manufactured under the name Airowear. I have one of the Outlynes and LOVE IT.
Well this was a timely article!
https://www.usef.org/media/equestrian-weekly/equestrian-air-vests-what-you-need-to-know?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EQ%20Weekly%20-%2009.15.20%20-%20Non%20Members%20(1)&utm_content=
I have a Champion Ti22 and I love it. I had a Tipperary previously and I feel my new vest is a huge step up quality wise.
And yes, you are correct. Air vests are made to be worn over regular body protector. However, many many people seem to disregard that fact.
Really love my RaceSafe body protector! It is rated for the highest level of protection by British Eventing and is quite light. After having it on for a few minutes I forget I’m wearing it, even in the heat of the summer. It has excellent rib protection- properly fitted, there are no gaps in the foam.
Another vote for the Champion here! My friend has the RaceSafe and really likes it too. I think they are pretty similar in that they have thick, perforated foam squares held in a segmented nylon-shell vest. Both have top safety rating.
Hubby uses a Vipa 3.
It’s lightweight and he said it barely feels like he’s wearing anything.
I used to use a Tipperary and recently got a Racesafe ProRace 3.0 for my birthday and let me tell you, the Racesafe is so much lighter and well vented. I still have my tipperary and will use it, but for XC my Racesafe is my go to. I got mine from Soteria and while I think it was around $310 (the bigger your size the more expensive it is :uhoh:) that’s only $11 more than a Tipperary I think? Either work very well but ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Also, about air vests, I’d be careful just because I’ve read a bit about them exploding inwards and injuring someone more then they were already. Idk how much info there is on them though, I haven’t read much about them, so it could’ve just been a fault vest or something.
@Hoofbeat_Heartbeat There’s a new company that started that only carries rider PPE. They carry a ton of brands so they might be worth checking out - www.rideequisafe.com
I’m another for Racesafe. Lots of options for sizing, comfortable and have a great safety rating. I’ve worn mine in hot/dry, hot/humid, cold/icey and cold/damp and have been comfortable. I actually wore it today and the only time I really noticed it while I cooled off my horse.
I’m interested in what the differences are in the Racesafe models… there website has the Racesafe ProVent 3.0, RS2010, and the ProRace 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0. All of the descriptions extol their virtues- how lights and flexible they are. But I can’t really tell what the differences are based on that. Nor do I think I’ll find a US retailer that has all of them in stock to try on. I’d love to hear some first hand experiences or knowledge.
Another vote for the Racesafe vests - I have the ProVent 3.0 and I barely notice it once it is on. I really liked that they come in a much wider variety of sizes, including variable lengths. I have a very short torso, so most vests are too long and push up when I am seated, which is not ideal. In addition, the Racesafe is one of the few that has shoulder pads. There is sufficient research to support that the shoulder pads reduce the risk of collar bone fracture that I wanted a vest with shoulder pads.
I wear an air vest over my Racesafe when I’m jumping cross country. I also wear it by itself when I am riding faster than a walk over uneven ground, because I don’t bounce any more and it will help more than having nothing on. Mine (Hit Air) inflates in such a way that I am not concerned with it causing injury if it inflates without a regular vest under it.
The RS2010 and the ProVent 3.0 are compared in detail here: https://racesafe.co.uk/blogs/journal/choosing-a-model-the-difference-between-the-provent-3-0-and-the-rs2010-body-protectors
I’ve ridden in the Outlyne for three years and like it a lot. It’s the only vest I’ve worn on such a regular basis, so I can’t really compare it to anything else.
I decided to buy the Outlyne because of the variety of sizes that made it possible to get one that really fit.
THANK YOU!!
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