BOT Trauma Void Helmet help

[kiwichick]

I hope you dont mind me asking here, but this is such a knowlegable place.

I want to purchase a Back on Track Trauma Void helmet, but I cannot buy one locally, in fact I think I will need to ship in from the USA.
Most threads on this already compare the Trauma Void to the Charles Owen of which I have never owned.

Can anyone explain the difference between the 2 types, the linx and the EQ3?

Also I only just worked out that my oval face doesnt mean I have an oval head, its neither really round or really oval according to the piece of wire I just measured it with.
I wear a OneK defender that I dont like for a variety of reasons and its not the best fit.
I have previously been a GPA wearer, and my home hat now is a GPA Easy or something which I love, but doesnt have the new non EN standards.

Any advice of which I should be looking at?
And any advice of where I should buy from that has international shipping.

[HJdaydream]

I heard it’s best to size up. I wear a Samshield, which fits my head shape perfectly, and even 2 sizes up the Trauma Void didn’t fit me AT ALL. I am so bummed because I really wanted one. It felt super high and perched up on top of my head, and really tight across my forehead- even multiple sizes bigger then my typical size.

[kiwichick]

oh no.
This is how I feel about the OneK. Its giant bobble head thing, and the haness sits weird and gave me a sore jaw a few times.

Did you try both types @HJdaydream

[KBC]

@kiwichick

oh no.
This is how I feel about the OneK. Its giant bobble head thing, and the haness sits weird and gave me a sore jaw a few times.

This is why there is just no substitute for trying on helmets, my OneK is without doubt the most comfortable helmet I have ever worn, everything about it just works for me.

[HJdaydream]

@kiwichick I only tried the EQ3

[JenEM]

@HJdaydream

I heard it’s best to size up. I wear a Samshield, which fits my head shape perfectly, and even 2 sizes up the Trauma Void didn’t fit me AT ALL. I am so bummed because I really wanted one. It felt super high and perched up on top of my head, and really tight across my forehead- even multiple sizes bigger then my typical size.

This is kind of how I felt too, except my usual helmet is the oval OneK. I had a fall and needed to replace, and really wanted to like the Trauma Void. Safe, looks nice, was very lightweight. I tried sizing up two sizes, and it still felt too small and perched on my head. Ended up going back with the same fit/size of OneK I’d previously been wearing. If the OneK was an awful fit for you, the BOT hat might be a great fit for you, since I found the opposite to be true!

That said, ordering a hat you already have and need to replace is fine, but I would never buy without trying on, even if it’s just trying on a barnmate’s hat to see if the shape works before ordering one.

[ActNatural]

I couldn’t get the trauma void to got at all! :no: I really wanted one. I ordered my normal size and it was way too small so sent it back and ordered one size up and still too small! It perched on my head. It looked ridiculous. I ended up sending it back and ordering my usual CO jr8. A few months later I was in a shop with the trauma voids and tried on two sizes larger and it was too big. I probably could have messed around with the lining but that’s getting too complicated when the CO fits like a glove.

[kiwichick]

@JenEM

That said, ordering a hat you already have and need to replace is fine, but I would never buy without trying on, even if it’s just trying on a barnmate’s hat to see if the shape works before ordering one.

These hats arent available in Australia at all, so nowhere to try one

[CanteringCarrot]

Sometimes they’re cheaper in Europe and many places do worldwide shipping from here. So maybe you could find a European tack shop to work with that would let you return the helmet.

I mean, US is fine too, but I don’t find as much worldwide shipping from there.

The EQ3 did not work for me at all. It just kind of sat atop my head and wasn’t deep enough. No matter the size. A bit too round too. My OneK is marginally better. I’m intrigued by the Lynx version.

[js]

@kiwichick

oh no.
This is how I feel about the OneK. Its giant bobble head thing, and the haness sits weird and gave me a sore jaw a few times.

I had the same experience with the OneK, the bottom of the strap goes straight forward instead of down (for lack of a way to explain it), I couldn’t get the chin part to stay under my chin which made the helmet want to sit wrong. I’ve noticed a few other helmet brands (new ones) that have made their chin straps exactly the same. I didn’t try the Trauma Void, I ended up with a Kask.

[SolarFlare]

I don’t think we have the Lynx model in North America - it’s in Europe only.

I have the EQ3. I also have a small head (6 5/8). I ordered the same size that I wear in the CO GR8 and it fits. Yes, it’s a shallower helmet, but it works for my head shape.

FWIW, I have tried on the GPA Easy and it doesn’t fit me at all, whereas the EQ3 does, so OP I’d be concerned about that. Can you try on some Charles Owen helmets near you?I find the EQ3 is similar to the GR8. I also have the AYR8 but it’s a bit too oval for me.

There’s also been posts about the harness. It’s a bit weird - it comes pretty far forward. The first couple rides I thought I was going to eat the chin strap, but then it settled and it’s fine now, but the angle is still more than on other helmets I’ve had.

[kiwichick]

I can see this isnt going to be as easy as i had hoped.
thank you @SolarFlare thats exactly what i needed to hear.

With regardsto the OneK harness i only notice it if i wear it for a long period, because its my competition helmet i dont wear it often, but my jaw has been very sore on about 3 occasions.

As an aside has anyone else noticed the price of helmets just going up and up? It used to be $50 for a helmet and the 2 types were black or white.
​​​​​​​Now its $500 for middle of the range!

[Dewey]

@SolarFlare

I don’t think we have the Lynx model in North America - it’s in Europe only.

I have the EQ3. I also have a small head (6 5/8). I ordered the same size that I wear in the CO GR8 and it fits. Yes, it’s a shallower helmet, but it works for my head shape.

FWIW, I have tried on the GPA Easy and it doesn’t fit me at all, whereas the EQ3 does, so OP I’d be concerned about that. Can you try on some Charles Owen helmets near you?I find the EQ3 is similar to the GR8. I also have the AYR8 but it’s a bit too oval for me.

There’s also been posts about the harness. It’s a bit weird - it comes pretty far forward. The first couple rides I thought I was going to eat the chin strap, but then it settled and it’s fine now, but the angle is still more than on other helmets I’ve had.

This echoes my experience. I have a typical “Charles Owen head,” and my EQ3 in the same size fits OK but a bit differently. It’s shallower, and the chin strap definitely took a little getting used to.

[pattnic]

I don’t think the Lynx is available in the United States - only the EQ3. I ended up with the same size as I wear in my CO AYR8 (and previous GR8), which is a perfect fit for me. The fit is a bit different than the CO, so I tried on both a size up and a size down. A size up was too large, and a size down was definitely too small. For comparison, I also tried on a brand-new CO AYR8; the feel between the EQ3 and CO, in terms of snugness, was very similar.

Riding Warehouse does note in their description that the helmet is a better fit for a round head.

[ladipus]

Sadly the BOT trauma void didn’t fit my shape head at all…my Samshield fits me perfectly and is very comfortable…I use that for shows …I’ve also have a GPA First Lady which got oddly big on me after a few years of use …perhaps new padding/liner might help , and I’ve got an older Charles Owen that was comfy but also got too big over the years …surprisingly my cheap Tipperary Eventer helmet fits like a glove and is very comfy …as much as I wanted the BOT helmet because of the safety it just didn’t fit and was not comfortable at all

[inca]

I wore mine for the first time today. Same size as my Charles Owen and my Samshield. It fit fine but is different. Took a few minutes to get used to it.

[vineyridge]

The helmets are made in Sweden, so finding a European source would allow purchase of the Lynx as well as the EQ3. It has been said that the Lynx is more oval, IIRC.

[Can_tFindMyWhip]

I have the EQ3. I think the profile flatters everyone but people with “Charles Owen” heads. I have a pretty round head and I tried it on at a Horse Expo (there was a BOT vender there) a few months before I bought it online from Bits N’ Such (which is an online store based in the States, but owned by an Australian so she may be happy to ship internationally). At the Expo I thought the helmet fit pretty round and was going to be really good for me. After 4 months of use however, I find it more oval than I thought and I don’t love it as much as I wanted to. I was never bothered by the chin strap, although I have heard several other people complain about it. Before the Trauma Void, I had been using a OneK. And that harness liked to climb up my chin and into my mouth as I rode before it relaxed.

[kiwichick]

Thanks for all responses. I have actually found a supplier in my City, which is interesting since the Aus BOT site doesnt have anything about them yet.
I will be able to try one on this weekend at an event I would imagine.
TBH ive gone off the idea a bit, and I think I will just look for a new helmet, and that will be what fits best, is priced the best value and doesnt make me look like a mushroom.

My OneK I ordered in from out of the country and have had issues returning it (its a faulty one, and by issues returning, I mean I cant) but I also never would have picked up the harness issue with it trying it on it the shop, as that only showed up after I had it on for hours at an event.
Anyway im keen to not make this mistake again, and may return to the GPA’s yet.

[Dewey]

“I have actually found a supplier in my City, which is interesting since the Aus BOT site doesnt have anything about them yet.”

I am nor sure how it is that BOT has been associated with the Trauma Void helmet other than as a place that carries and sells it. They don’t make the helmet. I bought mine from another supplier, not BOT.

Anyway, I’m glad you found a place to try it on. That sounds like the best plan. Let us know what you decide!