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Charles Owen Skull Caps - Trendy or actually safer?

Eventing
#1

Not sure if this has been asked before, but I couldn’t find any similar questions. Now that I am older and more fragile and my newest horse doesn’t try as hard to keep himself between me and the ground I am becoming more safety conscious. I see a lot of eventers riding in CO Skull caps especially out XC. As far as I am concerned, my helmet which is about 2.5 years old is still getting the job done. It fits me well and I haven’t had a fall in it.

Is there any evidence to suggest that the CO skull caps are safer than competitors or is their overwhelming popularity due to trendiness? I don’t think I need a new helmet right now, but my birthday is coming up so I’m trying to decide if I should add one to the list.

#2

I wear a CO because it fits my head the best. So long as you are buying an ASTM/SEI-certified helmet, the safety factor is the same across brands. The most important thing is to buy a certified helmet that fits your head correctly.

3 Likes
#3

The Charles Owen Four Star is also SNELL certified, which IIRC conducts a different (possibly more strenuous) set of tests than the ones used for ASTM and British Kitemark.

1 Like
#4

I love Charles Owen helmets because they are comfortable, fit snugly on my head and don’t move around. The stable fit probably makes it safer because other helmets are more likely to shift forward or backwards in the event of a fall. Safety studies do not take fit into account.

#5

Because there are certifications for helmets, the issue of trend vs really safer is less up for grabs. CO meets the standards - I am impressed they also achieved the SNELL cert- but I agree that if it meets the standards, fits, and you wear it every ride, with the chinstrap attached, that is the most important thing. CO markets to the eventers pretty heavily, so we are exposed to them more perhaps than some of the other brands. And yes, they look the part. I’ve never tried a KEP or a Samsheild so I don’t really know if I would like it better. I did try a $500 GPA once and was relieved that it didn’t fit well. :slight_smile:

Go to a store that has a lot, and try them all on. Because CO has many styles if one doesn’t fit well, another might, so they also have that going for them.

I did hear a lecture by the owner and was impressed that it was not simply a sales pitch for his helmets. He discussed how helmets work, the evolution of them, what happens to injured brains and why different sports have different head protectors. He did explain how he believes his company is doing their best to reduce brain injury but I learned a ton about concussions.

2 Likes
#6

Doesn’t British Eventing require skull caps for xc? I think they don’t allow helmets with fixed brims anyways. There’s a school of thought that the brim can exacerbate/cause neck and head injuries upon impact. I am paraphrasing GREATLY. Maybe someone else can expand on where I was going with that. :slight_smile:

1 Like
#7

http://eventingnation.com/british-eventing-now-requires-skull-caps-on-cross-country-at-all-levels/

#8

I’ve wondered the same–are any better designed/safer than others? It is true that most helmets on the market meet the ASTM/SEI certifications, which is great, but any variance beyond that is not proven. (I wish it were more like cars, where all may meet a minimum standard but we have additional testing on their relative merits).

I do love my COs (I’ve had the J3, the Pro II, now the 4-star). They seem to fit me better than the typical S/M/L/dial fit helmets so that might be an advantage. I also have the Devonnaire Conehead helmet, whose technology seems exciting (tho IMO the build quality was marginal) but with the existing testing/certification I think we have a way of knowing whether any approved helmets are safer than any others.

#9

These are the best; http://www.hatstandards.co.uk/the-gatehouse-range

#10

Charles Owens has been around for so long that it seems hard to think of them as “trendy”. Maybe someone can help me out here, but years ago it seems like the choices were either the uncertified velvet helmets or skull caps. So, if you were eventing you used a skull cap.

Every time I think about replacing my CO with something “newer” I never feel like I get the same snug fit. But I also have a very small, oval head. The CO’s fit soooo good.

Equibrit, the Gatehouse look very interesting. Love the look of the RXC1.

3 Likes
#11

Wear whatever certified helmet fits you best. CO does not fit me as well as IRH, One K, or Aegis. I used to have a CO Pro skull back when they first came out, it fit snugly for about a year (show xc helmet only, not everyday use), then the padding was so compressed it flopped into my eyes. I’ve not had that problem with my everyday IRH skullcap or multiple Aegis skullcaps.

For me, the COs also fit too deep on the back of my head; when I am in 2pt or galloping, if I lift my head to see where I’m going, the helmet hits the back of my neck and is pushed down over my eyes. I have the same problem with Tipperary helmets. I need a lower profile helmet, so the Aegis works very well for me.

#12

Boy I hope that rule doesn’t come here as I have a large narrow head and they don’t fir me at all.

#13

My daughter wears a CO skull cap and I am not sure they are any safer, but their customer service is outstanding. Her last skull cap had a bleeding strap after about 3 years. She reached out to them to see if there was a fix. Explained the situation, how old it was and they still replaced it for free. Her first one had a fall and it had a slight crack, they asked us to send it back so they could look at it to help with their research. So, I feel all certified helmets are safe, CO has a customer for life from their customer service.

1 Like
#14

I’ve heard the CO skull caps are safer as they cover more of the back of the head compared to other helmets. Obviously, the helmet that fits the best is going to have the best protection, which won’t be the CO skull cap for everyone.

1 Like
#15

The USEA magazine, (name is escaping me right now) had a good article a few months ago about helmets. I’m paraphrasing but basically the non fixed brims are more desirable at higher rates of speed as they don’t create torque (or something) when you fall by the bill catching in the dirt. I can’t remember it exactly, but it made sense. I think if you’re a member you can search through the archives.

#16

I choose COs because they fit ME, which makes them the safest for my head. As long as a helmet meets safety standards and fits your noggin properly, it really does not matter what brand it is. My cheapo Ovation that I bought a couple of years ago when I still had my crazy good discount is just as safe as the substantially more expensive COs that I have littered around my house and tack trunks (I own two GR8s and still have my Pro somewhere, though I think it needs to be tossed, since I was wearing it when I crashed, despite my head being fine after that). They all fit me well and all have the same safety standards.

#17

We really don’t know if one is safer than another. We just know that they met baseline safety standards. Data regarding above and beyond that aren’t available.

6 Likes
#18

I emailed Gatehouse yesterday and had a reply early this morning. There is a California distributor of the HS1 and the RXc1 as those are the only 2 that carry American certifications. I’m going to email the distributor for pricing and general fit info. Holler if you want me to pass along what I find out.

1 Like
#19

Jen-s, I would love to hear what you find out. I’m curious about the fit, such as long oval, round etc.

1 Like
#20

Yes, please post info, I’ve long been a fan of these!

2 Likes

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