I just bought a GPA easy 2x and after my first 1hr ride it gave me headache (actually after ~40min i started to feel it pressing against the 2sides of my head). There’s no exchange, so I wonder … If it will get bigger as it breaks in? Or have I just wasted 200gbp? 
I have never heard of any brand of helmet getting bigger as it ages. I would be seriously concerned if it did. This is why I always buy my helmets in person, and walk around the tack shop for a while with it on my head to make sure I don’t start to get a headache. You may be able to resell it since it is new.
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Charles Owen definitely “packs out” quite a bit so should be purchased very snug. One K and Samshield and GPA don’t really do that as much.
With only one ride in it, you can try to sell it. Or see about suffering through it. 
Thanks for your sharing, the headache wasnt intolerable, it just annoyed me because it fitted so well when I tried it in the tack shop (no gap, and no pain for 20min) but turned out to be perhaps a size too small
Thanks, I think “bigger” may not be an accurate word, I meant prehaps it may “mold” slightly to fit better. I saw some older posts said some gpa models would, but I am not sure if the materials/models are the same as easy 2x
Does it have a removable liner? Maybe you can replace that with a slightly thinner one.
It’s obvious, but how you wear your hair can change the fit.
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I just bought the GPA Classic 2X and have the same problem - measured and ordered, it is ridiculously small. Got the next size up and even that is still too small to wear without becoming unbearable. The padding in these helmets is fairly minimal/thin to start with, so I don’t think changing it out will do much, and the GPA has not gotten any less tight, like my COs have. Very frustrating - sorry you are dealing with the same issue!
If you have pressure points, it’s because the shape of the helmet doesn’t fit you. Your head might just be a tad more oval than the usual rounder shape of the GPA.
If the helmet is really clean, like not worn condition (no need to say you rode with it… maybe just wore it at home for an hour) they might accept to exchange it for another one… 
Wouldn’t count on it, but doesn’t hurt to try : unless it was something « on sale - last chance - we don’t want to see this item in our store »…
Good luck.
Sorry to hear that I really love the design of the easy 2x … I think I’ll give it a few more rides to try, if it doesn’t work then guess i have no choice but to get another one
My head is more round than oval (the salespersons at the tack shop said so, I’m not sure how to check), but yes i think the mismatch in shape is what causing the headache. Unfortunately i have cut off the tag hanging on the chinstrap so I cant exchange it, could you recommend some sites where i can sell used helmets please?
Sadly, the Easy 2x is a very oval helmet. I do find GPAs run quite small. I’m a 6 7/8 in most helmets but a 7 1/4 in GPA.
YESSSS it looks really oval! Im a beginner rider and Im not familiar with the diff helmet brands’ shapes n sizing , but since most comments I have read said that gpa is for round heads, I thot that oval shape is considered “sort of round” already among all brands …
i think very likely I’ll need to look for another one, try it on n sit in the tack shop for an hr to make sure i can survive thru it
Well, different GPAs fit different shaped heads. The Easy 2x is the most oval. The Speed Air is still oval, just a little less so. I think the Miss Shield is the roundest of the bunch. Samshield runs quite round and the regular Charles Owens are very oval, but they have released a “round fit” of many of their helmets. The regular One K is fairly round but not as much as Samshield, despite being made in the same factory. I don’t know some of the more European brands. I’d love to know if Gatehouse is round or oval. I only know the helmets that are sold in the store I work in. Trying on a ton of helmets is the only way to really tell. Allow lots and lots of time!
Thanks sooooooo much!!! I wish my local tack shop had a lot of models and sizes to try on … There are only two tack shops here and they don’t carry many brands, I have to pick a model first and they will order two sizes back for me to try them on (this part alone wud take a mth) … Very few ppl ride in the region …
It really should be comfortable when you put it on, not be something you have to suffer through or break in. Snug, yes, but not headache making. Nothing more miserable than a badly fitting helmet. I’d try taking it back to the tack shop, if they sold it to you as being a correct fit. That’s not a reasonable thing to do to a beginner. They should be offering you experienced advice!
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The regular One K is fairly round but not as much as Samshield, despite being made in the same factory
That is not my experience. I just ordered a regular OneK and it is rounder than my Samshield. I have always heard that Samshields are quite oval compared to many brands.
Try ordering through SmartPak. While it’s nice to try on a bunch of styles in person, if your tack shops are limited in what they carry then it could be a moot point. SmartPak offers free returns on sized items (i.e: helmets) and their customer service is by far the best of any company (horse or regular!) that I’ve worked with.
Unfortunately I m not living in the US … And seems they dont ship intl
