Helmet Shopping

[4wdNstraight]

I am looking for a better ventilated helmet. I’ve always had a cheaper schooling helmet, and a show helmet. I read somewhere that you should replace your helmet even if you haven’t had a fall after 5 years. So, I’m rethinking keeping a helmet just for showing. My hubs thinks this is a marketing claim, but I’d rather not be the crash test dummy. Any thoughts on this would be welcomed.

Ive started wearing a suede One K for schooling, and I have another bling one I have used for showing(different color).It could very well be me as I am a sweaty Betty, but my hair is soaking wet after one ride,(in the winter, indoors) and I have 2 horses. There is nothing more disgusting than putting a wet helmet back on your head for round two! I love the way this helmet looks and fits, but gross!

I’ve heard Samshield is more ventilated, but wondered about that claim, as well as how other brands do like the Kask, KEP, etc. It has to look good too since it will also be for show. Any experience here would be greatly appreciated.

[Dutchmare433]

I used to have a One K and now have a Samshield, I think the ventilation is pretty much the same. So that’s probably just preference or maybe someone trying to justify the price tag.

I have 2 horses also, I always leave my helmet on until I am done riding. It’s plenty comfortable and it’s a lot less gross (for me) to just leave it on vs putting on a gross sweaty helmet.

[Nestor]

I don’t think any helmet is truly going to stop you from being sweaty if you’re doing more than just sitting up there looking pretty.

If it helps, a woman I know has issues in the heat and ended up purchasing a Charles Owen AYR8 because it fit, and it’s well ventilated. I have the same helmet and while I can’t say it’s a miracle cure (see my point above), it’s a great helmet and I don’t find myself exceptionally sweaty in it.

And ditto what Dutchmare said. Keep your helmet on between horses! That’s the only way I can stand it, regardless of if I barely sweat.

Edit to add: I bought the CO because I realized my prior helmet was about 6 years old (based on the manufacturing date listed inside). I had no falls in it, but even my husband said, it’s my head, better to not take the risk. After 5 years, even for a pricey helmet, it’s worth just replacing it.

[atr]

The next helmet I buy will be one of the new BOT helmets with MIPS technology. Adams has them.

[Toblersmom]

I think the five year replacement timeline is probably conservative, but it’s not just marketing BS to get people to buy more helmets. Plastics and similar materials have components that can breakdown or evaporate away, which significantly changes the strength, elasticity, brittleness, etc of any object made from it. Think of the last time you dug up a “rubber” band from the back of a drawer that was who-knows how old and had it fall apart in a crumbly mess when you tried to use it. These changes are accelerated by heat and light, so keeping to a strict five year rule is probably appropriate for a helmet that’s spent most of those years being used in sunlight and/or stuck in a non-climate controlled tack room or car trunk in a hot region. Can you fudge the timeline a bit for a show helmet that sees daylight for 20 minutes once a month for six months of the year and spends the rest of its time in an air conditioned closet? It’s your head, your gamble.

[SonnysMom]

I really like the Ovations Deluxe Schooler helmets for every day riding. At around $50 each I own a couple. One black and one brown. I too sweat quite a bit and feel like these offer a lot of ventilation. I still sweat but not as badly. I don’t feel the need to instantly take my helmet off at the end of a ride even in the summer. In the winter I have actually just kept it on between horses, I just unhook the chin strap.
At this point since I only do unrated shows they are also my show helmet. I may eventually decide to buy a show helmet if I start doing rated shows. On the other hand the judge doesn’t really care what my helmet looks like as long as fits and isn’t distracting. I personally think the Ovations look fine and don’t make me look like a mushroom head. For now I am all about comfortable and safe not fashionable.

I plan on looking at the new BOT with MIPS technology at some point if they really are safer.

[samwoww7]

You can buy replacement liners for both OneK and Samshield! I keep an extra liner in my helmet bag just in case something happens to it or it gets too sweaty. I think they are $30ish and $50ish each respectively.

[MissAriel]

@samwoww7

You can buy replacement liners for both OneK and Samshield! I keep an extra liner in my helmet bag just in case something happens to it or it gets too sweaty. I think they are $30ish and $50ish each respectively.

Ovation does too! Under $15 I think.

I also have a spare so I can take one home and drop it in the laundry and still have one at the barn. During the summer I basically am continuously swapping them out. Bring one home - pop it in the laundry basket - do laundry - bring liner to barn - bring the other one home - repeat.

[Samantha37]

I’ll be looking at the BOT helmet when it is time to replace mine! I’m excited about the safety features and it looks ventilated enough. I currently ride in a One-K and just regularly wash the liner and spray the helmet inside with a spray from Norwex for sweaty sports equipment.

[PrincessPonies]

The five years rule is there for a reason. My last one had no falls what so ever. Never hit the ground, was always well kept. My father decided it make sure to replace it and cut open the old one. On the outside the helmet looked barely used however when opened everything was falling apart. I get sweaty during the summer and even with a removable liner it still affects the helmet.

[Magicboy]

I ride in a one K and swap out the liners in between horses to deal with the sweaty interior

[4wdNstraight]

Thanks for the suggestions. That Ovation helmet was my schooling helmet, and I did love it! I had a fall, so that’s when I decided to wear my show helmet because of the 5 year time limit.

I did order another helmet liner for the One K. I just change it out for washing, but I could change it out in between horses, or just leave my helmet on.

Not sure I’d buy a Samshield if it’s about the same as the One K.

ATR, have you seen the BOT helmets in person? I wonder how they fit.

[mswillie]

@PrincessPonies

The five years rule is there for a reason. My last one had no falls what so ever. Never hit the ground, was always well kept. My father decided it make sure to replace it and cut open the old one. On the outside the helmet looked barely used however when opened everything was falling apart. I get sweaty during the summer and even with a removable liner it still affects the helmet.

I had an IRH schooling helmet that was getting old but had never been in a fall or kept under adverse conditions. In fact, it was a spare so it had been kept in my house, in a closet, in the dark for a couple of years before I ever put it on. I was riding about a month or two ago and when I took it off the outer shell separated completely from the styrofoam on the inside. I consider myself lucky that it fell apart in my hands and not in a crash. Just a reminder to inspect your helmet regularly.

[Peggy]

FWIW, I’m not convinced that one needs a schooling vs an everyday helmet. I have just one (a matte OneK). I wash the liner periodically and clean the outside part with mild soapy water before a show. I show HJ, not dressage.

[4wdNstraight]

I’m with you Peggy. I’m not sure why I always have done that, but now that I know they expire, I want the most comfortable one I can buy.

[SarahandSam]

@mswillie

I had an IRH schooling helmet that was getting old but had never been in a fall or kept under adverse conditions. In fact, it was a spare so it had been kept in my house, in a closet, in the dark for a couple of years before I ever put it on. I was riding about a month or two ago and when I took it off the outer shell separated completely from the styrofoam on the inside. I consider myself lucky that it fell apart in my hands and not in a crash. Just a reminder to inspect your helmet regularly.

That’s good to know! I’ve been using my old IRH spare helmet lately to save my Antares for shows, since I keep bonking it on things and at some point it’s going to get scratched or damaged. But now I’m thinking I’ll just buy a new schooling helmet.

I like my Antares, but dealing with their customer service was a nightmare–I bought one on sale at a tack shop last year and it had a weird finish; then I discovered that it was from 2009. Antares gave me a hard time about returning it (told me that the 5-year rule is really just for kids who drop helmets all the time and not for a helmet in storage, even though it clearly had gotten some sort of heat damage or something while in storage) and eventually stopped responding. I had to exchange it at the tack shop and pay the difference for a new helmet and the tack shop was equally unhappy, probably because they were now going to have to deal with the non-responsive Antares rep. Ultimately, I wish I had just paid a little more and gotten a Samshield.

I also like the fit of the IRH Elite, and think CO is very comfortable, but does run hot. That’s for the regular GR8/JR8s though, I think the AYR8 is supposed to be much more breathable.

I really like the sound of the Back on Track and want to try one.

[WannabeDQ]

If you need ventilation then you can’t beat the GPA speed air. I live in the hot, humid south and have tried most helmets out there. Kask/samshield are good and I use a Kask for showing since it looks so nice, but neither keep my head as cool as the speed air. Avoid Charles Owen at all costs in summer!

[leheath]

@4wdNstraight

Thanks for the suggestions. That Ovation helmet was my schooling helmet, and I did love it! I had a fall, so that’s when I decided to wear my show helmet because of the 5 year time limit.

I did order another helmet liner for the One K. I just change it out for washing, but I could change it out in between horses, or just leave my helmet on.

Not sure I’d buy a Samshield if it’s about the same as the One K.

ATR, have you seen the BOT helmets in person? I wonder how they fit.

I get pretty sweaty while riding (definitely more than most other people I ride with!) and my previous helmet was a One K and I really liked it (fit very well). I no longer have a separate show and everyday helmet because I can’t afford 2 nice ones and I worry about the lifespan even if I don’t have a fall.

Anyway, my One K It hit 5 years old last fall, so I just decided to get a new one. I ended up getting the BOT helmet with MIPS and I love it! It fits just as well as the One K (same size too) and I definitely think it is lighter and better ventilated and I have noticed I am less sweaty after rides. The liner is removable and washable, just like the One K, and it is so comfortable I barely notice I’m wearing it.

[Jilly]

I just got the new Back On Track Trauma Void EQ3 hemet in the microsuede. I am very impressed with the fit (you get 2 liners one is thinner with the other a bit thicker). I really like the fact that it is has the latest technology for safety, but the plus side is that it looks good. I have a One K that I love, but it has been over 5 years and was time to replace it. I think you should try one, super nice helmet!

[willa.kj]

GPA, Kask and samshield are awesome! I love them so much.