I don’t really want to be wrapped up in a life vest (for movement purposes) but I DO want great protection. Does anyone have any opinions on either of these? are they both approved/certified? Any insight you have for a thicker medium busted woman would be appreciated 
I have a KAN vest and love it. Nice vest. Once I’ve had it on…I don’t notice it really.
Kan!! I love mine, even though I haven’t ridden in it yet. If it’s comfortable enough to wear around the house, I’m sold.
I believe they can adjust it as well in case of weight loss or gain. BFNE, can you confirm that?
[QUOTE=runNjump86;8658431]
Kan!! I love mine, even though I haven’t ridden in it yet. If it’s comfortable enough to wear around the house, I’m sold.
I believe they can adjust it as well in case of weight loss or gain. BFNE, can you confirm that?[/QUOTE]
Not sure about that but I would think so. If I can drop this damn 30lbs that is sticking on me, I’ll let you know!
Also love my KAN. You may think “good god this is too heavy” when you pick it up but once it’s on you do not notice it because it fits so well.
I did put a fleece pullover on over it a couple of weeks ago and getting it back off was a little tricky since the fleece was grabby, and you do have a bit of restricted movement, but no more so than any other situation of too many layers.
Another KAN fan here! Absolutely love mine for fit and protection, especially as someone who is busty. My personal choice is to not wear an airvest, so when I was shopping for a new vest last year I wanted the absolute safest I could find and KAN met that need and more. I also loved that it could be custom cut and fitted to me as I have a very long torso for my height (and P.S. yes they can be adjusted in the future to account for weight loss or gain - just email the company to get new side pieces).
The KAN is BETA Level 3 2009 approved (I think the owner, Wendy, had some disagreements with what is required to be considered for the newer testing - it was not, not renewed due to not meeting the standards… and that’s a lot of nots!).
Where are you located? Soteria carries both the KAN and RaceSafe and the owner is fabulous to work with.
I love my Kan! It does feel heavy to pick up, but you don’t notice it at all once it is on!
Ok, so another important question then for the KAN lovers…:eek:
I know that currently it only comes in black. For those of you have have it, is it made in such a way that one might be able to hire a seamstress (or the like) to generate a cover in a different color? thoughts?
Hmmm- I’ll bet you could sew some jersey fabric over what’s on it. The cover is stretchy fabric. the first time I saw one, it was on a friend, who’s colors are black and red and her name begins with K. I thought - well, that’s some cool customization. But mine also is black with a red K on the back so it only works in certain circumstances.
Since you are usually wearing a pinney over it, I don’t find the color too off putting.
LOVE my KAN!
The cover comes off, so I bet if you have a good seamstress you trust, they could copy the pattern and make you a custom cover.
The red on it is really my only (very small) complaint… but like Hilary said, the pinney covers most of it so it isn’t a huge issue for me.
[QUOTE=GutsNGlory;8659438]
The cover comes off, so I bet if you have a good seamstress you trust, they could copy the pattern and make you a custom cover.
The red on it is really my only (very small) complaint… but like Hilary said, the pinney covers most of it so it isn’t a huge issue for me. :)[/QUOTE]
I didn’t want a red K on mine, but then I realized the pinny cover pretty much covers the entire thing anyway…:lol:
I also do not have nor plan to buy an air vest. They’re just not for me, so I wanted more protection than a Tipp. My first vest was a Charles Owen and even though it fit well, it was just SO boxy. I will warn you…the first few times you put the Kan on, especially if you’re by yourself, are hilarious and mildly frustrating. 
But you get the hang of it! Mine probably needs adjusted since I’m a bit thicker through the shoulders and ribs now vs. when I ordered, thanks to weight lifting.
[QUOTE=GutsNGlory;8658603]
Another KAN fan here! Absolutely love mine for fit and protection, especially as someone who is busty. My personal choice is to not wear an airvest, so when I was shopping for a new vest last year I wanted the absolute safest I could find and KAN met that need and more. I also loved that it could be custom cut and fitted to me as I have a very long torso for my height (and P.S. yes they can be adjusted in the future to account for weight loss or gain - just email the company to get new side pieces).
The KAN is BETA Level 3 2009 approved (I think the owner, Wendy, had some disagreements with what is required to be considered for the newer testing - it was not, not renewed due to not meeting the standards… and that’s a lot of nots!).
Where are you located? Soteria carries both the KAN and RaceSafe and the owner is fabulous to work with.[/QUOTE]
I am still confused on if these are certified. I was all set to get one after all the great reviews on here but I wanted something certified in case the US does pass a new rule. From what I understood some of the older ones have the purple Beta 3 patch where the new ones don’t because of either the owner or the Beta people disagree on something. It certainly sounds like it is very protective so that part doesn’t bother me, I just don’t want to drop $400 on something that could be come unusable in recognized shows in the near future. If they do become Beta 3 approved a few months after you were to buy one, would yours be considered “approved?”
Anyone have insight? At this point I was going to get an Airowear Outlyne.
My friend has the racesafe provent and I cannot wait to get one. I have a Charles Owen and her was so lightweight and breathable. I put hers on after we had schooled XC just to see what I thought and I could feel the air going through it as we cantered around. My friend’s is the ladies version that accommodates boobage. Totally sold.
[QUOTE=TSHEventing;8659122]
Ok, so another important question then for the KAN lovers…:eek:
I know that currently it only comes in black. For those of you have have it, is it made in such a way that one might be able to hire a seamstress (or the like) to generate a cover in a different color? thoughts?[/QUOTE]
IMHO, the cover is an integral part of the construction of the vest. It is what holds the separate pieces together.
So I do not think it would be a good idea to try to make a REPLACEMENT cover.
But a seamstress could probably make an ADDITIONAL cover to go over the top of the functional cover.
So…now I’m confused…are these really certified?
They are not BETA certified today. They ARE certified to the British and European standard of today with the rigorous testing those approvals require.
BETA stands, I believe, for the British Equestrian Trade Association. They demand big bucks for their approvals. Their approvals have levels of protection which the other standard does not. However, KAN-Teq was BETA certified to the highest level in 2000 before BETA came up with the 2009 standard–and along with that new testing fees and promotion fees.
I guess I’m in the minority. Hated the KAN. Heavy, hot, stiff and uncomfortable - too curved for my back, hit the saddle. Ugh. Made excuses to wear the 20 yr old Tipp instead. Bought an Outlyne and love it. Try before you buy!
[QUOTE=vineyridge;8665190]
They are not BETA certified today. They ARE certified to the British and European standard of today with the rigorous testing those approvals require.
BETA stands, I believe, for the British Equestrian Trade Association. They demand big bucks for their approvals. Their approvals have levels of protection which the other standard does not. However, KAN-Teq was BETA certified to the highest level in 2000 before BETA came up with the 2009 standard–and along with that new testing fees and promotion fees.[/QUOTE]
My understanding is that Kan and BETA have resolved whatever issue there was and the Kan is now has the latest BETA 2009 certification. But even when they didn’t have the BETA certification, they met the underlying standards that BETA requires. New vests should have the purple label soon if they don’t already. My daughter got one a few months ago and it was one that had already been in stock at Soteria and it does not have the purple label.
My daughter likes hers. We’ve fiddled with the shoulder velcro to get the back fitting properly for her.
As another poster said, the cover is part of what makes the vest work. You can’t just make your own cover. My daughter wears an air vest and a pinny, so you don’t even see the kan vest.
She tried the racesafe, but it felt much bulkier and didn’t quite fit her right.
