After two days of having moments of feeling a bit dizzy in my Lynx, I went back to my Sportage yesterday (another hot humid day), and I was fine and could feel the ventilation. I am in a quandary because I have fallen in both helmets (since replaced), and I felt the Lynx was better. Now that my baby horse is older, and I am fitter, I am hoping not to do any more crash testing. I guess I will order the Tipp MIPS and walk around in 95 degree heat and see if I will be able to keep it. I will certainly go back to the Lynx when it is cooler out.
Iāve got one of the Charles Owen MPS helmets, and am wearing it in hot, humid weather, although not for hours at a time as of yet. Iād say it feels somewhat more ventilated than the CO Gr8 I wore for a few years in the past, and definitely less than the Tipperary Sportage I also own.
Since my head is of crucial importance to me, Iām going to keep wearing it regardless; frankly, my protective vest is more of an issue in summer weather for me (canāt wait to dismount and unzip that!). By the way, I find the CO MPS helmet chin strap far more comfortable than the BOT helmet one.
For those of you with the Tipperary - what head shape would you say it fits best?
On the EQ3, the chin strap is a little more forward than the Tipperary Sportage, and I find I have to snug it up often to keep it sitting under my chin. I probably just need to put an elastic around it.
How do you feel the Charles Owen MIPS helmet compares with the Gr8 in terms of sizing?
Has anyone heard when One K is going to release their MIPS helmet? They posted ācoming soonā on Facebook earlier this spring, and Iāve been waiting. I love my One K and it really does have the best ventilation, but I want to upgrade to MIPS and I donāt want to wait forever!
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I LOVE the Tipperary one. Very lightweight and cool - at least compared to my CO. Bonus: itās not ugly! In terms of sizing would say itās a bit small. If you are on the cusp of sizes, order up. I have a tiny head and usually wear 63/4 or 67/8. That would be an XS according to the size chart, but XS was way too small. S is perfect.
So, I ordered both the Tipp one and the CO MyPS. I have worn a Tipp Sportage for YEARS (not the same one, obviously) and although it fits well, I always end up having to get a new one after a year because the lining squashes down too much. Iāve never had a CO before. The CO fits me beautifully. Itās deep but very comfortable for me. I have worn it now in hot weather and I have not noticed a big difference in comfort vs the Tipp.
The Tipp MPS helmet doesnāt fit me AT all - it presses in at a point on my temples in a way that the Sportage never did. The dial doesnāt help. Itās a nice helmet but going back. FWIW it is definitely less ādeepā than the CO and for that alone I think Iād prefer the CO - feels more protective.
So I think your best bet is to get or try on several to see, and donāt assume a brand that has fit in the past will still fit with the MPS.
Size wise I had heard the CO runs small so I sized up and that was perfect.
I classify my head as āoval adjacent.ā Not a true oval but more oval than round.
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You can find a way to order it through their website but it may not work. My friend went to a local tack shop and they plan on having the One K MIPS in August.
Iām more of a round shape. The Windsor is definitely more snug on me than the Sportage Hybrid, but I was starting to feel like the Sportage Hybrid was too loose on me.
When I bought my CO Gr8, I was fitted by a factory rep (there for the tack store grand opening), who downsized me from the size Iād worn previously in another brand. I could understand that, as the Gr8 was more oval, so I wouldnāt need the larger size as in a rounder helmet. But, she wanted me to go down two sizes, not one, as she said the Gr8 would mold to fit my head and thereby loosen up. In her words, the helmet should fit just shy of a headache, and the helmet size she suggested sure did.
I was afraid of intentionally purchasing a headache, so I went down only the one size, not the two she recommended. But she was correct ā once Iād perspired in that helmet several weeks, and it had broken in, it was a little bit loose, which I dealt with by inserting the thin liners meant for Western hat sweatbands under theGr8 sweatband, which worked fine.
This time around, Iād learnt my lesson, and went down a size compared to my old Gr8; it works for me. Itās comfy enough that I can forget about it when wearing it, even if not quite like my non-MPS Gr8 and OneK helmets were from the very first wearing. I figure itāll improve as I continue to ride in it, sweating and molding it to my head.
So, if you have owned a Gr8 which stretched on you, too, perhaps youād want to go down, but if yours had been pretty snug when new (just shy of a headache, as the factory rep suggested), maybe youād be satisfied with the same size.
I purchased mine from Riding Warehouse, during one of their sales; they have a liberal return policy. One of the reasons I went with the CO MPS this time was that I prefer a helmet that meets the various standards that their helmets do (their MPS meets three!), and itās made in the UK, not China.
It runs a size small, IMO. Iām a 7 1/8 in every other CO helmet and a 7 1/4 in the MyPS fits me well.
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In the past Iāve had major issues with overheating, specifically because my head gets too hotā¦ I am 100% committed to riding in MIPS helmets (why have it on, making my head sweat, if itās not the best possible protection out there) and have the Trauma Void Lynx and the Charles Owen scull cap with MIPS. I bought a tipperary Windsor specifically because I have yet to see a MIPS helmet I truly think is good-looking, so when I saw the Windsor, which I think is absolutely beautiful, I jumped on it. Rode around in it at a horse show this past weekend and could actively feel the wind tickling my scalp and it was DELIGHTFUL.
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I find the Trauma Void eq3 to be no hotter than the Sportageā¦ I live in a very temperate climate now, but schooling in Aiken and Southern Pines in mid summer did not bother me before I moved here, and Iām heat sensitive. I donāt know if thereās a big difference in ventilation between the Eq3 and the Lynx tho.
My previous helmet was a CO JR8 - just bought the Windsor - really love it. Quite comfortable in this heat, love the removable liner.
Bonus- if you are in Ontario, Bakerās has 20% right now.
My favorite, best fitting/most comfortable helmet was an IRH circa 2009/2010ā¦that ship has sailed. After a bounce last month while wearing a similarly aged :o helmet, Iāve just ordered a couple to try. I have a Trauma Void Lynx and EQ3 on the way, as well as the wide brim Tipperary Windsor. I need a good replacement for my everyday/schooling helmet - I have my competition helmets already. A navy OneK for dressage and COs for the other two phases.
I got the CO MIPS skullcap last fall and I love it. First HT this year was pretty hot, I pulled out the liner ahead of time and dunked it in the ice water at the bottom of my cooler. Put it back in the helmet immediately before I got on to walk down to XC warmup. It felt AMAZING!
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