I’m looking for a new helmet and I’m trying to decide between the Charles Owen My PS (with MIPS) and the Kask Kooki Lady (no MIPS).
I’ve always worn Charles Owen and have a very oval head, but the My PS is uncomfortably tight. Some people have said to go up a size from the AYR8. Has anyone done that? It’s also heavy compared to the Kask.
The Kask fits amazingly well and is super lightweight but doesn’t have MIPS.
How important is MIPS, do you think?
I’m impressed with the research that’s been done on MIPS.
I had an AYR8 and AYR8 Plus. I had to go up a size (7 to 7 1/8) from the AYR8 to the Plus. I bought the My PS in the same size as the Plus and ended up selling after a few rides because it’s not quite as oval as the AYR8 and was putting pressure on my forehead. I tried the next size up (7 1/4) and it was far too large. I ended up with the TraumaVoid EQ3.
I’ve heard the new Halo/Luna is the same shape as the AYR8, but they’ve been in limited supply and I haven’t tried one on yet.
There’s an excellent Facebook group started by a CoTH poster called “MIPS Protection System Equestrian Helmets” with lots of info on the different models.
My next riding helmet will have MIPS. I just replaced my bike helmet with a MIPS model too. I would look at additional options besides those two.
I’m in the same spot as OP. I actually bought a Uvex MIPS early this year. Their new model is very reasonable, vented and lightweight ($150). I thought it fit me, and I had one of their non-MIPS helmets before. But after a few months and couple “jumped out of the tack” moments, the helmet moved too much for my liking. When I adjusted the dial fit tighter, I got a headache. When it was a little uncomfortably tight, it shifted slightly - enough for me to not think it was safe. Helmet fit and head shapes are so varied 
. Info on the FB MIPS page is great, but there’s nothing like trying one…like saddle shopping. I had hoped to go to Rolex to try on all the brands to compare fit, but we know what happened there. In the meantime I’m riding in a non-MIPS Ovation Protege.
I upgraded to MIPS, reasoning that the extra brain protection was worth it. Had to try more than one model to find the best fit, ordering online and returning as necessary.
I won’t ever have a helmet without MIPS. I literally felt it work when one of my young horses got screwy at the mounting block at a show back in May and I landed flat on my back (and head).
I bit the bullet and bought a One-K MIPS recently and love it. Well, I didn’t love paying for it, but otherwise I love it.
It is lighter than my previous helmet, comfortable and well fitted. It’s also fairly low profile, which is a big deal for me since I wear a 7 3/8 or a 7 1/2.
I drove 45 minutes to the get to the largest best stocked tack store, and simply tried on all the MIPS helmets available in my size. The One-K was the best fit and most comfortable, so it came home.
I highly recommend this shopping technique. With all the stocking and supply chain problems we’re experiencing, picking the best option of what’s currently available is the way to go.
I would not consider a new helmet that’s not a MIPS. And I have a relatively new serviceable helmet; I just made the decison that I needed to protect my head with the best tech available.
I also just bought my first MIPS after coming off when my young one tripped. I went to the store and tried them all on, settled on a One-K.
The price tag stung, because I formerly rode and showed in the base model Tipperary. However, 3 weeks after my fall, I’m still having significant pain in my neck and back. Thank god I had a helmet on at all, but I do wonder if the impact could have been shifted a bit if I had a MIPS helmet on.
Mips all the way. Why not if it’s better for your brain and no additional damage to the wallet?
I am sort of stunned by all these HJ show folks embracing air vests which have no research attached (not referring to the hard shells), and I’ve yet to see one w a vest wearing a MIPS helmet. Still wearing samshields which pretty much end up on the bottom ranks of the safety research.
Exactly! I’m a H/J rider who doesn’t wear a vest for the reasons you outlined and yet when I try to talk about MIPS to people, their eyes glaze over. I just recently had to convince a trainer that her student needed a new helmet after falling off and getting a concussion. She tried to tell me that the “new materials” mean helmets can withstand multiple falls.
International helmet awareness day is coming up September 16th-17th. Many retailers offer 20% off for the event. Just thought I would throw that out to anyone who is shopping. I think I’m going to get a OneK MIPS wide brim.
For anyone trying a MIPS helmet for the first time, be aware that it will feel a bit loose compared to a traditional helmet. If you play around with it off your head, you’ll see how the shell has some movement to it due to the MIPS layer between it and the padding.
As a result, you’ll feel a bit of movement when you move your head quickly; just try to feel for whether it’s the entire helmet moving or just the shell. If the padding around your head isn’t moving, you should be fine. You do get used to the feel of a little bit of movement up there once you’ve ridden in one a few times.
UPDATE: I’ll keep trying on new MIPs helmets, but for now I’ve decided on a Kask Kooki Lady.
I tried on every MIPS helmet my local tack store had in stock and one I ordered from Stateline. All were uncomfortably snug with pressure points over my temples, and all were very heavy. In fact, I weighed the Charles Owen My PS at home and it’s 643g, compared to 542g for my old Charles Owen AYR8 and 570g for the Kask. I definitely felt that difference in my neck, and had a headache after 10 mins of wear in the house.
Hopefully, we’ll start to see all manufacturers offer MIPS helmets in different shapes (I’m very oval) in the future.
I did the same with my GPA First Lady (old) and Tipperary Windsor (new) and they were relatively the same in weight. I don’t have the numbers handy but I was pleasantly surprised how close in shape, fit, and weight the Windsor was. I had one nasty fall in March that I’m still dealing with injuries from, but my head was just as good as before and I went through Tipperary to get a replacement helmet at a discount.
You have a very squidgy brain contained within the very limited confines of your very hard skull.
MIPS
I JUST got one of these, because my local Dover had someone special order it and it didn’t fit them! I’d been wanting to try one, and lo and behold, their Large Long Oval was, like the non-MIPS ones I had previously, a great fit. There isn’t any appreciable weight difference as far as I can tell, and I love the wide brim.
I’d been wanting a MIPS helmet for a while and had trouble finding one to fit my very oval head; I’d even tried sizing up a size or two in other models and they hadn’t fit right, so this was like finding Cinderlla’s glass slipper.
I have been hearing good things about the OneK CCS. I have two non-MIPS OneKs, but currently protect my noggin with a TraumaVoid Lynx. I really want the OneK CCS in gray with the rose gold inserts because I’ve also just spotted a gray Pikeur jacket with rose gold buttons and zippers, and am fantasizing about how smashing it would all look when I hopefully start showing my mare next year (yes, this all originated from the browband I just bought her in that color scheme).
I will only buy MIPS helmets now due to the superior brain protection. To me, buying something else would be like buying a car without airbags.
I have an oval head and the OneK oval fits me better than the TraumaVoid EQ3, which is what I bought first. I replaced it after it slipped down almost over my eyes a few times during awkward jumps/spooks. On helmet awareness day I plan to buy another OneK so I have a backup.
In April a horse I was riding tripped and flipped over on me and the side of my head bounced off the sand hard enough to give me some whiplash-type soreness. I sent the helmet to OneK with a check for $155 and in a couple of weeks a new helmet arrived in the mail. Mine might have still been okay but my brain is worth more than $155 plus postage!
That’s good to hear. I may take advantage of the National Helmet Day discounts to try one.
That’s exactly the helmet I ended up with! Wasn’t especially looking for rose gold trim or a wide brim, but they do look nice and are quite subtle.
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