I owned 2 Traumavoid Eq3 helmets and they were fine, but I didn’t love how they felt. They didn’t hurt my head, just didn’t feel the most secure. My favorite helmet that I own (by a long shot) in the CO Halo with MIPS. It feels the most secure on my head, but I am at the top range for liner sizes for the shell size I have, so I don’t show in it since I can’t even remotely put my hair into it. I also have a CO Kylo that I like quite well that is a hair up only helmet. Even with the dial fit, it’s not tight enough if my hair is down. Then I have a Samshield Shadow Matt that I generally only show in, but I have 2 liner sizes for it. It’s the standard visor, not the Miss Shield. If I could own any helmet, I’d buy another halo with the larger shell so I could get a liner that fits with my hair up. I really love that helmet.
My Helmet Saga
I ride in a OneK with MIPS that fits me better than any other helmet I’ve worn, except for the OneK without MIPS that fit pretty much the same way. But I decided to try. I went to Dover about a month ago. The very nice store manager measured my head and I tried on some helmets to get a sense of my head shape (apparently not very oval nor very round). She noted that a helmet that doesn’t fit you isn’t likely to be protective. We discussed the ratings, including the fact that they include both high- and low-speed falls and some of the helmets that don’t fare very well overall are pretty good at higher-speed falls. Also, the head dummy that they use is a specific (pinhead?) shape so helmets that don’t fit that well are not going to fare well. I suppose that if your head happens to match the shape of the dummy head, it’s better.
After ascertaining that my head might be a match, she ordered the Champion helmet that is #1 in the above-linked rating list. It is covered in fabric which would not be my first choice given that I use the same helmet for shows and home and we do ride on the trail. It came it. Its look gave definite Charles Owen vibes. It came way down on my head which was weird at first but I got used to it. But, it was like having a vice grip on my head. She suggested that I walk around the store for a bit. The headache got worse. I removed the hat and had a noticeable crease on my head. It went back in its box and got returned.
I am still wearing the OneK.
I just ordered a Charles Owen Kylo wide brim w/ MIPS on Horseloverz.com with a coupon and shipping $132. Seemed like a good deal. I tried one on at Equine Affaire and liked it.
I’ve ridden in Samshields for the last decade- I realized one is 9 years old (from Facebook memories photos haha)- time to toss it probably and replace. I also got a Pardus helmet from Back on Track I think 2 years ago but it never was really comfortable so it just sits in my tackroom.
A helmet that fits well and is comfy is probably the best helmet for people. Not all helmets as we know fit all head shapes.
