Hi Everyone,
So I made the switch to Eventing officially but I need a new vest. My current one is older and doesn’t fit that great anymore. What vest would you all recommend? Thanks.
Hi Everyone,
So I made the switch to Eventing officially but I need a new vest. My current one is older and doesn’t fit that great anymore. What vest would you all recommend? Thanks.
You will get many recommendations, but I want to throw this in for thought.
There is a wide variety of eventing safety vests. How they are shaped, how they fit on the human body, how they feel, can be very different from one to another.
Humans are very individual in their body structure, and what feels comfortable to them.
My advice is to (hopefully) find a tack store in your area that has at least 3 different kinds of vests – the more kinds, the better. Try them on for yourself. Even if they don’t have your size in stock, you can get an idea of how they fit and feel.
Do some driving if you have to, to try different vests. If you don’t already know what you want, safety vests are the kind of thing that can be hard to do by ordering from the internet.
Or maybe you have friends that have different styles to help you get a feel for them.
Best of luck on finding what suits you best on the first try.
Second the suggestion to try them on, or order from a place that will let you return ones that don’t fit. EquiSafe will do virtual fittings if you can’t get to a store in person and I’ve heard great things about their team, but I found their prices high compared to other stores. Definitely look for a vest certified to the latest safety standards, it’s not required by the rules but worth the extra $$$ in my opinion.
I love my RaceSafe vest and they offer so many different size combos that they’re almost custom. I can barely feel it even riding in the summer. Theyre harder to find in the US though so you may not be able to try one on. I had a Tipperary Eventer Pro before this and they’re great if you fit one of the sizes they offer; I didn’t, so I made it work until I could trade in. I haven’t ridden in the Champion vests but I’ve seen them and they’re bulky but look well-ventilated.
If you buy a BETA certified vest, make certain the lable says 2018. Anything else will be very old stock and the construction materials decay with age. Good enough perhaps for just casually riding around but not for Eventing.
I agree with the suggestion to try different vests to see what works for your body. I ordered a RaceSafe vest and wanted to love it, but the shape of the arm holes and the shape of my body were not a great match, which affected my ability to move properly. I was able to exchange it for an Airowear Outlyne. I don’t love the comfort of the materials as much, but it fits and allows me to move, which is the most important thing.
And the opposite, kind of, happened to me. The Outlyne, by all parameters should have fit me perfectly, but it, like all other vests I had worn, left me with horrible rubs and bruises on my arms (ouch). Until I tried on and wore the Tipperary Eventer- no more rubs or bruises, and so, so comfortable.
So, OP, you really do have to try on several makes and models to find ‘The One’
I have a champion (uk brand - BETA certified) body protector, really love it. It’s more comfortable that the airowear I had before.