Looking for suggestions on safety vests (If they have certifications, even better) in the $300 range for an adult. Looking for brand new, not second hand. Primarily a hunter jumper rider, but would like to participate in some XC schoolings, etc. I’ve done a bit of internet perusing and most options I have found are $400 plus.
Are you looking for a hard vest (what is required for XC) or an air vest or a combo hard/air? I think you can find hard vests for less than $400. Not sure about Air or combo, those are more expensive due to mechanisms.
I love my racesafe provent & I’m pretty sure it was under 400.
1 Like
Looking for a hard vest that is required for XC. Not interested in an air vest or combo of both at this time.
Thank you for the suggestion!
2 Likes
I got a Tipperary Contender Body Protector from Dover Saddlery for under $300. It is ASTM certified. I’ve only ridden in it once, but it was very comfortable and does not prohibit your movement at all. I’m very happy with it.
1 Like
Wow, prices for vests seem to have gone way up! I love my Champion Titanium Ti22 that I bought a few years ago. I went to look at current price because I don’t remember spending much more than $300 for it, and it is currently $530 from Dover 
I do think they often have sales on body protectors during Helmet Awareness week, if you can wait until September. If not, I would agree that the Tipperary Contender is probably one of the only certified options in that budget.
1 Like
I have this one also. I find it about as comfortable as a vest can be!
I got a Champion a few years ago from a UK website. Can’t remember which one, but it was around $150, shipping included. Buying off UK or EU websites will usually save you a bunch compared to US sites, if you know your size and which brands fit you best.
2 Likes
The Ovation ComfortFlex is also sub $300, I got it because I found it on a good sale and at the time I think it had more certifications than other vests in the same price range. I’ve put on a few pounds the last few years and I always found the Ovation vest kind of stiff anyway… so now I have the Tipperary Contender and I definitely feel like it’s more comfortable than the Ovation was.
But fit matters too. I was borrowing a friend’s vest for a while - one of the more expensive Tipperary ones, I think - and while I could make it work, I also felt like the armholes were ever so slightly too small for me and there was no way I could see to adjust that to make it work better for me.
1 Like
I have this vest as well (Tipperary Contender). It’s a little bulky (I like the look of the eventer pro better), but for the price, this worked for me. It’s definitely comfortable and serves my purposes.
I have the racesafe provent as well and I bought it for ~$250 from the drillshed. I can’t remember exactly what the promotion was, but they do have 15% off for new customers so that helps.
1 Like
Thank you so much for all of the suggestions. I don’t have a local place where I can try a bunch of vests unfortunately. I would have to order based off measurements and recommendations.
Has anyone tried one of these on?
I did see that Ride Equisafe and Smartpak, among others carry this one. But Point Two’s price is like half the price of anywhere else.
I’ve never heard of that one before. Just so you’re aware, their claim on BETA standards is a little misleading - looks like that vest was made to the 2009 standard, not the current 2018 standard. I’m not familiar enough with the older models to know what kind of difference that makes for safety.
My RaceSafe was about $300 and is really comfortable. They have all the measurements online which makes ordering easy.
3 Likes
Did you happen to get the shoulder guards? I’m considering buying those…
I would encourage you to reach out to Ride Equisafe as I think they may be able to help you virtually by understanding your usage requirements, measurements, etc.
I also have a race safe provent 3.0 that I love and wear every single ride these days. I got mine through Ride Equisafe for just shy of $300 (plus shipping, duties/brokerage as I’m in Canada). I just double checked and I received it for Christmas 2020. I didn’t use it frequently for the first little while, just when I felt I needed that extra level of protection… then about 2 years ago I started wearing it more like 70% of the time. I’ve worn it every single ride since last spring now - it’s as routine as putting on my helmet and gloves.
2 Likes
That Drillshed link shared above says the Racesafe 3.0 is certified to BETA 2009. Is there a Racesafe model to BETA 2018?
If you plan on competing, be sure to get a BETA 3 vest because they are going to be mandatory in the US in the next few years. No sense having to get another new one at that time!
1 Like
Racesafe provent beta 2018: https://www.rideequisafe.com/collections/all/products/provent-3-0-adults
Yikes. That’s a very different price tag.
The BETA 2018 standard came into effect in 2018, which is six years ago. The previous 2009 standard is now very old. Materials do degrade with time and use.
I did a quick google and although I don’t know if the two are the same (they are named differently), here’s one under $400 USD: https://fairhillsaddlery.com/products/racesafe-provent-30-safety-vest
