New hat

Trewsers

Trewsers

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Oct 13, 2004
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Sorry if this is in the wrong place, I did reckon to look for the right one, but couldn't see anything specific. Anyway I am in the market for a new hat soon. I've had my Charles Owen one for over two years and I love it to bits, but I am thinking that maybe things are even safer now and standards change. I know when I contacted them with a photo of it about a year or so ago they said it was still current and fine. Its not been dropped / bashed etc either. However, I know it won't last forever. I am a bit old fashioned and really prefer the velvet covered ones. I know you can get covers but they aren't the same and I am lazy and would either get it dirty, lose it or wash and then lose etc. So hoping to find another good quality velvet one. I haven't done much research but would love to hear anyone's thoughts. What hat do you have currently and why? Also, are the sizes standard - I know what size I am in this brand, but not in others. My local feed merchants stock Champion and another brand. But they do not hold a lot of stock in different sizes anyway for trying on.
Thanks in advance. 🐴
 
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The sizes are standard, 56cm around your head but the shape isn’t, some are more round and some more oval, trying really is best or stick with a brand than you know fits, or go adjustable.

I was pretty stuck on certain types of hat, not a show velvet but I didn’t want a skullcap, did want a peek and no loose silk. Then after a fall I was in a hurry for a new hat and ordered a Uvex as it would come next day, and I can honestly say I wouldn’t go back now!
 
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I've seen some of the ones without a peak - they seem quite expensive. I wonder if they are worth the extra money - ie, from a safety point of view? I reckon all hats should be safe - I don't think a heavy price tag and paying more for extra safety should be right - (that probably sounds mixed up).I mean, our heads are important and nobody should have to compromise should they.
I know there are greater risks with riding depending on what you do, eg jumping / xc. But really ALL the hats should be of the same standard. Okay waffle over lol
@Jessey I will have a look at the Uvex ones. I "think" they might have those locally.
I'm a bit on the fence about having one shipped up same brand as I normally get - knowing how my parcels get bashed around. Things either have a boat ride and road journey or a plane ride - and sometimes stuff looks like they've just literally whizzed it in the back of the wagon and then stood on it!
 
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It’s been a long old while since I fitted hats and things may have changed, but from past experience if Charles Owen fits well, Champion won’t as they tend to be a rounder shape
 
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Having gone from a non vented hat to a vented I would definitely recommend a vented one - so much cooler! I also found that the shape varied even with the same manufacturer. I have a Gatehouse peaked hat which happens to be the brand that fits me, but their skull cap doesn't fit me. I have a feeling that Charles Owen now do 2 different shapes.
 
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GaryB said:
I have a Gatehouse peaked hat which happens to be the brand that fits me, but their skull cap doesn't fit me. I have a feeling that Charles Owen now do 2 different shapes.
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This was the same for me. The models for the different brands alter and so does hat design. I will paste in here what I wrote for another forum
" I wore Gatehouse for years and OH had a Charles Owen which brand didnt fit me. But now years later I wear a Charles Owen mips hat and it fits me well."

However, riding hat design has changed.
"My hats have all come from Rokers near Guildford and have been fitted by them.
Hats and safety have developed over the years. Riding hats owe something now to hats developed for cyclists. So the current hat is m.i.p.s. I have always worn expensive hats starting with Gatehouse and my present one is Charles Owen. It does have small vents. I wear it with a silk and have never felt hot in it.

If you are going to Rokers or a similar equestrian store, I phone up first to make sure the hat fitter will be there when I arrive and give them my previous hat size in inches as, if they did not have it in stock, they would order one in in my size.

With m.i.p.s., the outer hard shell of the hat comes in basic sizes and the fine tuning is down to an inner mesh cap.

The theory is that in a fall onto a hard surface classic riding hats protected the skull as it hit the ground. But injuries were also caused by the soft tissue of the brain colliding with the inside of ones skull. Modern mips hats for cyclists and now for horse riders, aim to minimise that impact.

My modern hat is also put on from the front and the back edge rests higher on ones head and so doesnt cut into the back of ones neck in a fall as my old hats used to. These modern hats look massive but they are very comfortable to wear and most riders on our yard wear them."
 
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I could be wrong, but I used to think you had a skull cap heat or a traditional head.
I have a skull cap and take a child size.
 
newforest said:
I could be wrong, but I used to think you had a skull cap heat or a traditional head.
I have a skull cap and take a child size.
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Thinking about it, my current hat is a kids one. Hmm.
I have had Charles Owen in adult size but I am thinking the adult size was different to the kids. Oh dear. I had better just go and try some on at the local feed merchants. I really don't want to risk buying online - knowing what RM do to parcels!
 
@Trewsers to thow a spanner in the works I expect the hats delivered to your local feed store haven't had any better handling from RM.

Since you don't need a hat urgently could you arrange a visit at a decent sized tack shop with a trained fitter next time you're on the mainland? To me fit is a very important factor, though I'd also want a hat that met at least PAS015. Price is actually no indicator of safety, and indeed I buy hats that I'll have no hesitation in replacing if I think they may have taken a knock, if I was spending £500+ I may be trying ti convince myself it probably hadn't been knocked and would be fine to keep using.
 
carthorse said:
@Trewsers to thow a spanner in the works I expect the hats delivered to your local feed store haven't had any better handling from RM.

Since you don't need a hat urgently could you arrange a visit at a decent sized tack shop with a trained fitter next time you're on the mainland? To me fit is a very important factor, though I'd also want a hat that met at least PAS015. Price is actually no indicator of safety, and indeed I buy hats that I'll have no hesitation in replacing if I think they may have taken a knock, if I was spending £500+ I may be trying ti convince myself it probably hadn't been knocked and would be fine to keep using.
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That's very true about the hats coming up to our feed merchants / tack shop - I guess I just wouldn't know about it if they had been squished in their packaging. I never go to the mainland- its a plane ride and a hire car or a boat ride and then a long long drive and its really quite expensive. There is a staff member that is trained to fit hats and bp's - they fitted mr t with his hat (he's not a fuss pot like me and opted for a skull type). She also fitted me with my new bp. I just wish they carried a bit more variety. I'll have to have a browse next time I'm in there and maybe try some on. I had in mind a budget of about £300 - is that realistic? I am so used to the Charles Owen kids ones lol and they were not that expensive at all.
 
You'd get plenty of choice for that budget! How friendly are your feed store? If you had a chat with the hat fitter and said what you're after would she be happy to advise and measure so you could order something and then check the fit when it came? I'd expect to [pay for th eservice but it would give access to a wider range than they stock if they don't have what you want.

I'm more like MtT, happy with my Champion skull that's fairly cheap, fits well and is up to safety standards.
 
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