Helt-Pro Helmets

[Orianna2000]

Anyone seen these? Helt-Pro, the helmet that looks like a hat. Except for the strap under your chin.

I'm thinking it might be a bit more discreet than the Ice Halo or the Ribcap. Any thoughts?

[Janie]

They look really nice!!! I'd love one but that price scares me too much...

[AgnesNitt]

I like it!

Is euros like real money?

[Sk8Dreams]

Slcbelle wears a helmet that looks like that.  Not sure it's the very same one, but you should ask her specifically.  I recall she posted about it soon after joining the forum.

[jjane45]

Slcbelle wears a helmet that looks like that.  Not sure it's the very same one, but you should ask her specifically.  I recall she posted about it soon after joining the forum.

She had the ribcap Jackson and swears by it

[AgnesNitt]

I've been looking at the pictures and here's how I think it's constructed.
The 'hard hat' part is just at the top of the head.
The 'helmet' part is in the cap you put over the hard hat part, the hat part appears to be stuffed or lined, but it's not a hard hat.

Found a picture of the helmet, it's a shorty skateboard helmet, or what's called a skid lid. you could buy one off Amazon from $25-$115 and just put your own hat on it.


They say it's " Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Category 1" WHICH SOUNDS LIKE IT'S THE BEST PROTECTION, BUT  I rooted around in Google and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Category 1 is the lowest level of protection.

[jjane45]

...Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Category 1 is the lowest level of protection.

Thanks for the info. With protection almost like a taboo in figure skating, lowest level of protection is still better than no protection

I tried putting a hat over my snowboard helmet once and was not quite impressed. My head was already big to start with lol.

[Janie]

Wow AgnesNitt, so professional!

Shows how much that company is making off of these...

[Orianna2000]

Isn't the Ribcap a soft gel pad helmet? Or am I thinking of something else?

I wonder which offers better protection? I also wonder which is more comfortable. I like the Helt-Pro because it looks like you're (mostly) just wearing a hat. The straps show, but other than that, it's discreet. The Ribcab is more obviously a helmet. But if it's softer and fits more comfortably, it might be worth the embarrassment of having it be known that you're wearing a helmet. If something isn't comfortable, I'm less likely to wear it. I wonder, is there padding or anything inside the Helt-Pro to make their hard helmet comfortable? Surely there must be!

Looking at the photos, I notice that the Helt-Pro doesn't cover the ears. That's a point in its favor, for me. From the photos I've seen of the Ribcap, it comes down over the ears, obscuring them. I already have trouble with balance and hearing. If my ears were covered, I would have a difficult time hearing my coach's instructions, as well as hearing other skaters approaching.

[Orianna2000]

Sorry for the double post, but just out of curiosity, I did a search for "Hat Skating Helmet" and "Ice Skating Helmet" and surprisingly, it did not come up with the Ice Halo, the Ribcap, or anything similar.

I did find this, however: the Crasche hat, which is a padded hat "for people who should wear helmets but don't." It has no strap, it's just a snug knit hat with padded inserts. Might be worth a try! Especially because it's only around $20. Thoughts/opinions/comparisons?

[AgnesNitt]

Or you can do what I do, take a winter hat and put a couple of skating safe pads in the back.

[AgnesNitt]

Just wanted to note, I think this helmet is not as thick as official ASTM approved helmets. It may be nothing but a hard shell and therefore not as obvious with the hat on.

[Orianna2000]

According to the website, "The 'hard part' of helt-pro® is an ABS-plastic hard shell with air vents to protect against sharp objects. Soft inner parts made of flexible polyurethane foam and padded inlay for shock absorption and perfect wearing comfort."

So it seems to be more than just a hard shell. But I don't know how it would compare with the Ribcap or other helmets.

[Janie]

I did find this, however: the Crasche hat, which is a padded hat "for people who should wear helmets but don't." It has no strap, it's just a snug knit hat with padded inserts. Might be worth a try! Especially because it's only around $20. Thoughts/opinions/comparisons?

I really like this! But I googled a little bit and didn't really find much info on it besides that's it's allowed for girls lacrosse games.
It seems cheap enough to give it a try. But then, I still wouldn't know how well it works until the day (I hope not) I actually need it. Hmm... undecided. What do others think?

[Orianna2000]

I just ordered the Crasche hat. I'll leave a review for it once I've tried it out. Can't really afford the Ribcap or the Helt-Pro at this time.

Interestingly, I found a website that denounces the Ribcap, basically saying it's not as protective as you think. They seem to have done a lot of research into it, but I dunno.

[Orianna2000]

My Crasche Hat arrived today, just in time for my first class with my new coach. I like it! I'm not entirely convinced it will do much in the event that I hit my head, but it doesn't feel like you're wearing a helmet, so I don't mind wearing it. It is better than nothing at all, so it's probably worth it. Here are my initial impressions.

* The best news: it looks like you're just wearing a hat. No chin strap, no bulk, nothing obvious that says "helmet." The only way anyone will know is if they come up and smack you on the head.

* It's plenty warm, but not too hot. It's short (leaving some of your head exposed) so it doesn't get too warm, but I believe they also make a mesh "summer" version for those who overheat easily.

* It does NOT cover the ears, so I was able to hear my coach's instructions, as well as approaching skaters. A definite bonus for me.

* It's lightweight and very comfortable. I hardly noticed I had it on.

* However, it's so lightweight that I don't know how much protection it actually offers. The triangular strips are surprisingly thin, without much neoprene padding. Mostly they're just super hard, made of bulletproof plastic. It appears to offer more of a sharp-impact protection, rather than blunt force trauma/concussion protection. But then, I'm hardly an expert, so I could be totally misinterpreting things.

* It doesn't cover your whole head--it leaves some areas exposed, like your temples and the base of your neck. The hat itself covers from just above your eyebrows, to about halfway down the back of your head, but the protective strips are shorter, so it really only covers the top of your head and a few inches curving down. I was concerned, but my husband examined the hat while I was wearing it, and he believes it covers enough of your head to be safe in an accident. Perhaps it's like the Ice Halo, in that no matter where you hit your head, the helmet will hit first, protecting you from the bulk of the impact.

* It's not very snug--and I have extremely thick hair, so it surprised me that it wasn't a tight fit. This is fine for regular skating, but I have no idea whether it would stay on during fast spins and/or jumps.

* The triangular pads are removable, so you can take them out and wash the hat, or just wear it as a hat, without the padding.

* It was relatively cheap (somewhere around $35, I believe, with shipping), so it's probably worth a try.

* Basically, it's like the label says: This does not replace a helmet, but it's a heckuva lot better than having nothing on your head.

[jjane45]

* It's lightweight and very comfortable. I hardly noticed I had it on.

* It's not very snug--and I have extremely thick hair, so it surprised me that it wasn't a tight fit. This is fine for regular skating, but I have no idea whether it would stay on during fast spins and/or jumps.

Thanks for reviewing! Good to hear it's comfortable, can you sort of shake your head around to see whether it moves?

[Orianna2000]

I shook my head a lot (and made myself dizzy, LOL) and the hat stayed in place. But when you go to remove it, it pulls off very easily, like it's not gripping your head at all. It's hard to say whether it would stay put or not, honestly, especially in a fall or during jumps and spins. You could, however, add thicker gel pads in addition to the hard-shell pads it already has, and that might snug up the fit a little, as well as giving more protection.

Another thing to note, when you put the hat on, you need to adjust the pads so they're all lying flat and aligned. They're triangular, so they're wide at the base and pointy at the tips, where they meet at the top of your head. But they're not connected to each other, so they shift when the hat isn't being worn, especially if you fold it in half to fit in your skating bag. When you first put it on, just reach up and make sure the segments are not overlapping or out of alignment. Takes maybe 5 seconds and you're good to go.

[Janie]

Oh! I forgot to reply to this! Thanks so much for trying it out and sharing the review, Orianna!

If you tip your head back, or even bend over so your head's upside down, does the hat stay on?

[Orianna2000]

To my husband's amusement, I tested this for you. 

If you tilt forward so your head is upside down, the hat falls off immediately. This really disappointed me. I then threw myself backwards onto the bed, as if falling, and the hat did not come off, but it did shift forward a bit. (Of course, I am short and our bed is tall. If I threw myself backwards onto the floor, it might be a different story . . . but there are limits to what a gal is willing to do for the sake of research.) If I had to guess, I would say it would not stay on during a really fast spin or one where you're leaning backwards. The centrifugal forces would rip it right off. Judging by how loose the hat is, it wouldn't take much to knock it free during a fall, either.

Now, some versions of the hat come in different sizes, so you might be able to order a smaller size that would fit snugger. Or you could try padding it with memory foam or something to snug it up a bit. You could add ties to help secure it, but the main reason I ordered the Crasche Hat was because it doesn't have a strap and therefore doesn't look like a helmet. Adding your own strap would defeat the purpose and you might as well buy the Ribcap or Helt-Pro and take advantage of higher levels of protection.

As it is, the label is absolutely correct: it's better than nothing. How much better is really hard to say. If it falls off when you take a tumble, then it's pretty worthless. I'm going to buy some memory foam or gel padding and see if I can't improve the fit. I'll let you know if it makes a difference.

[jjane45]

. . . but there are limits to what a gal is willing to do for the sake of research.

LOL! Thanks for testing it out.

From my experiences dealing with DIY padded hats... Without the padding, a winter hat can actually stay quite well. Add padding to only the back of the head, it's still fairly snug. Add more all around, and the hat loses its grip and a chin strap is required for it to stay put.

[Janie]

Haha this is funny. Your husband must have been very entertained lol. Thank you for the experimenting!!

[Orianna2000]

Glad to do it. 

[snowgirl]

Helt-Pro is now in the USA. They are selling on Amazon now, (dollar prices) probably later on will open the normal web page.
I got my Mascot Airy, and very happy with it, very comfy and warm, and should give protection. I'm planning to buy some summer hats later on;)

[irenar5]

After hearing of 4 adults in my area come down with concussions, having fallen twice on my head doing brackets and listening to my co-workers' concerns about such a high impact sport, here is what I bought:

http://www.fastgirlskates.com/roller-derby-skates/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=105&idcategory=10

It is a roller derby helmet, very light.  When I skate, I am not even aware of it.  It does not impede vision, and it does not affect my balance in spins.

While shopping for helmets, I also got these:

http://www.fastgirlskates.com/roller-derby-skates/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=17167&idcategory=71

I wore them today over my compression tights and under the Chloe Noel leggings- very low profile and light.  The material is similar to the Waxel pad, but thinner and cut in small circles.  The idea is that with a fall those circles spread and absorb the impact. 
 I have not fallen on either of my purchases, so can't report as to their effectiveness.