Tips for padded hats? (head protection)

[jjane45]

I currently use a padded hat to get some head protection. Regular winter hat plus skatingsafe type gel pads. With a 5" x 1.5" pad in the front, and an 8" x 2" pad in the back, the hat weighs 7 oz. total. I also had to sew wide elastic near the trim of the hat so the hat does not fall off my head because of the altered fit and additional weight.

I'm looking for added protection and wish to put more gel pads into the hat to cover the circumference of the head like ice halo does. They need to be easily removable for laundry / cleaning. Any ideas other than stretchy fabric pocket + velcro? Or maybe use a different type of hat?

Current hat:

I still have a snowboard helmet that I'd pull out for dangerous stuff, it's too bulky for daily use. Ice halo does not fit my head and feels too insecure. Rib cap... while the $$$ price is cheaper than an ER visit, I can't tell how well it works...

[icedancer]

I bought an ice halo last week and then on Wednesday I went to a cold rink - I took my regular winter hat, pulled it down in front of my face, put the ice halo over it and then turned up the ends of the hat.  It looks cute - like a fleece fedora or something -

Then for the mall rink where it gets quite warm I will just wear the plain ice halo...

[jjane45]

I bought an ice halo last week and then on Wednesday I went to a cold rink - I took my regular winter hat, pulled it down in front of my face, put the ice halo over it and then turned up the ends of the hat.  It looks cute - like a fleece fedora or something -

Then for the mall rink where it gets quite warm I will just wear the plain ice halo...

Hmmm does putting a hat underneath the ice halo compromise the snug fit? After all, the protection should stay on the head thru the impact... But I think I'm the only person complaining about feeling unsecure in the halo. Did not help that young hockey friends easily picked it up from my head when I did shoot the ducks on publics.

My new DIY version is a 2" headband to go around the head kind of like ice halo does, made with gel pads and with a chin strap attached. Now I can wear any knit hat over it, yeah!! Need to improve the chin strap's look, but overall happy. I really used up every scrap piece from the original Akton polymer pad, lol.

[icedancer]

Hmmm does putting a hat underneath the ice halo compromise the snug fit? After all, the protection should stay on the head thru the impact... But I think I'm the only person complaining about feeling unsecure in the halo. Did not help that young hockey friends easily picked it up from my head when I did shoot the ducks on publics.

Well, the fleece hat is pretty thin and it feels snug enough to me as I have nothing to compare it to.  I suppose it might fly off a little bit easier than if it was right on my head...

Also need to know that I am not jumping or spinning in this thing.  Not sure how that would be.

[jjane45]

Also need to know that I am not jumping or spinning in this thing.  Not sure how that would be.

I once padded the previous hat very heavily without any elastic to fasten and hold. The hat stayed fine during spins and jumps because the head is upright for the whole time, but came off easily during a fall.

Also bad falls not necessarily originate from jumps and spins. Can't predict how I fall, so I tried to shake my head in all directions to make sure it does not come off