Protecting your Gray Matter

[JohnyMac]

With the recent discussion about NODS on another subject line, a brief discussion came up about headgear. I felt a discussion about headgear was worth its own subject line.

Billed cap, bump & knock to Kevlar helmet: What kind of head gear are you sporting? Why and where did you purchase? 

[Erick]

Like everything else in life its a matter of application and tradeoffs.

I do own a ballistic Helmet, a Bump Helmet and of course softcap/boonie hats.

All have their place but some more than others depending on the situation

-Historically military helmets evolved in a modern military primarily to protect the wearer from shrapnel from indirect fire ( mortars, artillery, air dropped bomb)
In the GWOT IED have been added to that..

Thats what drove threat which drove the modern ballistic helmet

Keep in mind that Pre GWOT many US militaryunits would not wear Helmets at all in the absence of a realistic indirect fire threat.

Lets do a comparison:

1)
- Bump Helmets like these
https://www.botach.com/lancer-tactical-ca-725-pj-type-fast-helmet-w-rails-velcro/
Can be very useful.
Pros:
- Protect your head against bumps.. in the woods when moving quickly and even more so in urban terrain they can make the difference between a debilitating injury or a minor inconvenience
- They are light as Bike helmets. So easy to wear you forget you wear them after  a while
- very affordable
- Can mount NVGs
Cons:
- Do not protect form shrapnel or any bullet not even handgun bullets.


2) Ballistic helmets

Pro:
-can do everything a Bump Helmet can PLUS protect against shrapnel and handgun bullets or some ricochets.

Con:
-Price runs gamut from expensive ( a few hundred bucks) to very expensive ( well over a grand)
- Noticeably heavier than Bump helmets. If you are mostly motorborne like modern US troops thats trivial... but if you are humping all day in the woods or are building a barn it is not helpful.

3) No helmets/Booniehat/SoftCap

Pro:
- Lightweight and comfy to play its small part to keep you fresher
- Cheap

Con:
-No ballistic protection


My take on it considering all things:
- When patrolling around the BOL or on a hypothetical post SHTF Long range recce will wear softcap
- When in Urban terrain, or perhaps in tight woods at night, will wear Bump helmet as the bump threat is dramatically elevated.
- In static defense or the hypothetical rare incident of forced entry in  high threat area.. Wear the a ballistic
- When using NightVision wearing the ballistic.

[Well-Prepared Witch]

I don't do much that requires a hard hat.  I do have one around here somewhere.  I tend to be sporting my straw hat (with my classy paracord/550 cord tie that replaced the broken leather tie) when I'm working around the homestead.  The only other hat I wear regularly is a ballcap with a light on the brim that I wear when I go running at night.

[JohnyMac]

Wellie, you always were a leader in style! 

As Erick wrote we have different hats for different applications on what our task for the day is ahead of us.

While working in the garden I use a boonie hat. That will change as soon as I get a extra buck or two and buy a VERY breathable straw hat. Going to town hat is a a Mossy camo billed cap. I do not want to look different than my neighbors.

For patrol and security work, I lean towards a bump hat/bonnet to mainly mount NODS. After talking with some professionals I am thinking (As money allows)about upgrading to a Kevlar bucket.

[JoJo]

Timely post. I've been thinking about wearing a hat. Me and Mrs Jojo was at the beach and I got sunburn on my head. I'm not bald but thinning. I wear a ball cap when cutting the lawn but been thinking of getting a boonie. A hard hat isn't needed here, flat farm land. You can tell the tourists from the locals, no hats.     

[JohnyMac]

I have a angel on my shoulder...It is called MrsMac!

She bugs the hell out of me to wear a hat. Her dad died in 2008 due to melanoma. My Scottish skin is the cross I must bare in the summer. Great legs but whiter than white skin.

I guess it is white privilege...NOT!

[CJS06]

great topic!

Headgear is so totally dependent of the activity and potential threat.  I have ball caps that I wear ubiquitously during the day. I wear my bump helmet (Team Wendy)  for all night/low light activites that may involve use of Nods/thermal. I do also have a ballistic helmet (MICH) that I can use with my nods but honestly the extra weight is not generally worth it. I recently was able to use a high cut ballistic that was only marginally heavier than my bump helmet.  If I didnt already have the bump and the balistic that I have then I would seriously consider investing in one.  Add nods, batteries, light to the MICH and it truly becomes a pain in the neck :-)

Chris

[JohnyMac]

Thanks for participating in this discussion folks. Maybe a few links would be good too. 

[brat]

Billed ball cap, with the bill facing FORWARD. Worn them everyday since HS and everyday now. The substantial collection I posses revolve around agriculture, tractors, firearms of some sort. There are everyday hats and go to town hats. I had one I wore for five years while traveling and shooting competitively. My MF (Massey Ferguson) or like we used to tell the non ag folks (Mother F#$%^r) hat. I miss that hat, it was broke in good. A thing back then was after a major win, someone would grab your hat and throw it up in the air while your team mates shot the crap out of it. Messed up and wore it to a national for luck and while it brought me luck, it got shot to shit.

Straw wide brimmed for garden, field work, bush hogging, haying, etc. I need a cabbed tractor.

Hard hat with shield for logging, trimming, etc.

Gonna have to look into one of those new fangled "bump" helmets one day. Should have kept my riot helmet.

[special-k]

My Henschel Aussie Hat in Natural color was some of the best money I ever spent.  I've had it for over 10 years and it's no worse for wear...other than some staining (grass, grease, etc.) from years of service.  While being built like tank, they are still lightweight and highly breathable.  They are made in the U.S.A. (well, at least mine was.) 

On the hottest days I wear a consistently moistened dew rag underneath it.  It's like having my own miniature air conditioner.  While the younger skinny guys are dropping like flies, my older fat ass is still going.  Work smarter, not harder!  Prevent heat stoke by keeping your noodle cool.

https://www.amazon.com/Henschel-Aussie-5310-Earth-Earth-Medium/dp/B001HLG8M0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465911281&sr=8-1&keywords=henschel+hat



My casual, everyday, 'round-the-town hat is a camo visor I got from Bass Pro Shops.

[JohnyMac]

Thanks S-K! Where do you put the NODS?

[special-k]

Thanks S-K! Where do you put the NODS?

They don't issue NOD's to us peasantry.

[Nemo]

SK, is that one of them crushable, stuff in a sack, beat'em'up, stomp'em'up when your mad and not cause any problem type hats?

I have already put it in my Amazon cart.  The Distressed Gold color.

Nemo

[special-k]

@Nemo
It's not supposed to be crushable.  The crown part of mine has sorta fallen due to some improper storage over the years...I just run my fist up & around in the crown whenever I put it on.  It is flexible enough that I do regularly slide it down the side of my tool bag next to all the other stuff in there.  The brim bends some when in the bag, but it always instantly goes back to its original shape when taken out.

[Nemo]

$33 is worth the risk.  Methinks I must obtain one for my snow white locks.

Nemo