Re: Hats

["S. Brown" <sbrown@wamedes.com>]

>
>Sorry to post this to the net - but it is endurance related I think.
>Can anyone give me any ideas , names etc of endurance(that is
>lightweight, cool) hats OTHER Than the Troxel.

I have a Lexington Lidlocker that I love.  My students like it also -- so
much so that I had to go out and buy a second one!  I also have a Troxel
and NEVER use that one anymore (except for students) since I like the fit
of the Lidlocker better.  The Lidlocker is lightweight and has a harness
adjustment with velcro that really snugs the fit securely on your head.
It's also a nice reflective white! ;-)

I saw an ad for a sunvisor brim that is supposed to fit most helmets.
Since I wear glasses and hate switching to prescription sunglasses or
wearing clip-ons (tho I do if I have to), this sounded like a great
innovation.  Does anyone know if it will work on the Lidlockers that have a
velcro band instead of snaps??  To me this sounds like an ideal visor --
but may not be...I don't know.  Anyone used one?

As an added note here on the subject of helmets...I'm glad to read some
very positive comments about wearing them.  If you have any doubt about
what can happen to your brain in a fall, watch the video "Every Time, Every
Ride".  It doesn't even need to hit anything hard like a rock or a stump.
The concussion that the brain absorbs going from the speed of falling X the
distance of the fall is directly related to the SUDDEN STOP!  The soft,
squishy (like firm jello) gray matter gets slammed against the hard brain
cage...and that rapid deceleration against the skull not only squishes the
part that comes into contact with the skull, but also tears blood vessels
on the OPPOSITE side of the head as the brain pulls *away* from the dura.
A subdural hematoma is very frequently a life threatening situation where
MINUTES count!  I've spent about 25 years working in surgery with a
subspecialty in neurosurgery and open heart.  There are a few surgeries
that are a real thrash to save the patient -- and an actively bleeding
subdural hematoma is right up there with a rupturing abdominal aortic
aneurysm or someone trying to die in the cath lab from a heart attack.  The
pressure on the brain needs to be relieved before it causes irreparable
damage -- and even then, the brain is *so* fragile that the outcome of
normal function is yet to be determined.  If you're out in the woods, miles
from a hospital, and many long minutes even by helicopter, your chance of
survival would be dubious in this kind of situation.  Even a mild blow
could cause a small bleeder that may not be evident for quite a while.
While a helmet doesn't GAURANTEE that you won't have ANY injury from a bad
fall, it will certainly lessen the impact significantly and probably save a
life that can return to normal living.

I'm off my soapbox now.  ;-)  It's kind of interesting that the thought
that went thru my head as I walked by the mirror on the way to the computer
was "damn, I wish those helmets didn't cause such a case of "hat hair" --
had just taken mine off.  I won't get on a horse anymore without one -- so
my Lidlocker gets a LOT of use...and my selection of baseball caps is
HUGE!! ;-)

Sue

sbrown@wamedes.com
Tyee Farm
Marysville, Wa.