Kurtl
A brief history of the idea
to the product development
Experiences of a trail rider
The story behind the hat with integrated head protection - from idea to completion
I am a trail rider. Nowhere else do I feel so primal and intensely connected to nature as I do on the back of a horse.
On the other hand: The greatest happiness of horses seems the rider on earth. At least that was true for both of mine when I started my tour last year (2019) of Halle/S. After Barcelona after 500 km had to stop because of saddle pressure. My new hat with integrated head protection, on the other hand, passed all challenges with flying colors. This is important, because I knew it differently.
In 2017 I had discovered trail riding for myself for the first time, at that time with an organized riding group. The 180 km trail took us across Sicily from the interior to Mount Etna. I remember it well: it was April and it was freezing cold. All participants duly wore their riding helmets. At first, it just looked funny to see a horde of trail riders with their heads round as balls traversing the steep slopes. But after a day, the riding helmets also became uncomfortable and decidedly impractical. When it rained, the water ran right down your back, and usually a little deeper. The saddle squeaked with wetness. If the sun did come out, sunburn was inevitable. A pitiful state of affairs, for each and every one of us.
Experiences of a trail rider
I am a trail rider. Nowhere else do I feel so primal and intensely connected to nature as I do on the back of a horse.
On the other hand: The greatest happiness of horses seems the rider on earth. At least that was true for both of mine when I started my tour last year (2019) from Halle/S. After Barcelona after 500 km had to stop because of saddle pressure. My new hat with integrated head protection, on the other hand, passed all challenges with flying colors. This is important, because I knew it differently.
In 2017 I had discovered trail riding for myself for the first time, at that time with an organized riding group. The 180 km trail took us across Sicily from the interior to Mount Etna. I remember it well: it was April and it was freezing cold. All participants duly wore their riding helmets. At first, it just looked funny to see a horde of trail riders with their heads round as balls traversing the steep slopes. But after a day, the riding helmets also became uncomfortable and decidedly impractical. When it rained, the water ran right down your back, and usually a little deeper. The saddle squeaked with wetness. If the sun did come out, sunburn was inevitable. A pitiful state of affairs, for each and every one of us.
From the idea to the hat with integrated head protection (helmet): Challenge EN standard.
Even though the idea of a “hat-helmet” for riders is not entirely new, so far there are no products that convincingly meet our requirements:
– Safety specified by the EN standard for riding helmets.
– Authentic look
– Comfort (comfort and weather protection)
The path from idea to product was long and instructive. In particular, the implementation of the EN standard was a major challenge. Accordingly, the following criteria apply to protective helmets:
Depending on the sport, the helmet must meet a defined strength requirement, which is called the protection class.
The material used must ensure, for example, in the event of a fall on a stone, that the tip of the respective object does not penetrate the material, so that the head remains unharmed.
The helmet must be able to be firmly attached to the head by a fastening mechanism.
The service life of the helmet should be at least 48 months if intact.
The headgear should be lightweight and support the wearing comfort.
The bicycle helmet EN standard was quite easy to meet, my hat helmet managed it on the first try. The hurdles for the riding helmet standard, however, were somewhat higher.
For example, the chin strap must be able to be opened with one hand in all positions. For myself, it was also important that the strap is easily adjustable and visually fits well with the hat.
We really broke a sweat when it came to finding the right chinstrap guide. Because copying was not, we wanted to create it ourselves and perhaps go completely new ways.
Until the chinstrap finally sat how and where it should and met all specifications, we met countless times, tinkered and tinkered.
But in the end, the work was worth it. Because in addition to the implementation of the EN standard, we really succeeded in the most important thing: You can’t tell that the hat is actually a helmet. The only distinguishing feature is the chin strap. Trail riders, western riders, recreational riders: all can now wear an authentic equestrian hat with reliable head protection. And I’m a little proud of that.
The pictures show something from the history of development. The authentic look of the hat shape was a MUST. In its early days, this was not always so successful.
And now we are proud to present our second generation.
The American hat manufacturer Stetson has been the leading manufacturer of cowboy hats for over 100 years and is now also represented in our range.
Hat-Line
Trends
A small, very practical piece of plastic. If desired, we will of course continue to install a pure leather closure.
