Ops-Core Ballistic Helmet update

[Iraq Ninja]

http://www.ops-core.com/images/product/FAST-HELMET/FAST_BAL.jpg

I just wanted to bring everyone up to date on this helmet. I have been wearing it at "work" since they came out.

It is still the best helmet available IMHO. I can wear it all day with no issues. I actually don't mind wearing it, unlike everything else out there.

BUT, I have discovered one issue with wearing it in hot temperatures- sweat. The padding on the head band wraps around your forehead. While it is comfortable, it doesn't doesn't absorb moisture and actually causes me to sweat so much that it runs down into my eyes. I was literally blinded and had to constantly wipe my brow, which is not a good thing. Just walking around in 120 degree heat was enough to blind me.

I did not notice this problem in normal temperate ranges.

I have never had a similar problem to such a degree with other helmets.

I am looking into attaching some kind of wicking material to the brow band, or possibly wearing some form of skull cap.

[Cold Zero]

Thanks for the update. Sucks to spend 900.00 for a helmet, only to be blinded. Maybe try wearing a dew rag.

[JSantoro]

Something I've been doing for years for this very reason....tear a sleeve off of an old OD or similar T-shirt, and jam it on your grape. The wider, unhemmed end goes over your brows, and the seam usually on the underside of the sleeve to the rear of your head.

It's thin, it's cheap and easily replaced as you wear through T-shirts. We had a series of dickhead 1stSgts who felt that sweat running in your eyes was perfectly acceptable in combat, and the sleeve was something I could rip off my head along with the helmet at need and not get caught making sense by some POG lifer with a Masters of The Universe complex.

Voila, instant cheap skullcap. Plus, if one is like me and feels that doorags are for flaming queens, not to mention that that bulky knot that has to be tied somewhere, you don't have to look like a gender-nonspecific 'mo IOT keep your eyes free of sweat.

[mhall]

there was a piece on nightline last nite on a dea team in afghanistan and they were wearing the ops helmets and multicam.

[militarymoron]

I have never had a similar problem to such a degree with other helmets.

I am looking into attaching some kind of wicking material to the brow band, or possibly wearing some form of skull cap.

iraq ninja, i had a similar experience with the FAST Bump shell and also the Occ-Dial liner kit in a gentex helmet. the material isn't thick enough to absorb much sweat once it's saturated. i've pinged ops-core about it to see if they've had more feedback on that issue.

a while back, i saw this thing called the 'sweat GUTR' (http://www.sweatgutr.com/)- i thought i buying it for running, but just didn't get around to it. i'm wondering if it'll work with a helmet. it works with cycling helmets but they don't have the same kind of strap config.
if you google 'sweat gutr', you'll come across a lot of reviews like this one:
http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-226275.html

might be worth a try.

[bkb0000]

you just gotta jam a shamwow up there, man.

[jtb0311]

Try a panty liner.

[Iraq Ninja]

MM,

The Sweat Gutr looks to be perfect. You think the one designed for hard hats is the one for us? I will get both styles and report back next month.

One of the great things about ball caps is that they can keep the sweat of out your eyes.

ShamWow... LOL

BTW, I ended up putting my pads back on my Crye armored chassis. They really do help with the heat and circulation.

[Cold Zero]

How do you like the Crye armor. Issues.

[Iraq Ninja]

Cold,

Excellent vest. Rides well, very comfortable, easy on and off. Nothing has broken or worn out, and I have about two years of use into it. It is the only vest that I can actually run long distances in and not get hot spots, etc.

It is a slight bit bulkier due to the design, but it is not a problem. The bulk is only where the front and rear plates are.

But, I have been thinking about putting together an ultra lightweight plate carrier. Things are changing in Iraq, and I can see us going away from the "full military kit" setup we are currently using.

I am looking for a plate carrier in 500D and will only put 10 Speed pouches on it for the mags, and a med kit.

[Cold Zero]

Thanks I.N., if that is the best vest and helmet, what kind of plates and soft armor are you running.

[Iraq Ninja]

Crye doesn't use soft armor, or at least what most of us think of as soft armor.

It appears to be a combination of a hard plastic... maybe HDPE and kevlar. They say it is rated higher than soft armor. This is what gives the chassis the semi rigid feel to it.

I currently run ESAPI plates. The PKM threat is still here, so the AP ammo issue is a valid concern.

I also have the blast belt, but rarely wear it. With the high temperatures, I like to go as light as possible. Plus, I really don't have much to put on the belt since I moved my Glock to my vest. Much easier to use inside a vehicle...

[rob_s]

Interesting product, that gutr. I might try one with my hard hat.

[RogerinTPA]

Do they still make those cooling liners for k-pot helmets? I used to use one in my aviators helmet, instead of the rough sided leather skull cap that was issued.

Here's some options for you. The first one appears to be similar to the one I was using.

http://www.polar-products.com/index.php?p=view_product&product_id=12

http://www.coolingapparel.com/shop/head/HL.html

http://www.silvereagleoutfitters.com.au/helmets_hardhats.htm

http://www.equestriancollections.com/product.asp?groupcode=CM00002

[militarymoron]

MM,

The Sweat Gutr looks to be perfect. You think the one designed for hard hats is the one for us? I will get both styles and report back next month.



very interested to see how they turn out. i can't really find out how the hard hat version attaches.

edited to add: ops-core got back to me this evening and they are currently working on a replacement front pad that's thicker and more absorbant, based on similar feedback they've been getting.

edited to add #2: i got both sweat GUTRs coming my way to try out.

[ballistic]

Here's another option for the sweat in the eyes issue:

http://www.hsgi.us/proddetail.asp?prod=HSG-TBCYAMMI

[tinman44]

bad ass, i wish i had a good reason to wear one. maybe i'll buy one and hide it in my closet.

[BLACK LION]

I use the Spec-Ops recon wrap... Condor outdoor has the exact same thing at a fraction of the cost.

That is a phukin bad a$$ head rig....