TraqGear

Hmm.. that's interesting. Between drivers with eye glasses and those that wear sunglasses..maybe a good bit of us. Thanks for the input!!

This thread is great! Any other areas of concern?

Circuit Motorsports

More stretchier that retain original shape.

The best balaclavas that I have are the ones that stretch the most but don't stretch out.

Not too thick. CarbonX went that route and lots of people couldn't fit them with their helmets after having a thinner nomex before.

TraqGear

Do you know the blend of material on the ones that hold up the best?

Yeah, I had a lot of complaints on them being too thick, especially with Stilo helmets. I even talked with a couple of pros that stop wearing one altogether for the same reason. (not a good idea)

Thanks! Great info!

CCA

I think the Sparco was just a little smaller. I have one of the soft-touch and a Carmyth. The Carmyth is less stretchy than the other but still fits okay. A little too much bulk around the neck though on both. These are some of the problems with "one size fits all" garments. For reference wear a Med helmet and have a 15-15.5 neck.

ApexPerformance

We just received our first batch of the new stand21 lid lifters. They are new so we have not received any feedback on them yet.

http://http://www.apexperformance.net/prod-2755.htm

This is much better than the eject system that can break or expires. Plus emergency personnel need a special pump to operate the eject

The stand21 lid lifter requires no tools and is very simple to use

I think if you could incorporate some type of helmet removal along with something to accommodate eyeglasses, it would be a win-win for all

Matt Romanowski

I have one. I can't wear it with my helmet as it makes the front of the helmet way too tight. I'm happy to mail it to you if you want to check it out.

fatbillybob

Funny, My niece made a headsock like that for me over 3 years ago. It is an obvious innovation and no doctor helped me design it.

IMO headsocks fit fine if you buy your helmet with your headsock on. The problem sounds like here people bought shoes then decided to wear socks. Nothing is going to make those shoes more comfortable. You got to put your socks on then try on the shoes if you want a great fit.

greenfrog

I have seen the stand21 lid lifters at a safety session at MSX. The speaker asked me to help with a demo. It works really simple and really well. Just pull the two loops horizontally and the helmet pops up easily. It does not exert any pulling force on the neck which could be a life saver after an accident.

coryf

I wear prescription sunglasses. It is a little difficult getting the arms to slip in past the balaclava with my stilo helmet but doable. I pull down the opening primarily so I can use the drink bottle. Haven't had an issue with seams but none on top seems like a good idea.

spg993tt

ive tried a number. my favorite are the new alpinestars. for me, i like them super thin and there is something with that alpinestars material that makes it whispy thin, almost feels like it wouldnt be compliant, fire proof, but it is.
then i would make sure there is a hole in the mouth area for the earbud 1/8" plug to come through head out to the plug in on the helmet. i might even put a small flap over that earbud exit hold so once you push the plug through, some material lays down on top of it and somewhat covers that hole.

PPo

I downhill ski often... for some reason only when it seems to be really cold. I wear a helmet when I ski, because I often do things that are not smart. I use a balaclava for skiing that has a very thin head portion, and a much thicker neck portion.

I bring this up because I believe in race cars that the balaclava part that is covered by the helmet does NOT need to be as thick as the places that are not covered by the helmet. Specifically, the area around the largest circumference of the head, and the top of the head... do we really need extra layers if it is already covered in a helmet?

mglobe

The sunglasses/eyeglass issue is for me the biggest one. I hate wearing the damn things because of how difficult it is to get my prescription sunglasses on.

996FLT6

OT- wouldn't mind the plastic sun visor to be 1/4 inch thick. Existing one's are flimsy. Mike

Circuit Motorsports

Unknown brand from long ago sadly. No labels left on it.

The new alpine stars one is very similar to it.

Carrera51

No seem across the top of the head. Single eye port. Provision for ear buds would be nice. I pull my eye opening down off my nose but leave my mouth covered.

I still wear the same basic OMP single layer, single eye port balaclava I've had for 8 years. I've never had issues with comfort when using it. something more form fitting would be nice but I don't think it would be cost effective since we all have different shaped heads.