Hoods

[VFD268]

I AM LOOKING TO BUY A NEW HOOD. HAS ANYONE TRIED THE NEW VENTELATED HOODS FROM MORNING PRIDE? DOES ANYBODY LIKE THE CARBON HOODS? I HAVE HEARD GOOD THINGS AND BAD THINGS ABOUT BOTH. ANY INFO THAT COULD HELP ME DECIDE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

[WTFD10]

I've been using the ventilated hood for over a year now. I can't say for sure if it really makes a difference but it certainly can't hurt. It seems like common sense to me what they say about heat retention, the extra layer at the top of the hood being redundant due to your helmet and the top of the head being the area that sheds heat the fastest. One thing I definitely do now is make sure my helmet chin strap is always buckled before going into the fire building.

[SFD3468]

I love my ventilated hood, have had it for about a year and a half. It really does make a difference when compared to the non-ventilated ones.

[Co11FireGal]

Never used a ventilated hood, but I do use a carbon. Don't like it any more or less than regular nomex.

[FiRsqDvr45]

I like my vented hood not so much as for it's ability to vent a little head steam but more so that it doesn't seem to bunch up at the top as much. I hated that feeling of having a pompom at the top of my head.

[firefighterbeau]

I use a carbon hood, its not too bad, during the summer it does seem a little cooler than nomex. Only had it in one fire and it worked good, not quite as warm in the winter as the nomex hood with wool? lining.

[jfTL41]

I wore the dept issued Morning Pride vented hood until I lost my helmet (momentarily) in a job and felt my head burning. I lost my helmet b/c I wasn't wearing a chin strap, I still don't wear the chin strap but I now wear a Carbon Fibre full hood which I swear by.

[ThNozzleman]

We use carbon hoods. They work great, but I don't think they have the durability of other hoods over time. Ours are bad about forming holes/tears, especially around the face opening.

I wore the dept issued Morning Pride vented hood until I lost my helmet (momentarily) in a job and felt my head burning. I lost my helmet b/c I wasn't wearing a chin strap, I still don't wear the chin strap but I now wear a Carbon Fibre full hood which I swear by.

Fasten the chin strap before you get yourself hurt. Wearing a helmet in a fire without the chin strap fastened makes as much sense as driving a car without a seat belt. You might get away with it for years, but sooner or later, you'll regret it.

[CaptOldTimer]

Hasn't this been discussed before?

Do a search, using the search link to the left.

[jfTL41]

For the Nozzleman, If the job did not issue the p.o.s Ben 2 with the catch all helmet holder on front the helmet would not have been hanging suspended in mid air by a wire. If I had a chin strap on I would have either had my facepiece ripped off or become entangled in the wires myself. I would much prefer to free my helmet than free my person.

[42VTExplorer]

Originally posted by jfTL41
For the Nozzleman, If the job did not issue the p.o.s Ben 2 with the catch all helmet holder on front the helmet would not have been hanging suspended in mid air by a wire. If I had a chin strap on I would have either had my facepiece ripped off or become entangled in the wires myself. I would much prefer to free my helmet than free my person.

Yup.

If the Ben 2 was unworthy for firefighting, it would be taken off the market due to nobody buying it. They put the chin strap on there for a reason. Wear it.

Four letters to you if you don't think you should..L O D D.

[jfTL41]

Having worn the Ben 2 in training and field testing as a fire instructor, and at my job I can quite confidently say that this helmet is garbage, the only reason we have them is that the job has a sole source contract for protective clothing with Total Fire Group, Cairns is not part of Total Fire or else the job would have continued to issue New Yorkers or gone cheap with the 1010 which is not a bad product itself.

[jfTL41]

Funny how this all went back to a simple inquiry about a hood.

[WTFD10]

jfTL41, I think it's far more common for the helmet to fall off while working than it is to get hung up on something. That's why I wear my chin strap at a structure fire.

But to each his own...

[MetalMedic]

I switched to a carbon hood because they are more comfortable in my opinion. One of my Captains made the observation about helmets and vented hoods just the other day. When you start looking at "action photos" in FIREHOUSE and other publications, it is common to find the helmet missing from the firefighters in trouble. That is reason enough for me to avoid the vented hood.

As for the chin strap discussion.... the primary purpose of the helmet is to protect your head from being struck by hard objects. It cannot perform this function if it falls off, especially if it is knocked off your head by one object, and there is more where that one came from.

[ThNozzleman]

As for the chin strap discussion.... the primary purpose of the helmet is to protect your head from being struck by hard objects. It cannot perform this function if it falls off, especially if it is knocked off your head by one object, and there is more where that one came from.

Yeah, but the most important thing is tradition, and looking cool...right?