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Quick Helmet Size Question

radiogaga

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I've searched around this forum and was unable to find an answer. I hope it hasn't already been answered, though there were a couple other helmet size threads that didn't quite tell me what I needed to know.

I just got my gear today. I first tried on a large helmet and the guy at the clothing place and my corporal said it didn't look quite right, so they gave me a medium after fitting the piece of cardboard over my head.

The thing is, after I got home and fiddled with the straps for a couple of hours, I think the helmet may be too small height-wise.

The areas on the sides that give space for what I assume would be headphones only barely go down to the tops of my ears and a moderate amount of forehead is showing when I have it fitting snugly. I might have a similar problem to that which I usually have with other clothing--I'm tall and skinny and proportional (large shirts these days seem to increase more in width than height, though I was pleasantly surprised with the green army shirts I got today).

Anyhow, my head is very inverted-egg-shaped.

I learned from Wikipedia that our helmet is based on the SPECTRA helmet, and the article came with this picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:M96_helmet_Denmark_005.jpg

For comparison, I'm showing maybe 1 to 1.5 inches more forehead than the man in the linked photo, who also has the helmet around halfway down his ear, whereas mine barely passes the tip.

Should I go back to the clothing place (or whatever it's called) and get a new one?

And on a semi-related note, the buckles to adjust the front straps on the helmet scrape my glasses. I had the idea of padding them by wrapping band-aids (that I'd probably dye green) around them so that I don't have to replace expensive frames. Would that be okay, or would I get in trouble? I haven't done basic yet so I have little idea what's acceptable.
 
Double check the straps and suspension to make sure you don't have it riding too far back or too tight. If all else fails, get a size up. Ultimately it's about what you're comfortable with... Within reason, during my BMQ about half of us looked like we were wearing green stormtrooper helmets.

Edit - Just to claify, I meant comfortable with the amount of protection it offers. If you think it doesn't protect enough of your head, size up or down accordingly.

For the glasses get ballistic eyewear with perscription inserts issued.



I spend way too much time in this section.
 
To add to what Canadian Mind said, with regards to glasses I would advise getting a cheap set of glasses that you save just for the field until you get issued ballistic eyewear with the prescription inserts as it might take you a while to get them as I assume you are in the reserves.  In the field your glasses take a lot of abuse so an expensive set of frames is not a good thing, plus there is nobody to impress out in the field.

That is my advice, from a guy that has been wearing glasses in the field for over 20 years. 
 
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