Gath Hat

misterorange · January 3, 2015

It doesn't look cool, but what the heck... it's a helmet.

Good for you if you want something cheap and abusable: you can drill holes in it for camera mounts without any loss of efficiency.
You can spend the rest of the money in tickets.

luccarodolfo · October 29, 2010

The new breed, with the foam forehead, fits quite snug and is very slick, offering very low wind resistance... I thought it was going to be a problem, since it shows more area to the wind than the older model. But nope... if you measure your head and buy the proper size... snug fit!

Offers good protection and doesn't try to fly off your head once you leave the door! Specially while on a fast track or sit fly.

The only cons is the chin strap. On the new models (at least on mine), it tends to slack. However, fix it to your desired fit, add couple of stitches on the strap and WALA!

It will fly no problem with a Go Pro on top.

Enjoy

Titanium_Gecko · November 1, 2009

I bought my Gath on the day I got my A License and have never looked back. Admittedly, it was the best fit for my head at the dropzone shop but would recommend anyone to try a Gath on.
This year alone it has proved reliable and secure/snug at 200mph head down, 140mph+ stand through to 50mph-ish wingsuiting. It also protected me from worse head injuries in 2004 after a low turn, which took me out of the sport for 2 years. I love its look in photos and videos.

dhracer33 · June 6, 2009

I purchased my first Gath two years ago and am very pleased with its performance. If you are looking for a helmet that is not over-built, is lightweight and comfortable, go with a Gath. I wear a helmet to avoid bumps from the plane, air to air contact during wingsuit flocking, and falling while landing and my Gedi and RV do a great job. I use my Gath not only for skydiving, but for BASE jumping and speedflying as well. Not to mention GoPro cameras strap onto the top perfectly.

rakkers · September 22, 2008

Not comfortable. Won't keep your head warm. Won't protect much. Irritates your ears. Save up and buy a better one.

west33freefall · June 28, 2008

Just got the helmet in the mail. It doesn't look like much but it fit rather well and the padding is easy to cut down in places and you get extra strips of padding to customize the fit. Very light weight hardly feels like you have a helmet on but has plenty of padding and a hard enough shell to protect against bumps in or just out side the plane. I don't think I would recommend for someone who uses and audible. But all said and done it is a nice looking helmet and fits and feels pretty nice. For a cheaper helmet it isn't too bad.

Jumpsat14k · December 3, 2007

Helmet felt really cheap, padding was very hard, can only imagine in cold weather. Also, the chin strap WOULD not stay in adjustment, I had to put a stitch in the webbing to keep it put. A poor helmet for skydiving. Sold it after 4 jumps.

freakflyer62 · March 11, 2007

This is my first helmet, I bought it mail order after looking at pictures, and of course, prices. (new jumper just off student status). What can I say, you get what you pay for. The shell is thin & lightweight. The padding is not the greatest. It does however fit very well, and the optional ear closure devices are pretty cool, I will be buying the attachment avalable from gath to put my dytter in. Visibility is great.As soon as it either wears out or cracks I'll by a hurricane or a z1. If your on a tight budget & a better helmets will cost you jumps. buy a gath & jump. Blue skies

pincheck · April 9, 2005

This is not the best in the world but for people on tight budgets or who are looking for a open face hard shell this could be for them. The cost and good peripheral vision are the best points going for the gath. The lack off a soft padding makes it hard to wear on the ground but in freefall you have other considerations.

The gath constuction is not the best as the helmet can be flexed by hand, in saying this my gath has had a few hard knocks and is still in good shape.

In conclusion it offers more protection than a frap or no helmet but not as good as other brands.

Winznut · January 20, 2005

Bought it right after I finished AFF because i got a discount on it.
As sad before it's designed to protect your head from getting hit by your (surf)board which on weights a few lbs but I think it's also good enough for some easy RW stuff.
Until today I wrote four emails to GathSports to find out, where to obtain a SkyPack for it, without a reply...
I think, I'll sell it on Ebay's surfing-section when the season starts.

February 19, 2004

The Gath helmet was designed for surfing, not skydiving. It is cheap, good looking, but not very strong or durable. It has very little frontal protection and leaves your forhead almost competely exposed. It is a lot better than no helmet, but not nearly as good as most any made-for- skydiving helmet. I don't think a Gath will absorb much energy in a collision as there is no crushable foam, just some thin resilient padding. Still, its a lot better than no helmet. I use my Gath for surfing and bought an INVERTIGO for skydiving.

SkyAnt · April 28, 2003

I bought a Gath mainly because I saw it as an alternative to the Frap Hat. And it was actually cheaper than the ProTec down here.
You can now buy an attachment for the dytter from Gath via mail-order. Call me old fashioned but in my opinion, the more holes you drill in something, the weaker it gets. Still, after meerly tripping over it, I found a crack in the shell. However the company has offered to replace it. Less the postage.

darkside212 · January 1, 2003

I bought my gath helmet because it was cheap. Needless to say "You get what you pay for!" My helmet actually cracked against someone elses head! I do not recommend this helmet to anyone who appreciates their own safety (cause if you hit someone else-they'll be okay,teehee). But if you need something cheap because your dz requires you to wear a helmet buy it, they're much better looking than a protec!
Blue Skies

Tonto · October 24, 2002

I don't wear a helmet at all. Not for the last 3300 skydives anyway. But I'm freeflying now and it seems to make sense to wear one, so I look around and see what's out there.

You have to wonder at some peoples logic. The Gath was designed for surfing. It has no frontal protection so you can get your head on your board and go under waves. When you're suspented from the shoulders, flying forward at 30 - 80 mph and you need a helmet - it better have some frontal protection. I have picked up the pieces (Yes, you read right) of 2 Gath hats worn by exuberant low timers after they hooked it in. Both spent over a week in intensive care with head injuries. If you're going to wear a helmet - use one that will protect you from more than "Sunstroke"

t

steellex · October 15, 2001

I bought the Gath helmet about 3 months back and had clocked nearly 40 jumps with it. The helmet fits snugly, looks real cool, is light compared to most helmets, but lacks any real protection against hard knocks. I did talk a friend into buying one for wake boarding though.

To mount my dytter, I took out an audio vent and used heavy duty mounting tape to hold the dytter in place. Not exactly the most conventional way, but it sure works.

A few days back, I was very surprised to discover a crack on the top of my helmet, about half an inch from the leading edge. I've yet to find out how the crack came about as I don't remember rough-handling it. The vendor who sold me the helmet said that I'm probably the first customer with such a problem, but is unable to replace it with a new helmet. Just wondering if any folks out there experienced the same problem?

If you wanna look real cool, Gath's the choice. But if you wanna keep your brains intact, look for something else.

Deleted · March 12, 2001

I bought my Gath before leaving NZ and have put about 40 jumps on it. It is a great piece of head gear. It is comfy, allows great visibility, (with a little practice) allows you to put your goggles on the top visor while in the aircraft, and looks pretty smart too.
About the only negative thing I can think of is the external dytter mount needed for virtually all types of dytters. They are such a snug helmet that if you mount it on the inside, you get cramped (sore) ears. Otherwise, you run the costly risk of having a riser sweep it off on deployment. (I have never heard of this, but it is a logical risk)
All in all I would have to rate the Gath helmet at about an 8. So, if you are looking for a good, sturdy, attractive, and cost effective piece of head wear before you start getting into the fancy full face jobs...you can't do better than a Gath!!!

October 26, 1999

I've found the Gath hat to be a useful piece of kit for RW and sit-flying. It sits securely and comfortably, and keeps the ears warm in winter loads. It also provides good protection from head bumps and cuts in cramped aircraft. The basic design offers excellent peripheral vision in all directions, and there are no protrusions into the airflow around the head.

A dytter or Time-out can be easily mounted on the outside of each ear-piece - just use a hot needle to burn holes through the helmet plastic so thin wire can be used to securely attach the device. I've also seen the basic design modified very successfully as a mount for digital video cameras (attached to the side of the hat), particularly by free-flyers. The Gath was originally designed as a helmet to protect surfers from sunstroke, coral cuts and loss of body heat. It looks good and keeps the ears warm in winter loads, but does NOT offer the same degree of protection as, say, a Protec or hockey helmet. If you want really effective head protection, then go for a kevlar contraption. Think of the Gath as a more stylish and protective substitute for a frap hat. You can store your altis and goggles inside when you put it in your gear bag, and it's certainly a cost-effective option (about $US99, or $NZ150).

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377 21

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