d3o Ignite Peak Beanie Review - Snowboarding Forum

03-15-2010, 05:53 PM

I've noticed there's not too much stuff on d3o equipment in these forums. Have any of you used stuff with d3o in it? What do you all think? I heard that the US and Canadian ski teams wore suits with this stuff in it for the Vancouver Olympics so it's got to be good, right?

I really love the beanie that I have but I'll say I don't really do much park stuff (helmet is still more protection and better for that most likely).

This is a review I wrote a few weeks ago on my blog. Hope you guys like it!

--

So after a year or two of wearing helmets, I kind of got tired of the bulkiness. I definitely appreciated the protective qualities, but looking like a mushroom head was draggin' me down a bit. I like to be more low profile than that. By chance, I saw this material called d3o being demonstrated at a Wired NextFest event. The material was like an orange putty which hardened on impact and softened back up afterwards. Perfect for helmet or safety gear implementations. So I decided to see if I could find something with d3o in it and found this video.

YouTube - Smack Me On The Head With A Shovel!

I had to get one of those beanies!

I finally got a Ignite d3o beanie about a year and a half ago and looks this this:

At the time, it was hard as hell to find them, but now it looks like there are all sorts of products out there with d3o inside: base layers with d3o in the elbows, knees, hips/butt, a various assortment of d3o hats, gloves with d3o embedded in them, spine protection, laptop and phone protection, etc. The list seems to keep on growing and it is not only limited to the sports world. It also seems like there are more color options for the beanie that I have now - score!

After using if for over a year, this is what I think. Taking a hard impact on the back of your head feels roughly the same as if you were using a helmet. Don't get me wrong, helmets still will offer better protection, but this felt pretty darn close to me and it will never break like a helmet can. Of course, if your hit is big enough to break a helmet, you'll probably feel it pretty hard even if you are wearing a d3o hat! The beanie itself is a little bulkier than a regular beanie (maybe like 3x as thick as a normal hat) because it has a thin layer of d3o padding sewn into it. The d3o used in the beanie is more of a soft orange rubbery feeling material and does not really offer "padding". That being said, although I'm sure it would be great for knee or hip/butt protection, I actually like the old school protective gear for those areas so that I have soft padded cushioning when I'm just sitting around on the mountain. This stuff does seem like it would be really great for gloves though - just in case you catch yourself on your wrists during a fall.

All in all, I love my beanie and you can find them on Amazon and other places for about $50. Definitely more expensive than a regular beanie but around the same price as a helmet.

oxi · 03-15-2010, 06:02 PM

Thanks for the review man! Been wanting to buy one of these for ages but thought a helmet would be better money spent. Prob get one when I get more money and use it on the mellow days when I don't plan to hit my head too much.

03-15-2010, 06:09 PM

Yeah I definitely recommend it for more mellow riding. I'm not too hardcore of a rider so I don't know how great it would perform in those situations but for normal cruising and the occasional unexpected wipeout or uncontrolled skier/boarder running into you, it works great.

Triple8Sol · 03-15-2010, 09:58 PM

A broken tailbone ended my season early last season, so this year I've been rocking a pair of RED impact shorts with D3O and they've worked out well so far. They've helped reduce the pain and vibration from slams on boxes and ice a few times this season.

DC5R · 03-15-2010, 10:55 PM

Thanks for the review!! I'll definitely look into this.

Glade Ripper · 03-15-2010, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Triple8Sol

A broken tailbone ended my season early last season, so this year I've been rocking a pair of RED impact shorts with D3O and they've worked out well so far. They've helped reduce the pain and vibration from slams on boxes and ice a few times this season.

I have these as well but I am on my third pair because they keep falling apart. The waist band does not stay attached to the shorts. The pair I have now I put on extremely carefully and they still have runs in them like girls stockings would.

03-15-2010, 05:53 PM	#1 (permalink)
$yen Guest Posts: n/a	d3o Ignite Peak Beanie Review I've noticed there's not too much stuff on d3o equipment in these forums. Have any of you used stuff with d3o in it? What do you all think? I heard that the US and Canadian ski teams wore suits with this stuff in it for the Vancouver Olympics so it's got to be good, right? I really love the beanie that I have but I'll say I don't really do much park stuff (helmet is still more protection and better for that most likely). This is a review I wrote a few weeks ago on my blog. Hope you guys like it! -- So after a year or two of wearing helmets, I kind of got tired of the bulkiness. I definitely appreciated the protective qualities, but looking like a mushroom head was draggin' me down a bit. I like to be more low profile than that. By chance, I saw this material called d3o being demonstrated at a Wired NextFest event. The material was like an orange putty which hardened on impact and softened back up afterwards. Perfect for helmet or safety gear implementations. So I decided to see if I could find something with d3o in it and found this video. YouTube - Smack Me On The Head With A Shovel! I had to get one of those beanies! I finally got a Ignite d3o beanie about a year and a half ago and looks this this: At the time, it was hard as hell to find them, but now it looks like there are all sorts of products out there with d3o inside: base layers with d3o in the elbows, knees, hips/butt, a various assortment of d3o hats, gloves with d3o embedded in them, spine protection, laptop and phone protection, etc. The list seems to keep on growing and it is not only limited to the sports world. It also seems like there are more color options for the beanie that I have now - score! After using if for over a year, this is what I think. Taking a hard impact on the back of your head feels roughly the same as if you were using a helmet. Don't get me wrong, helmets still will offer better protection, but this felt pretty darn close to me and it will never break like a helmet can. Of course, if your hit is big enough to break a helmet, you'll probably feel it pretty hard even if you are wearing a d3o hat! The beanie itself is a little bulkier than a regular beanie (maybe like 3x as thick as a normal hat) because it has a thin layer of d3o padding sewn into it. The d3o used in the beanie is more of a soft orange rubbery feeling material and does not really offer "padding". That being said, although I'm sure it would be great for knee or hip/butt protection, I actually like the old school protective gear for those areas so that I have soft padded cushioning when I'm just sitting around on the mountain. This stuff does seem like it would be really great for gloves though - just in case you catch yourself on your wrists during a fall. All in all, I love my beanie and you can find them on Amazon and other places for about $50. Definitely more expensive than a regular beanie but around the same price as a helmet. Last edited by $yen; 03-15-2010 at 06:11 PM.

03-15-2010, 09:58 PM	#4 (permalink)
Triple8Sol Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Seattle Posts: 3,686 Blog Entries: 1	A broken tailbone ended my season early last season, so this year I've been rocking a pair of RED impact shorts with D3O and they've worked out well so far. They've helped reduce the pain and vibration from slams on boxes and ice a few times this season. __________________ 14 NeverSummer Proto HD . 13 Never Summer Cobra . 12 Gnu Rider's Choice C2PTX 14 Now Drive . 13 Now IPO 13 NB x 686 580

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03-15-2010, 06:02 PM	#2 (permalink)
oxi Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 177	Thanks for the review man! Been wanting to buy one of these for ages but thought a helmet would be better money spent. Prob get one when I get more money and use it on the mellow days when I don't plan to hit my head too much.

03-15-2010, 06:09 PM	#3 (permalink)
$yen Guest Posts: n/a	Yeah I definitely recommend it for more mellow riding. I'm not too hardcore of a rider so I don't know how great it would perform in those situations but for normal cruising and the occasional unexpected wipeout or uncontrolled skier/boarder running into you, it works great.

03-15-2010, 10:55 PM	#5 (permalink)
DC5R Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 1,610	Thanks for the review!! I'll definitely look into this.