Published 2020
The Ultimate Guide to Racesafe Hat Covers
The Ultimate Guide to Racesafe Hat Covers
What does your hat cover say about you? Elegant and traditional, fun and exciting, or cool and understated? Hat covers are a great was to add some personality to your riding wear, and equestrians across the world love to use their Racesafe hat cover to show their character and style.
At Racesafe, all of our hat silks are handmade by us, right here in the UK. Because they are made by us, we have the freedom and flexibility to not only create standard/off-the-shelf, popular hat covers, but also to custom make them to your very own design!
We often get asked questions about how to identify the best size for your hat, and what the differences are between the various fabric options, so we decided to cover these common questions with a detailed explainer all about Racesafe Hat Covers.
By the end of this guide you will feel confident and ready to order your perfect hat cover!
Below we’re going to cover:
Sizing. Understand the sizing of our different hat covers.
Fabric options and care. Discover the different fabric options and how to care for them.
Customisation. The different ways you can customise your hat cover and add your own stamp.
Custom branding. Take the personalisation one step further and add personal or business branding.
“Amazing quality, very accurate sizing, speedy delivery and very helpful customer service”
Satin Hat Cover - Mia
1. Sizing
Our hat covers come in 4 very simple sizes that correspond with the size of your skull cap. It is important that you choose the right size for your hat to ensure a snug, secure fit.
The 4 sizes are Medium, Large, Extra Large and 'One Size'. The stretch design of the Lycra Hat Covers mean they come in one size that will fits all sizes of skull cap. The Satin and velvet hat covers come in Medium, Large or Extra Large options.
Generally speaking, the following size guide suits most models of skull cap, however it is important to note that the sizes of hat shells vary between models and brands. Hats with a larger shell shape may need a size up. For example, Gatehouse HS1 and Charles Owen 4*. In the case of these two models we suggest that if you are in the top 2cm of the size brackets below that you should go for the size above.
Hat Cover Size Guide
|
Hat Silk Size |
Helmet Size |
PAS Jockey Sizes |
Helmet Size (cm) |
|
M |
6 |
000 |
49 |
|
M |
6 1/8 |
000 1/2 |
50 |
|
M |
6 1/4 |
00 |
51 |
|
M |
6 3/8 |
00 1/2 |
52 |
|
M |
6 1/2 |
0 |
53 |
|
M |
6 5/8 |
0 1/2 |
54 |
|
M-L |
6 3/4 |
1 |
55 |
|
L |
6 7/8 |
1 1/2 |
56 |
|
L |
7 |
2 |
57 |
|
L |
7 1/8 |
2 1/2 |
58 |
|
XL |
7 1/4 |
3 |
59 |
|
XL |
7 3/8 |
3 1/2 |
60 |
|
XL |
7 1/2 |
4 |
61 |
|
XL |
7 5/8 |
4 1/2 |
62 |
|
XL |
7 3/4 |
5 |
63 |
If you are at all concerned about the size for your particular skull cap, please do contact us and we will be happy to advise.
2. Fabrics & Care
We make our hat covers in three different fabrics, lycra, satin and velvet. Which fabric you choose is down to your personal preference as well as what best suits your discipline and usage, which we’ll talk a little bit more about below.
We offer off-the-shelf options in Satin, Lycra and Velvet, as well as fully customisable versions in lycra and satin and premium satin.
Lycra
Lycra is a very stretchy fabric. Because of this, sizing could not be easier – it’s one size fits all! The stretch factor is also handy if you are buying a hat cover for a child, because as their hat size changes their hat cover will still fit perfectly.
Due to the stretch in the fabric, the finished look is very neat and smooth, without creasing.
Our lycra hat covers are most popular for: eventing, race exercise, training & hacking.
The lycra hat covers are made using the latest sublimation processes to ensure colours are vibrant, durable & machine washable.
Care: Machine wash at 40˚
Satin
We offer two satin options, our standard option made from 100% Satin Polyester, and our premium option made from 100% Satin Nylon. Both of these hat silks are great quality and are our best sellers because of the premium look and durability.
The key difference between the standard and the premium satin, in addition to the fabric, is that the pattern on our standard custom satin hat covers is done using the latest sublimation print processes, whereas the premium custom satin hat cover patterns are hand sewn.
Satin fabric does not have any stretch and so the silks tend to have a slightly looser, more creased look than the lycra option. They also have slightly more of a shine.
Our satin hat covers are most popular for: eventing, racing, training & hacking.
Standard satin care: Machine wash at 40˚
Premium satin care: Machine wash at 30˚
Velvet
Our velvet hat covers are an iconic design made from 100% premium cotton velvet. It is a style renowned across disciplines for its smart, traditional look.
Although our velvet hat covers are not customisable, we do offer them in four popular colours: Navy, Black, Dark Green and Brown.
Our velvet hat covers are most popular for eventing, hunting, showing, pony club, training and hacking.
Care: Machine wash at 30˚
3. Customisation Options
We offer full customisation of our lycra and satin hat covers. You can create your very own design using the online customisation tool which can be found using the button on any customisable product page.
As you design your hat cover, a preview will take shape as you go, so you can see what your cover will look like. If you are designing a hat cover for racing, you might prefer to use or racing silks customiser, so that you can do your hat cover and blouse at the same time.
Steps to customising your hat cover
Once you have clicked the design your own button on any custom product page, you can then follow the following steps:
- The first thing you do is pick your style: Lycra, Satin or Premium Satin.
- Next you select your size and how you’d like your silk to be secured. Elastic is the most common choice; ties are more traditionally used in racing.
- Now you pick your base colour. You have the choice of 22 different colours. If you aren’t sure about the colour, you can order samples. .
- Now you can pick your pattern type, of which there are 11 options (such as diamonds, stars, stripes) There are fewer options available for the premium satin, as each of these is individually sewn. Then select the colour of the patterned area.
- Finally, you choose your hat cover top, which can be either a button or a bobble, and the colour of the chosen top.
- You can add any notes you might want us to know, and then you simply add your custom designed hat cover to your basket and follow the checkout process through.
4. Branding
We offer further customisation for those who would like custom branding such as logos adding to their hat covers. If you are interested in this, then please contact a member of the team and we will gladly help you with this.
“Thank you Racesafe - these branded hat silks were perfect for our charity ambassadors and your service was great too.”
Custom Lycra Hat Cover - Lucy
Well, there you have it. You should now feel confident and ready to order your perfect hat cover. Below we have included links so that you can browse our hat cover collection and get designing your own unique cover!
What else can I customise?
Looking to get a matching set? We also offer custom event shirts and body protector covers, as well as racing silks!
