Superfletch 1 #1 November 20, 2009 Well, I recently purchased a Flat Top Pro helmet from eBay. The fit is not ideal. It's pretty tight. I'm under the impression that the shells are all the same and that I can order a new set of pads to custom fit it to me. Is this the case? Also, $65 for 4 pieces of foam seems a bit exorbitant for my limited income. And if I start replacing much on this helmet with new stuff, it will totally defeat the reason I bought a used one to begin with. Does anyone know if I can resize the pads I have? Basically, I think all I really need is a smaller chin pad. I'm not really sure. The "top of the head" pad is very thin already and the ear pads seem to contain my head rather snuggly as well. I believe the problem to be in the thickness of the chin pad area. Not having owned a Flat Top Pro before I'm not even sure if these are original pads but they sure seem to be. Also the way I understand it is that the pads are to be baked and "formed" to my head. Can the pads be "rebaked" without ruining them? As soon as I get the helmet to fit my head I'll need to start setting it up. I'm excited. I think I'll use this time to upgrade perhaps to a CX100 but I still haven't quite decided. It's a lot of money for me and I've all ready spent a ton of money in the past few weeks on my vehicle. I'd really like to set it up right and not just throw something together. The prospect of buying new mounts and camera boxes etc is starting to make my brain swell. It amazes me that when I'm finished that the actual cameras will probably be the least expensive part of the helmet. Gary "Superfletch" Fletcher D-26145; USPA Coach, IAD/I, AFF/I Videographer/Photographer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shogo 0 #2 November 20, 2009 Yeah, you can re-bake them. I have done so several times. Also you should fit the helmet and sight the camera at the same time. I connected the camcorder to TV, which was on the helmet during the cooling/hardening/setting period for the foam. I looked at what I was seeing on TV to sight it. If you need to make it smaller, you can shave off some part of the foam (The part making it too tight for you.) with razor blades, or Exacto type knives. Utility cutter knife with replaceable blazes would do it, too. Just need to be super sharp. Then you re-bake it, and fit it to you. You can repeat this (a lot). You can also add more foam and re-bake it. I did this to fill in the hole I made to put dyters. You can pretty much re-construct and do whatever you want. Not all foam is bakeable, but a lot you see at the hardware store would work. Usually not the light ones. They shrink to nothing. The fit should be pretty tight. At the altitude it would be super tight. They expand a lot at the altitude. That's okay, because at pull altitude they would be looser. You don’t want it be loose. For obvious reason. If your head is smaller, then the magnitude of expansion of the foam is pretty large, since the foams would have to be thicker. I wish they made different sized shells. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shogo 0 #3 November 20, 2009 Also, for comfy fit, and if the lower part of chin cup cut into your throat, you can file it down with sandpaper pretty easily. So the helmet does not choke you. You should rebake all 4 pads to really fit you well. You do chin and top pads first without the ear pads. then you do ear ones. SEE instruction from Bonehead. http://www.boneheadcomposites.com/baking.htm#flattop Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cphelan 0 #4 November 20, 2009 Remember that the flat top pro is for Professional Camera work so you want that helmet to be super tight for multiple reasons. Slogo pretty much hit the nail on the head with the expanding at altitude and what not. I keep my helmet unfastened untill jump run and then i click down the fastener. Its tight as hell but its supposed to be. If its uncomfortable you can undo the fastner under canopy. I have a cx-100 mounted on my with just a cookie screw and a connector strap from hobby lobby. Cost me less than 10$ to make the mount. I have my cannon mounted with a gold member. This setup works perfect for and was relatively cheap. Remember the simpler the better and I think the safer! I never take off the cx-100 because the way i have it setup all the wires and battery recharge can be accessed without taking it off. If you doing tandem camera this can save you some time during the edit process. I only ever take of the canon camera to change or charge the battery. If you want to spend some extra cash, cookie has a pretty cool protective box for the cx-100. DONT jump into mounting things. Plan it all out and mark everything precisely. Also think about your bite switch and hype eye placement. Think about your ringsite placement. Thinking about accessing everything outside and inside of the helment. Check snag points. If your smart about it it most likely will turn out right. Good luck and post a pic of the completed setup. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cphelan 0 #5 November 20, 2009 Quote Also you should fit the helmet and sight the camera at the same time. I connected the camcorder to TV, which was on the helmet during the cooling/hardening/setting period for the foam. I looked at what I was seeing on TV to sight it. This is a good method but I mounted a laser pointer that lines up with my camera. During the cooling process i would periodical check to make sure the dot and the ring sight matched up. What i like about the laser pointer method is that you can check your alignment anytime you want. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
velocityphoto 0 #6 November 23, 2009 You might want to consider a cutaway kit from bonehead too? It is the flat top cutaway mod. http://www.boneheadcomposites.com/helmparts.htm I would call linda at bonehead and talk to her before ordering this mod for the older style hemet I did one on my old one. There is some changes that you'll need to know about with the ski binding and padding inside the bone to make it work properly. Also if you do this you'll want to put the helmet on tightly and cut it away several times to make sure it works right. I had 2 helmets that didn't want to cut away due to the way the foam is shimmed on the bone. A friend will bail you out of jail , a REAL friend will be sitting next to you in the cell slapping your hand saying "DUDE THAT WAS AWSUM " ................ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Superfletch 1 #7 November 23, 2009 Thanks to everyone for your advice. Does anyone have any DIY tips for say making my own pads? Like what type of material and say an outlet for such? Any tips on a material to wrap the pads in? What are you guys with the CCM's doing? Gary "Superfletch" Fletcher D-26145; USPA Coach, IAD/I, AFF/I Videographer/Photographer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stratostar 5 #8 November 23, 2009 Let see if I got this right....... Your going to buy a used 700.00 helmet, attach to it another couple hundred bucks worth of wires and acc. then top it off with another 1000.00 or so worth of cameras and a few hundred worth of lens and then after all that crap your going to whine about the cost of buying a new set of 65.00 $$ replacement pads so you can set up your kit to fit you the right way. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Superfletch 1 #9 November 23, 2009 That about sums it up... Gary "Superfletch" Fletcher D-26145; USPA Coach, IAD/I, AFF/I Videographer/Photographer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Superfletch 1 #10 November 23, 2009 Quoteand then after all that crap your going to whine about the cost of buying a new set of 65.00 $$ replacement pads It's not that I'm whining... If I have to... I have to... But, Do I have to? I'm a skydiving instructor in the midwest that makes his living skydiving. My season is pretty much over. I made $95 this week. I've got like 3K in the bank that will have to get me through til the season starts up again. I'm sure it will be fine, however you can probably see where I consider $65 to be a lot of money. If there's a way I can do it for say $20 and save $45 and end up with a comparable product then I'd like to do that. I don't consider it so much whining as being frugal. I'm in no hurry. My current BH Optic has been serving me well for the past 7 years and I have no complaints. I've just heard the FTP was a better platform for those of us using them to make a living so I'm heading myself in that direction. I'm also learning as I go by asking questions and taking advice. I'm just trying to save money where I can so I'll have it when I need it. I'm sure you all can understand that. Gary "Superfletch" Fletcher D-26145; USPA Coach, IAD/I, AFF/I Videographer/Photographer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stratostar 5 #11 November 23, 2009 QuoteI'm sure you all can understand that. To a degree, yes I can. However as a person who has made a living skydiving in a seasonal area, I never went the cheap route for my gear once we moved out of the "pro-tec" class of head gear. The amount of hassle & time to make my own pads don't out weight the cost factor of buying new pre made by the factory to fit set of pads. In fact if you really wanted it to fit right you would take the order form and get the numbers for your skull and then order the right size pads from BH. I might have a second set pads, if I can find them, I'll let you know.you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sinjin 0 #12 November 24, 2009 i converted to the FTP from the optic as i was using occasional flash and wanted what was suggested as the better platform. i kind of regret selling my optic. The downsides are the FTP is noticeably heavier which if your jumping full time matters with long term repetition although the naysayers will say the cameras are more centered if u put everything up top. I would agree but it is heavier. The optic was very comfortable and doesnt have the crushing head problem at altitude due to the thick foam of the FTP. I do wait to close the bone till green, but still the optic doesnt have this problem. Also, unless u get the wider carbon fiber plate, you still have stuff sticking over the edge and difficulty fitting both cameras on the top, depending on models/lens. i would re-visit changing from the optic, i kinda wish i kept mine.dont let life pass you by Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Superfletch 1 #13 November 24, 2009 QuoteIn fact if you really wanted it to fit right you would take the order form and get the numbers for your skull and then order the right size pads from BH. I haven't out ruled that option. If I can't find a way to do it myself then that's what I'm going to do. QuoteI might have a second set pads, if I can find them, I'll let you know. Sweet! Gary "Superfletch" Fletcher D-26145; USPA Coach, IAD/I, AFF/I Videographer/Photographer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
parachutist 1 #14 November 24, 2009 Quotei would re-visit changing from the optic, i kinda wish i kept mine. Two years ago I migrated from my Optic to a SkySystems Vapor (similar to FTP). I kept my Optic close by just in case I decided I didn't like the Vapor. In the end, there's no way I'd go back to sidemounted cameras after the experience of having everything on a flat top. It's so much simpler, with more room to mount stuff, and the helmet stays in place instead of rotating forward & back on my head like an Optic. The Vapor is firm around my head when closed, but I don't get the crushing sensation you're describing. I close the bone on mine in wintertime 2k before exit altitude just to stay warmer, and it's comfortable. A few days ago I was unpacking winter clothes & noticed my Optic still in a storage box, complete with ring sight still mounted. If you're interested in going back, you can have mine for cheap :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
