Vertex Vent - Suitable As Construction Hat?

lxskllr

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For regular stuff I use the cheap Husqvarna forestry helmet. I like it a lot. It's comfortable, and the attachments work well. I like it so much, I was considering switching to it for my construction hat. That got me looking at what else was available, and the Vertex Vent looks interesting. I don't climb much, but a chin strap would good for the times I do, as well as on construction sites, where I frequently have to bend over to mark grades, or climb around on bridge forms. I'm using a MSA V-Gard, and it's comfortable when you're standing straight, but has the rage inducing tendency of falling off when you bend over. Forestry helmets are a good bit more money than construction hats, but for something that gets worn all the time, added comfort and ease of use beats price, especially when it's prorated over the life of the item.

Questions...

Can the chin straps on the Vertex be clipped up, and still have a comfortable, functional hard hat? What's your opinion of the suitability as a general construction hard hat?
 
I am sure you can figure out how to stow the chin strap up in the helmet. Good to go as a general hardhat.
 
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  • #4
Thanks for that link Jonny. Looks like they're heavier than the usual helmets, but I'm not sure what that means in practical terms. The older V Gards were heavier than the current generation, and that made them fall off easier, but it wasn't an egregious burden holding that weight. I might swing up to Gap Arborist Supply. It's a bit of a hike, but it'll be cool seeing the gear in person, and I can check the stuff out in-hand, rather than going by internet pictures.
 
Oh boy. Gotta treat those places like the casino, leave the credit and bank cards at home and don’t bring more cash than you’re willing to lose ;)

Gap is an excellent supplier, Ray and Kyle will bend over backwards to make their customers happy. I’d love to visit the shop sometime.
 
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  • #6
$265 lighter now. Got the helmet, muffs, a visor, and some dynaglide throwline and a weight.

The helmet's comfy. A little heavy with the gear attached. I may leave that off for construction, but it stays well in place, even without the chinstrap buckled.

I got the line and weight cause I've been using stuff I found on the side of the road. It was Weaver line, and it had been hard wrapped around a wooden reel, so the line had kinks that loved hooking onto vines, just being a general nuisance. The bag was presumably Weaver also, but it had been taped up. Should have a spare weight anyway, and I wanted to try some different line. I keep it stuffed in a kid's nylon halloween bag, complete with Jack-O-Lantern face :^D It works pretty good for deploying the line, and the bright orange shows up well.
 
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Every time I think I'm pretty good on gear, the stupid internet gets in the way, and extracts more money from my pocket. "Hey! Look at me! I'd look good in your truck, and I know you don't have one yet" :rollseyes:
 
More and more high rise construction guys are using Kask...

At least that's what I'm seeing... for anything with a chin strap.
 
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  • #11
BTW, one reason I jumped on this so fast, is I could use it this week when I grade bridge beams. This is usually done at night which I hate, but at night I can go without a hardhat and no one can see me to say anything.

Considering my hobby, It may amuse you to know I'm semi afraid of heights. I can climb straight up and down, or plant my ass in one place fine, but walking laterally really weirds me out. I get vertigo. I feel like I'm hanging out there over nothing, and the movement around me is disorienting. Add to that not have something to put my hands on for balance, it takes everything I've got to do the work. My fingers are hurting now simply typing this(That's how the anxiety manifests itself). I used to do it unclipped when I was younger, but there isn't a chance I'd get on beam like that now.

Things I hate...

Ironworkers leaving crap laying on the beams. Spud wrenches, nuts, bolts, air hoses...

The safety cable sometimes drops slack. Can't put my hand on it then, and my lanyard kind of drags behind me getting hung up on kinks. Feels like it's gonna pull me over.

Sometimes no cable at all over the splice plates! The lumpiest, hardest to walk on place doesn't have anything to clip to. Sometimes I can walk across it, sometimes I can't. If it's like that this week, I'm probably gonna have to walk, cause it's a 20 minute drive to get to the other side.

Finally, if I do fall off, I'll be hanging there like a piñata. By the time the lanyard extends, I'll be just about the right height to get hit by trucks, and no way to self rescue. Just dangle there til someone sees me(more a problem at night). I've been thinking of ways to handle that with my new hobby. Maybe my saddle over the harness, a grappling hook on a rope, and climb back up? Dunno. Still mulling the possibilities, and anything I do will probably make me look stupid with all the gear :^/

Anyway, that's why I wanted the helmet. One less thing to worry about on the beam. Don't have to be concerned with the hat falling off.
 
Walking beams is different than climbing trees, i feel your pain on that one. For construction i always end up using just a fibre metal roughneck, wayyyyyyyyyy better than any msa stuff. As far as not getting hit by a truck, i would be very tempted to not tie off, as the odds of your partner being able to rescue you would be almost nil. Look into suspension trauma, and then look into a harness that has the foot loop to get your weight off your harness in the event if a fall. Look at what rescue gear your crew has, and their ability to use it, at night, with traffic. That sounds like one of those things where your exposure and commitment (in the climbing sense, aka actual risks of a fall) is wayyyyyyyyyy more than what it would seem. Definitely consider a yo yo to limit slack, i know walking beams with them really sucks, but might keep you out of truck slapping height.
 
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  • #13
Know what else is super fun? Crouching down to mark something, and your lanyard gets under your heel so you just about pull yourself over when you stand :^D

I don't really have a crew. There's just a vague notion I'm out there somewhere, and they may or may not remember I'm on site. Best hope is an ironworker sees me, and hauls me up, or maybe someone driving calls 911. They're already on their phones anyway :^P
 
:lol: yeah that's not even considered odds, that's just a body recovery after it's been on display for awhile. Maybe go full on rope access gear, so you can self rescue. A fall arrest harness has an unspoken implication that the people around you not only can respond to you falling instantly, but also have the equipment and know how of how to rescue you from that situation in the limited time that you have.
 
Vertex vent for the win...and you'll find you get so used to the chin strap it will become second nature to buckle it. I go with the lower profile earmuffs, the black and green ones, and the pull down clear visor you can get for the vertex...weight wobble isn't so much an issue then.
 
If you're wearing head protection, you need a strap to secure it - period. If it's for shade or style - no strap needed.
 
Word...I remember reading of a fellow that survived a fall out of a tree...hit on a sloped surface. THEN tumbled down the slope and fractured his skull on a rock. He didn't strap on his helmet...it took the hit for him when he hit the ground, came off his head and then he tumbled into the rock...with no helmet.

Wear the strap.
 
A flashing light is a good idea if you think you'll be hanging in the drive-lane.

I think you can make a pseudo-step with your lanyard under you feet, from hip to hip, to avoid suspension trauma, if conscious.
 
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  • #19
That's a good idea. I'll have to pull my stuff out tomorrow, and see what I can put together.
 
Do you have a set of trauma straps for your FA harness? I have a couple sets, brand new, you are welcome to one if you want.
 
Lx, if you are tying off at your feet and working alone, with no real plan for rescue, having a hard hat that doesn't fall off might not be your first priority.

Dealing with suspension trauma is good if you're conscious and have the use of all your limbs. Ideally your tie off would be directly overhead with no shock load or swing. Unless you have a crane that follows you around and let's you tie to the ball, your tie off will be less than ideal.
 
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  • #23
Thanks Jonny. I don't do this enough to waste some good straps that could be used by someone in the profession. I might be walking steel once a year or so. If I did it more often, I might not have as big a problem with it as I do. I'm thinking of making one. Some climbline with a prusik/biner, and terminated with a biner should do the job, and be easy to deploy/adjust.

Ryan, the cable is usually set at midsection, with posts every... 10'? If it wasn't tensioned well, it'll go slack, and might be thigh level in places, sometimes lower. Gotta work with what I've got. Try to keep my brain under control, and it's left foot, right foot til it's done. Did get some bad news though. Can't do it during the day. I'm scheduled for 10:30pm Wed. Probably take me 4hrs to get it all shot, then another hour in the office.
 
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  • #25
I was trying to find some old pictures I had, but I guess I deleted them. Last one I did at night was 12-28-2017, and the coldest night of the year at that point; 9°. It was good motivation to keep moving :^D
 
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