Skull Cap Breakdown

[TheLovejoy]

Disclaimer….there are a lot of opinions and personal feel here 😊
 

All Star Cobalt:
The short brim fits with every mask on the market, so you don’t get the “direct bridge from mask to skull” effect. (If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, there’s an article floating around somewhere that talks about bill length being one of the biggest overlooked safety factors with skull caps.)

The shell itself feels DURABLE. Solid. Not flimsy at all. Unfortunately, that also makes it super heavy. I think it’s around 16 ounces or so — several ounces heavier than the Easton, which I already thought was too heavy. “Oh but I’m tough and it doesn’t bother me.” Ok, I’m not. Try a lighter one and you’ll know what I’m talking about after 4 tournament games in 100* heat.

Ventilation…..what ventilation? It doesn’t vent at all. It’s hot, and heavy.

The padding is probably the best stock padding on any of these. Between this and the Easton, they’re the most comfortable internally. However, it does not hold the skull cap in place very well. The shape is almost like a cone — it just gradually opens outward from the top until the bottom edge. Some of the others have more of a long flat section so they sit on your head more like a cylinder, if that makes sense. This one moves around the most for me.

I personally think this one looks stupid, and you can’t convince me it’s SO much safer than the others that I need to look like a dingus wearing it. Did I mention it’s hot and heavy?

 

Jadekylin Skull Cap:
This one looks the most like a regular hat, but the bill is WAY too long for probably any mask. Again, no scientific evidence here — just my experience with the All Star MAG and GD Mirage. If it’s too long for the GD Mirage, it’s probably too long for most others.

The padding is pretty stiff, but not terrible if you get the right size. I’d wear this one if I had to wear a hardhat in the field for some reason.

 

Rawlings Coolflo:
These tend to fit “longer,” but not wider.

Specifically with the All Star MAG- I originally thought the bill length was fine with the All Star MAG because I had taken several foul balls and never noticed the mask pushing back into the bill. Then I took one last year that literally left a line on my forehead where the skull cap got driven into my head. After that, I swapped back to the Easton for the rest of the season.

One interesting thing: if you order different sizes, the actual shell size is exactly the same. The only difference is the amount/thickness of the padding inside. A Large measures the same inside length and width as a Small — the Large just has thinner padding. I assume this is probably indicative of other brands to save cost on mass producing many skull caps at once, but this is the only one that I actually measured before selling the others.

To help the fit issue, I bought a set of Easton replacement batting helmet pads (NOT the actual Easton skull cap pads — and if anyone finds those, let me know because I’d LOVE them). I used one of the long oval pads in the back of the Rawlings to push my head slightly farther forward.

I tried putting extra padding in the front for additional forehead protection, but it pushed the skull cap too far off my face and made the mask feel like it was floating out in front of me. Moving the padding to the back fixed that.

I also hated the pleather pad feel on my forehead, so I added some bike helmet sweat-strip pads to the front. That helped with sweat dripping into my eyes and got rid of the pleather feeling on my forehead.

This skull cap is actually lighter than both the All Star and the Easton, so I was eager to go back to it once I got the GD Mirage. It’s what I currently use.

 

EvoShield:
First problem: the bill was WAY too long. I actually had one of our maintenance guys mill it down a bit just to see if I could make myself like it…nope.

I also hated the gloss finish, so this thing was fighting an uphill battle from the start. That said, I do think it was the lightest overall.

If they made this in matte and shortened/shaped the bill a bit, I actually think it could be a decent skully. But that was never going to happen for me.

The padding was similar to the Jadekylin — if you order the wrong size, you’re basically screwed. There isn’t a lot of forgiveness in the fit. If you’re within about a quarter hat size, you’re probably okay. But if it’s too tight, it’s REALLY too tight.

 

Easton:
I wore this one for a few years before switching to the Rawlings.

The shorter bill worked well with the All Star MAG. The inside padding has a nice moisture-wicking layer around it and is SUPER comfortable. Very soft padding.

Unlike the All Star though, this one actually stays in place well because the padding has more “give” and wraps your head better. Honestly, I’d love to somehow transplant this padding setup into the Rawlings shell.

The two issues that eventually pushed me away from it were pretty significant:

1. It’s heavy. Slightly lighter than the All Star, but still heavy.
2. It’s HOT. It vents better than the All Star, but nowhere near as well as the Rawlings or some of the lighter options.

A non-issue-issue….the forehead is raised higher than I’d like it to be, so I feel like it makes me look like a Brachiosaurus, or something.

Personally, with the addition of the little padding, I like the Rawlings much more than any of the other options.

[cgroom]

22 minutes ago, TheLovejoy said:

I also hated the pleather pad feel on my forehead, so I added some bike helmet sweat-strip pads to the front. That helped with sweat dripping into my eyes and got rid of the pleather feeling on my forehead.

I think you just changed my life while I wait for @MadMax to make the mother of all skull caps.

[umpintosh]

The breakdown I was looking for, thanks @TheLovejoy

[wolfe_man]

Here is the article from Jim Kirk:

https://www.ump-attire.com/Blog/Jim-Goes-Parental-with-Umpire-Cap-Bill-Length-Warning-on-Umpire-Empire-Post

I realize everyone's experience is different, but the AS Skully does not move on my head all game.  I wear  7 3/8 or 7 1/2 hats and use the L version and mine stays right where I put it.  I just don't like the too-short bill, but I realize it was built for the MAG.  I am thinking of buying an Axis Pro for the longer bill.  

To fix any shiny helmets, I recommend a simple coat or two of $5 spray-on Matte finish by Rustoleum. I've used it on several in the past and it lasted me several seasons.  

Thank you for the post.  This is very helpful and more discussion and info is needing shared on these.  I wholly endorse wearing one and the more that we can put out there, the safer our peers can be. 

[AtlUmp]

1) Do we even need to have brims? If it was needed for holding the mask catchers wouldn't wear the skull caps backwards. If it was needed for plays at the plate umpires would have a hat on under their helmet for when they took it off. For sun issues we have all the sunglasses and tinted lenses options provided by modern Opticians.

2) The ones that are on the market have a mixture of poor airflow, poor fit, or questionable padding due to their target market being college/pro catchers. Limited market means limited R&D and options as the companies have to charge more to get their ROI on unit price instead of volume.

Has anyone else thought to at other sports that have TBI and ventilation considerations that also have a larger target audience for alternatives that might be better for umpires. One sport that comes to my mind is hockey helmets since companies are making them wtih products like 3DO. Unfortunately, growing up in Ga I don't know anything about how hockey gear would translate to baseball.

[muellertime]

Does anyone else have an issue with their harness fitting over their skully? Just got the Rawlings (a M for my 7 3/8 head was just barely big enough FYI) to pair with my wonderful Davis Mirage and my harness was too small since I had trimmed and burned it to fit my hat. Purchased the standard Wilson harness and even at its limits, the harness only goes about 3/4 down the back of the helmet and feels like it could pop off any second.

[umpstu]

22 hours ago, TheLovejoy said:

Disclaimer….there are a lot of opinions and personal feel here 😊
 

All Star Cobalt:
The short brim fits with every mask on the market, so you don’t get the “direct bridge from mask to skull” effect. (If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, there’s an article floating around somewhere that talks about bill length being one of the biggest overlooked safety factors with skull caps.)

The shell itself feels DURABLE. Solid. Not flimsy at all. Unfortunately, that also makes it super heavy. I think it’s around 16 ounces or so — several ounces heavier than the Easton, which I already thought was too heavy. “Oh but I’m tough and it doesn’t bother me.” Ok, I’m not. Try a lighter one and you’ll know what I’m talking about after 4 tournament games in 100* heat.

Ventilation…..what ventilation? It doesn’t vent at all. It’s hot, and heavy.

The padding is probably the best stock padding on any of these. Between this and the Easton, they’re the most comfortable internally. However, it does not hold the skull cap in place very well. The shape is almost like a cone — it just gradually opens outward from the top until the bottom edge. Some of the others have more of a long flat section so they sit on your head more like a cylinder, if that makes sense. This one moves around the most for me.

I personally think this one looks stupid, and you can’t convince me it’s SO much safer than the others that I need to look like a dingus wearing it. Did I mention it’s hot and heavy?

 

Jadekylin Skull Cap:
This one looks the most like a regular hat, but the bill is WAY too long for probably any mask. Again, no scientific evidence here — just my experience with the All Star MAG and GD Mirage. If it’s too long for the GD Mirage, it’s probably too long for most others.

The padding is pretty stiff, but not terrible if you get the right size. I’d wear this one if I had to wear a hardhat in the field for some reason.

 

Rawlings Coolflo:
These tend to fit “longer,” but not wider.

Specifically with the All Star MAG- I originally thought the bill length was fine with the All Star MAG because I had taken several foul balls and never noticed the mask pushing back into the bill. Then I took one last year that literally left a line on my forehead where the skull cap got driven into my head. After that, I swapped back to the Easton for the rest of the season.

One interesting thing: if you order different sizes, the actual shell size is exactly the same. The only difference is the amount/thickness of the padding inside. A Large measures the same inside length and width as a Small — the Large just has thinner padding. I assume this is probably indicative of other brands to save cost on mass producing many skull caps at once, but this is the only one that I actually measured before selling the others.

To help the fit issue, I bought a set of Easton replacement batting helmet pads (NOT the actual Easton skull cap pads — and if anyone finds those, let me know because I’d LOVE them). I used one of the long oval pads in the back of the Rawlings to push my head slightly farther forward.

I tried putting extra padding in the front for additional forehead protection, but it pushed the skull cap too far off my face and made the mask feel like it was floating out in front of me. Moving the padding to the back fixed that.

I also hated the pleather pad feel on my forehead, so I added some bike helmet sweat-strip pads to the front. That helped with sweat dripping into my eyes and got rid of the pleather feeling on my forehead.

This skull cap is actually lighter than both the All Star and the Easton, so I was eager to go back to it once I got the GD Mirage. It’s what I currently use.

 

EvoShield:
First problem: the bill was WAY too long. I actually had one of our maintenance guys mill it down a bit just to see if I could make myself like it…nope.

I also hated the gloss finish, so this thing was fighting an uphill battle from the start. That said, I do think it was the lightest overall.

If they made this in matte and shortened/shaped the bill a bit, I actually think it could be a decent skully. But that was never going to happen for me.

The padding was similar to the Jadekylin — if you order the wrong size, you’re basically screwed. There isn’t a lot of forgiveness in the fit. If you’re within about a quarter hat size, you’re probably okay. But if it’s too tight, it’s REALLY too tight.

 

Easton:
I wore this one for a few years before switching to the Rawlings.

The shorter bill worked well with the All Star MAG. The inside padding has a nice moisture-wicking layer around it and is SUPER comfortable. Very soft padding.

Unlike the All Star though, this one actually stays in place well because the padding has more “give” and wraps your head better. Honestly, I’d love to somehow transplant this padding setup into the Rawlings shell.

The two issues that eventually pushed me away from it were pretty significant:

1. It’s heavy. Slightly lighter than the All Star, but still heavy.
2. It’s HOT. It vents better than the All Star, but nowhere near as well as the Rawlings or some of the lighter options.

A non-issue-issue….the forehead is raised higher than I’d like it to be, so I feel like it makes me look like a Brachiosaurus, or something.

Personally, with the addition of the little padding, I like the Rawlings much more than any of the other options.

Gotta say thanks for the info and your great article. Appreciated.

[TheLovejoy]

48 minutes ago, muellertime said:

Does anyone else have an issue with their harness fitting over their skully? Just got the Rawlings (a M for my 7 3/8 head was just barely big enough FYI) to pair with my wonderful Davis Mirage and my harness was too small since I had trimmed and burned it to fit my hat. Purchased the standard Wilson harness and even at its limits, the harness only goes about 3/4 down the back of the helmet and feels like it could pop off any second.

I won't lie, I'm an UmpLife harness snob, and they've all been fitted around the Rawlings Skully. (Then, since I'm a nerd, I have a backup Rawlings skully, then, another backup to that backup), and an extra harness. However, that's all nothingness. I just mean the UmpLife harness is long enough for anything I've done with it.

I think there is a big anti cut-and-burn group in here somewhere.

[Velho]

1 hour ago, muellertime said:

Does anyone else have an issue with their harness fitting over their skully? Just got the Rawlings (a M for my 7 3/8 head was just barely big enough FYI) to pair with my wonderful Davis Mirage

I have 7 3/8 and wear AS Cobalt short brim size L. Using an ump life harness with no fitting issues.

Still working on getting mask off clean. Have found pulling out and more downward then with a hat seems to work best. I have no natural friction (i.e. hair) though. Still playing with it.

[Rock Bottom]

Nice review! My two cents:

For the All-Star if you find it slipping I recommend getting another set of pads and mixing two sizes. I'm a 7-3/8 and in theory the large should fit me, but the large slips, but the medium is too tight. M/L mixture is PERFECT for me. As for the looks, no, it doesn't look great, but I think the padding is the best of any other option, so I'll take (perceived anyway) improved protection and comfort (again, my perception) over looks.

I don't notice the weight or have venting problems with the UmpLife harness (I did have them with the DeltaFlex, because that harness is designed for catchers, so when you wear the mask forwards the DF covers the vent holes - that's not an issue with the UL, but overall I do like the DF harness better because I think it slips less.) I'm pretty certain the shell of the AS is the same size no matter what padding you get. Mentioning that only because this issue was mentioned on the Rawlings.

I'd REALLY love if Gerry Davis and/or @MadMax come out with a true UMPIRE skull cap - with great padding made for umps, but until I can consider that option I'm sticking with the All-Star and recommending it to all my partners. Overall what I love to see, no matter which one, is so many of us using skull caps now!

 

[MadMax]

5 hours ago, muellertime said:

my harness was too small since I had trimmed and burned it to fit my hat.

I respect the effort, but stave off the fire; instead fold the excess back upon itself into a "tab", wrapped with two circuits of electrical tape. Not duct tape, nor gorilla tape, nor... duck tape, nor athletic tape. Vinyl electrical tape. That wondrous stuff only sticks to itself, so it doesn't leave behind any gross residue if/when you need to take it off, and it can, of course, handle the heat juuuuuussssssst fine. 

Small trick of those who flip or re-color masks often. 

[Velho]

On 5/15/2026 at 2:33 PM, Velho said:

till working on getting mask off clean. Have found pulling out and more downward then with a hat seems to work best. I have no natural friction (i.e. hair) though. Still playing with it.

Figured it out. I was getting the back of the harness near/over the back lip. Started putting the back of the harness higher up (maybe 4 inches?) and no issues. Comes off clean and is still tight enough.

[AtlUmp]

Did find this just cruising around the internet tonight, might help improve padding protection without impacting airflow as another way to customize the fit of helmets. https://gamebreaker.com/collections/d3o-sheets/products/gamebreaker-stealth-hard-shell-helmet-liner.

[MadMax]

12 hours ago, AtlUmp said:

Did find this just cruising around the internet tonight, might help improve padding protection without impacting airflow as another way to customize the fit of helmets.

And the "this" in your link is real, genuine D3O. It's being offered as a helmet liner, which is exactly how & why it was brought to the sports market back in 2006. More accurately, it was borne out of snowboarding, and the desire to make low profile protective gear. Conventional foams retain moisture – one of D3O's primary features is that it is hydrophobic. 

Also, D3O is unique because it's pliable when inert, but stiffens (immediately) when activated (by an impacting energy). If you look at allll the skullcaps above, why are they all a rigid (bedpan!) shell with a closed cell puck at the top, and open cell foam at the rim / edge? Hmmm.*

 

* - I know why. I'm just not going to say ATM. 

[concertman1971]

Hey all, If you want pieces of XRD I can sell you pieces of XRD....foam that gets hard on impact. Email me tim@thighpro.com for more info.

 

[834k3r]

On 5/15/2026 at 1:21 PM, muellertime said:

Does anyone else have an issue with their harness fitting over their skully? Just got the Rawlings (a M for my 7 3/8 head was just barely big enough FYI) to pair with my wonderful Davis Mirage and my harness was too small since I had trimmed and burned it to fit my hat. Purchased the standard Wilson harness and even at its limits, the harness only goes about 3/4 down the back of the helmet and feels like it could pop off any second.

I have an XL AS Skully, the GD Mirage, and a UL harness--have have 0 issues removing the mask, or keeping it on. Works together perfectly.

[834k3r]

21 hours ago, MadMax said:

And the "this" in your link is real, genuine D3O. It's being offered as a helmet liner, which is exactly how & why it was brought to the sports market back in 2006. More accurately, it was borne out of snowboarding, and the desire to make low profile protective gear. Conventional foams retain moisture – one of D3O's primary features is that it is hydrophobic. 

Also, D3O is unique because it's pliable when inert, but stiffens (immediately) when activated (by an impacting energy). If you look at allll the skullcaps above, why are they all a rigid (bedpan!) shell with a closed cell puck at the top, and open cell foam at the rim / edge? Hmmm.*

 

* - I know why. I'm just not going to say ATM. 

So how, for an example, would this work with the AS Skully? Would the D3O replace or supplement the existing foam padding in the Skully? If supplementing, would the D3O go between the shell and the padding or between the padding at the wearer's head?

If replacing, how would the fitting be changed?

Color me a bright shade of intrigued.

[Velho]

19 minutes ago, 834k3r said:

I have an XL AS Skully, the GD Mirage, and a UL harness--have have 0 issues removing the mask, or keeping it on. Works together perfectly.

 

[MadMax]

43 minutes ago, 834k3r said:

So how, for an example, would this work with the AS Skully? Would the D3O replace or supplement the existing foam padding in the Skully?

In the specific case of the All-Star “Cobalt” Skuly, it (a D3O insert) wouldn’t. It’s unnecessary, and “forcing” it in is both overkill, and not an effective use of resources. It would be a disservice to D3O and the Skuly. 
The Skuly isn’t a bad hardhat/skullcap; in fact, as it sits now, on this current market landscape, it is the technical best option. It has the best padding configuration, which is removable, and more sized-specific than the grossly over-generic sizes (ie. “Small-Medium” or “One size Fits Most”) that plague a wearable piece like this. It has a “Con-cushion” – it’s just put in the wrong end. And while I get it why they left it there – because it shares the same mold as it’s for-catchers siblings, and creating a brand-new mold “just for a few umpires, who we don’t have an Exclusive contractual arrangement with” is cost-prohibitive – I just do not like being lied to as to why. Be transparent. Call a spade ♠️ a spade ♠️. Don’t spit in my hand and tell me it’s raining. 

A D3O – or XRD via @concertman1971 (thanks!) – liner would be an immediate upgrade in everyone else’s skullcaps, including Rawlings, Easton, EvoShield, and especially Wilson’s. I’d also get a set of bike helmet sizing pads (Giro? Specialized? Bell? etc), which are lozenge-shaped adhesive foam pucks. I’d begin by tearing out that stooooopid closed-cell foam puck at the top (crown), which actually inhibits hair growth and induces baldness (check baseball players sometime, who spend a lot of time with a conventional batting helmet or skullcap on their head). I’d also remove the foam / leather ring, just leaving the bare shell. Now, install the Adv. foam insert, and put it on to test out the fit, and determine where to place/adhere those bike pad capsules (pods?). You don’t need complete contact between the liner and your scalp, and those pods create that point-of-contact stand-off distance. The hardhat should fit your head, not necessarily snugly, but it shouldn’t shift or jostle around either. 

[AtlUmp]

2 hours ago, 834k3r said:

So how, for an example, would this work with the AS Skully? Would the D3O replace or supplement the existing foam padding in the Skully? If supplementing, would the D3O go between the shell and the padding or between the padding at the wearer's head?

If replacing, how would the fitting be changed?

Color me a bright shade of intrigued.

As someone with plenty of disposable income and a lack of impulse control regarding hobbies, I will take some pictures when my order from Dicks Sporting Goods arrives sometime this weekend/next week. Too bad for Concertman I made the purchase before he offered the XRD.

 

1 hour ago, MadMax said:

A D3O – or XRD via @concertman1971 (thanks!) – liner would be an immediate upgrade in everyone else’s skullcaps, including Rawlings, Easton, EvoShield, and especially Wilson’s. I’d also get a set of bike helmet sizing pads (Giro? Specialized? Bell? etc), which are lozenge-shaped adhesive foam pucks. I’d begin by tearing out that stooooopid closed-cell foam puck at the top (crown), which actually inhibits hair growth and induces baldness (check baseball players sometime, who spend a lot of time with a conventional batting helmet or skullcap on their head). I’d also remove the foam / leather ring, just leaving the bare shell. Now, install the Adv. foam insert, and put it on to test out the fit, and determine where to place/adhere those bike pad capsules (pods?). You don’t need complete contact between the liner and your scalp, and those pods create that point-of-contact stand-off distance. The hardhat should fit your head, not necessarily snugly, but it shouldn’t shift or jostle around either. 

An AS Axis doesn't make sense to up/sidegrade but I do have a SC500 I use for catching men's league or I might go looking for a used Rawlings or Evoshield to experiment with. Most of the sizing pads I am seeing in a quick google search are designed by manufacturers for their specific helmets but I did find a at least 1 that seems promising. I am curious about installation order between D3O and sizing foam. The D3O linear is designed to fit flush against existing padding and either the sizing liners/pucks or the D30 liner should be fixed in place so they don't shift easily. If the D3O linear is velcro'd into the helmet, then the sizing pucks would need to be attached to the D3O as the pucks would not be able to hold themselves in place like the liner would. Here is an example of the liner being fit into a football helmet for reference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcnfHZb_dDw

1) this is a helmet sizing fit kit by Bern and has a few pucks but is still target to one of their helmet designs. https://bernhelmets.com/products/summer-liner-universal-adult-package

2) this is a fit kit from a skate/bike helmet company called S1 that uses two sized pieces of foam go around the front and back semicircles of the helmet, different thicknesses of foam would allow more customization between front/back sides https://shop.s1helmets.com/s1-helmet-co-fit-kit/

3) Easton's helmet padding fit kit mentioned earlier would allow the customization desired and we already know it fits in skull caps for sizing purposes https://easton.rawlings.com/product/8068349.html

Once I have the D3O liner in hand I'll sit down and start making further plans but thinking the Easton and/or S1 kits with the Evoshield or Rawlings skull cap is the way to go for airflow/padding combinations.

Final note, I had to go through this so many times to make sure I was calling it D3O and not 3DO the developer/publisher of Army Men, Heroes of Might and Magic, and High Heat MLB video games

[TheLovejoy]

On 5/18/2026 at 11:31 AM, MadMax said:

A D3O – or XRD via @concertman1971 (thanks!) – liner would be an immediate upgrade in everyone else’s skullcaps.

  You see where I put that bike sweat liner in the front?- That bike D30 that was linked, has it's own sticky stuff attached that just peels, and boom, it sticks. 
   After seeing this, I've thought about just using that D30 to the front of the mask instead of the little pad strip that I use. 

   Now, I understand, like you said, it would be a disservice to double it up with the default Rawlings pad. But, this seems like a super easy 'fix/addition' to the pleather Rawlings pad in the front. Add the D30 to it to give it better up front protection, and a little bit of sizing detail. Eh? (I'm just trying to clarify that I don't want you to send me to padding purgatory for doubling it up)
   

[BLWizzRanger]

[deleted because embarrassed what I wrote.]

[MadMax]

18 hours ago, TheLovejoy said:

(I'm just trying to clarify that I don't want you to send me to padding purgatory for doubling it up)

LJ, what you do with your own existing equipment is your prerogative; it’s not my place to say otherwise. What I advocate for are twofold: 

1. Materials are designed and produced to do specific things, perform certain roles, and have (near-)predictable traits. They do have flaws and shortcomings; nothing is perfect. Manufacturers will either be very forthcoming with info, or – this is irritating – guarded and almost clandestine. 
2. If you’re paying X amount of dollars for something, and that X is substantially (or worse, artificially) at the top-end of the comparable product market, you should “get what you pay for”. You shouldn’t need to augment or supplement it. 

[TheLovejoy]

I wasn't thinking of doubling it up to supplement it. I was thinking more of put it in the front, so it does it's job the way it's supposed to as it. 
As a secondary function, it would help size the fit just a bit, instead of me needing that 1/8th inch sweat liner.
I was more looking at it from a, "is this going to hurt the D30 role it's designed for by place it over the already existing 'thin' Rawlings pad?"

There was a very specific mouthguard back in the day, Protec Dent, or something like that, that required the hard teeth background to perform it's action. It had perforated holes in the guard to disperse impact across your jaw. The mouthguard was extremely hard compared to other football mouthguards, the big soft rubber ones, but when a ball would impact it, it spread the impact across a wider area and would keep your teeth in tact. But if the backing surface of it was too soft, it wouldn't perform correctly, and was MORE dangerous than wearing nearly nothing as a guard at all. 

Now, understanding that you didn't invent D30, and you don't want to make any official claims...you also know infinitely more about it than most of us, and that opinion is valued. 


 

[MadMax]

@TheLovejoy this 👆🏼 is D3O when it first hit the baseball equipment scene in 2014-15. Schutt had been already using it in football helmets and “speed position” shoulder pads, and so took a chance on pairing it to the umpire’s CP that they were (re)introducing, the XV. 

The carapace plates would be at the bottom in that stack, while body contact would be at the top. 

It wasn’t well-received at first, because of three factors, all three of which were regarding perceived value, not substantiated value: 

1. It was orange, and a loud, immutable orange at that; to (way too) conservatively-minded umpires, it looked gimmicky
2. It was only 15mm thick (by contrast, a Wilson Gold is ≈ 25mm), somewhat pliant, and was riddled with 10mm ventilation holes; to umpires familiar or conditioned to the bulky sofa-cushion foam tanks, it looked weird and uncomfortable
3. It was only $85 (at introduction). While that was mightily attractive to amateur/frugal umpires (hey! they can be mutually exclusive!), it unsettled “pro” umpires, who again had become conditioned on paying > $150+ (try $225-$250) for “Pro”-grade stuff; it looked cheap and fragile

So in this case, the D3O foam itself was “installed” or “packaged”, absent any additional “fill” foam (like the All-Star Cobalt CP does). While it certainly could function on its own, if it needed “sizing” or gap or volume -filling additional foam, it would be best to install those at the specific spots and achieve a closer fit. 

Same principles apply to the skullcaps. 
Make sense?