How Hit-Air Works

How To Set Up Your Hit-Air Vest

Ready to invest in your protection? Follow our measuring guide below to find the right style and size Hit-Air vest for you!

Once you have your vest, follow our set-up guides to get ready to ride.

Measuring Guide

HOW TO MEASURE

A person 's body measurements are shown in red.

Vest sizing is determined by 3 different measurements: height, chest circumference, and waist circumference. All vests have an adjustable waistband and will fit a range of height, chest, and weight measurements.

If you plan to wear your Hit-Air vest over a hard protective vest or heavy outerwear, sizing measurements should be taken over the hard vest or outerwear.

Size charts for each vest model can be found on the product pages.

Which Hit-Air Vest is Best for Your Body Shape

We have three "square cut" adult vest models - the Hit-Air Original, the Hit-Air Pro Plus, and the Hit-Air Pro Max. Square cut vests tend to fit shorter, curvier torsos better than other models.

We have two "rectangular cut" adult vest models - the Hit-Air Advantage and the Hit-Air Advantage Max. Rectangular cut vests tend to fit longer, straighter torsos better than other models.

How To Determine Your Body Shape: If your torso width is equal to or more than half of your torso length, a square cut vest is likely best for you. If your torso width is less than half your torso length, a rectangular cut vest is likely best for you.

 

A drawing of two different types of women 's clothing.

Still have questions? Email us at [email protected] with any advanced fitting and sizing questions.

A PROPERLY FITTED HIT-AIR VEST

A woman wearing a blue shirt and black jacket.
Rider is wearing the Advantage Vest in size Medium

1 . The top front buckle lays across the center of the rider’s chest

2 . The bottom front buckle lays in line with the top of the rider’s hip bones

3 . The cartridge pocket faces forward and out of the way of the rider’s arm

4 . The back of the vest ends between the rider’s belt loops and seat bones

5 . The vest should lay flat and snug against the rider’s shoulders, chest, back, and hips.

Set-Up Guide

ATTACHING YOUR SADDLE STRAPS AND LANYARDS

How To Attach Your Saddle Strap

How To Attach Your Bungee Lanyard

How To Attach Your Western Lanyard

COMMON SET-UP MISTAKES

A woman in riding gear standing next to a horse.
Rider is wearing the Pro Plus vest in size Small

CORRECT - You are ready to ride!

ADJUSTING YOUR LANYARD TOO LONG

 

Adjustable Bungee Lanyards and Western Coiled Wire Lanyards must be adjusted before use. A properly adjusted lanyard should be long enough for the rider to move freely and comfortably in the saddle but short enough for the vest to deploy and fully inflate before the rider hits the ground in the event of a fall. The rider should NOT be able to stand next to their horse while their vest is clipped into the lanyard and attached to their saddle.

A woman in a helmet standing next to a horse.
Rider is wearing the Pro Plus vest in size Small

INCORRECT - Adjust your Lanyard shorter

A close up of the seat of a horse

INCORRECT - Lanyard is attached to the saddle D-Ring

ATTACHING YOUR LANYARD TO YOUR SADDLE D-RING

 

Lanyards should always be attached directly to a solid anchor point such as a Saddle Strap, Saddle Horn, or Saddle Pommel. Saddle D-Rings are NOT a solid anchor point and lanyards should not be attached to them. Attaching a lanyard to a D-Ring may result in the D-Ring pulling out of the saddle and the vest failing to inflate during a fall.

A person holding onto the end of a horse saddle

CORRECT - You are ready to ride!