What kind of leather do you have?

What brand of leather helmet do you run? Mine is an '02 Cairns Sam Houston N6A. I actually bought it off eBay for $270. Got it and looked it up, the helmet is a deluxe version..its sells for about $500 or so brand new. Not a bad deal..

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Permalink Reply by rfdjumper on April 18, 2008 at 11:05am

I have a Cairns N5A New Yorker, I use for work, which has been stripped and repainted a couple of times. Currently it has a nice satin high temp grill paint on it. I also have a N6A Sam Houston from around 1999 but that thing is too damn heavy.

Permalink Reply by Mike on April 20, 2008 at 8:01pm

I own 3- Sam Houston's n6a and a New Yorker n5a. My brother and I have bought a couple of Leathers off of ebay, because you can't beat the price. I tried the phenix but after wearing a N6A it just wasn't the same. I also have my share of plastics lids.

Permalink Reply by Zach Ball on April 23, 2008 at 12:37am

I own a carins n6a sam houston that i bought i 2007 for 375 dollars it is a deluxe with bourkes and it has seen numerous fires and i will no wear anything else leather forever

Permalink Reply by John Robinson on April 24, 2008 at 10:13pm

My first leather helmet was a Cairnes New Yorker manufactured in 1984 or so, before the addition of all the insert. After I was issued one with the impact cap in 1987 or so, I wore it for about 2 weeks. 3 or 4 fires was all it took for me to go back to my old helmet. After my helmet was damaged beyond repair (holes in the rear brim were letting hot water down my neck), I found another old style helmet on e-bay. I wore that one 'till my retirement in 2004.

I always found that the one-size helmets fit me better than the adjustables. I wore a 7 5/8". After a few fires the helmet would mold to my head and would stay secure. I'd forget it was there after a while. My head must be an odd shape. I could never find a new-style helmet that fit me properly. If I got the proper size, the helmet was too small front-to-back. If I got a helmet that fit front to back, I ended up with huge voids at the sides that had to be filled up with padding. The old style helmets would mold to my head and fit comfortably.

Permalink Reply by Vernon Groff on April 25, 2008 at 8:32pm

2001 N5A New Yorker that replaced my used N5A

Permalink Reply by LT.-Z.GIBEAU on April 27, 2008 at 9:15pm

i have a n5a leather newyorker....love it...got it in jan of 05....its seen alot of action and got it broke in real quick. would not go back to anything other then a N6a sammy....thats my next thing to get at the fire expo in PA. this year...by the way....how many people are going to that????

Permalink Reply by Jeff Koehn on May 3, 2008 at 2:22am

I have 3 leathers, All Cairns Sam Houston's two are retired and the third has seen better days as well. I am waiting patiently to get promoted and will buy a new one.

Permalink Reply by josh slagel on May 11, 2008 at 9:34pm

MY lid is an 07 n5a new yorker and i love it.

Permalink Reply by Firemedic Rich on May 12, 2008 at 3:25pm

I have a Sam Houston That a Retired Firefighter gave me as a gift. It had an issue with the liner and I had to have it painted yellow. I love it and wouldn't trade it for the world.

Permalink Reply by Gary Dreyer on May 18, 2008 at 3:19pm

In 1995 I bought a used N5A, that department had originated on the east coast and when I showed up with it at a training session I was talking to a Mutual aid firefighter, he told me it made the rounds he and two or three other guys on their department used it for a while til they bought new or their chief told them they needed to wear department issued helmets. They had nicknamed it the whore, since it got around. Over the last 13 years I have taken it with me through the other departments in my career, it has been black, and white, yet the underside still shows natural leather. I paid $250 for it back then and I think its the best investment I have ever made.
When I was named Chief of my department the budget had funds to replace 10 Helmets, they were wearing the Bullard contemporary style helmets, I heard rumblings from some of the guys they wanted traditional so I opened it up and we evaluated traditionals and they decided on the Cairnes 1010, but I also told the guys they would be issued 1010's but if they wanted leather they could buy them. My Deputy Chief went out and ordered a new one a couple weeks later. I now have several guys looking at buying new leather.

Permalink Reply by Tom Chmielowiec Jr. on August 26, 2008 at 1:16pm