Sorting my RAC helmet out.
Do I go for SoF canvas strap
or leather strap
I have to say the leather one looks very cumbersome and the canvas one more 'comfy'! 
leather one covers all periods from about 42 onwards dave, canvas one is late war and to be honest i dont think i can sort out the canvas one as i attach the strap to the helmet liner. the canvas one needs the bales. plus the canvas ones cant be left undone.and i believe (tho gadge may correct this) that they were mostly ( but not exclusively ) used by the polish .
i just noticed the use of the word comfy...... YOUR AN AIRBORNE SOLDIER FOR CHRIST SAKE!!! COMFY DONT ENTER INTO IT 
Canvas is ok for south staffords but leather is easier to fit and preferable as it like nige says lets you do all war.
Canvas is good for market garden and varisty and thats about it (when i found this out i ws peeved as i wanted a canvas one but all the evidence pointed out to it being not as common)
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
Sorting my RAC helmet out.
Do I go for SoF canvas strap
or leather strap
I have to say the leather one looks very cumbersome and the canvas one more 'comfy'!
Being the deviants we are, we've all opted for the leather one so far.
Plus, as Nige says, it's much easier to fasten onto the helmet liner, and the bonus is, it's still easily adjustable.
I thought that's what might be the answer 
. Leather it is then...
Evo and I did a step by step how to tutorial photos the other day.
We can send you the pics if they will help
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
Ah, they would help - I might not have to trouble Nige then...
Oops. I've got a canvas one on my airborne lid. Not too keen on leather chinstraps myself, plus if a helmet is on your head, it should be done up! I hate seeing chinstraps flapping about, it's very scruffy looking!
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
Oops. I've got a canvas one on my airborne lid. Not too keen on leather chinstraps myself, plus if a helmet is on your head, it should be done up! I hate seeing chinstraps flapping about, it's very scruffy looking!
But very WWII, there was a popular belief that the blast from nearby explosions would 'hook' under your lid and break your neck if it was done up.
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
a thing to remember for anyone doing a conversion, airborne chinstraps come down from the helmet band near your temples, nearer the front of the helmet shell, not from the centre where the bales are fixed on RAC helmets.
Canvas maybe only late WW2 but are very handy to have if you have an interest in British Airborne post WW2 as they will also do for Suez,NI,Falklands etc.
I know there are people doing repro liners and chinstraps but if using the canvas chinstraps you realy do need the correct chinstrap fittings/buckles thingys that as far as i know nobody does repros of????
On the RAC helmet i have for sale my mate who started the conversion used the existing fittings and while they work ok as said they arent 100% correct as they shouldnt be centred.
What most of us have done mate is drill bolts into the liner and suspend the chinstraps of that so as not to knacker the orginal shells.
Mines a 1945 one so i dont want to fuck it up.
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."