M-1 Liner Suspension System “Snap-In Head Band I”

March 15, 2020

Big Red here with a question from "Ted Striker"...

So, TAKE FIVE!

Ted asks,

"Big Red, in a online description of a Rayon webbed M-1 liner, the seller stated that the Riddell head band was missing. What exactly is a "Riddell" head band?"

Great hearing from you Ted,

Describing a head band as a "Riddell" is collector jargon referring to the earliest version of the M-1 liner suspension head band.

This version was made from white rayon fabric webbing. It was cut to length with pinking shears the ends having been dipped in rubber cement. The band was then looped around, the cut ends, overlapped by 1 1/2 inches and sewn together. A sweat pad, made from a section of russet calf skin, was sewn on the front of the band so the leather was on the inside of the loop.

The loop had a series of twelve male snap fasteners arranged, in pairs, at six locations which allowed the band to be snapped into a matching series of female snap fasteners affixed to the band of the suspension cradle inside the liner.

Remember Ted,

if your friends want to know how you gained your intel, tell em

Big Red Says!

FIVE'S OVER - MOVE OUT!

1 comment

Anonymous March 20, 2020

I think many of you probably know this but, just in case, to answer the whole question “Riddel” was (is) an athletic equipment company that made football helmets. In 1939 John Riddel designed the first-ever plastic suspension football helmet. The helmet was a revolutionary suspension design that was “state of the art”. It was used in football helmets for many years. In the early 60s I wore a brand-new Riddel helmet with the same suspension system. If you want to know what this football helmet suspension looked like, look at your helmet liner—virtually the same thing. The army designers of the M1 helmet got permission from the Riddel Company to use the suspension system for the new M1 helmet they were designing.

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