WHY GUARDIAN CAPS?
The Guardian Cap is the leading soft shell helmet cover engineered for impact reduction. It brings a padded, soft-shell layer to the outside of the decades old hard-shell helmet and reduces impact of hits.
The Guardian Cap was created in 2010 to address the clear need to advance the standard helmet, which has changed little since the 1960’s. Erin and Lee Hanson, owners of The Hanson Group LLC, utilized their 20+ years in the material science business to engineer, patent, and manufacture the Guardian Cap.
They began the process consulting with another company on a fully encompassed soft-shelled helmet. They presented the helmet to sport executives but did not get the buy in. Erin and Lee realized that changing the look and sound of the game was a big “no” for a lot of players, fans, and coaches. They decided to take to market the affordable Guardian Cap that could be easily attached to the helmet during practices. Reducing impacts in practice was better than nothing.
Guardian continues to push the importance of reducing impacts in youth – pro practices.
Physics say that an outer “soft” material of the proper density, stiffness and energy absorbing properties reduces the initial severity of the impact. The hard shell then has lower forces transmitted to it, and in turn conveys lower forces to the interior soft helmet padding and then lower forces to the head. Very similar to a NASCAR driver and the soft wall technology that tracks have adopted or even automobiles and the soft bumpers and airbags that are now required. The Guardian Cap serves the same purpose for an athlete’s head—a soft shell barrier between it and impact.
Wondering which Guardian Cap is best for you?
- Guardian Caps XT – Original Cap. Tested, Validated, Mandated. Youth – College. Great for football, hockey & lacrosse.
- Guardian Caps NXT – Original Cap for college, Pro, and larger players. Only sold through a sales rep. Tested, Validated, Mandated by the NFL.
- Guardian Caps XT 2.0 – Same Science, Same Technology, Sleeker Design. Youth – College.
- Guardian Caps NXT 2.0 – Same Science, Same Technology, Sleeker Design. College, Pros, and larger players. Only sold through a sales rep.
The Guardian Cap brings a padded, soft-shell layer worn on the outside of the decades old hard-shell helmet for football, lacrosse and hockey:
- Guardian XT is lightweight and worn by youth – college players.
- Guardian XT 2.0 is worn by youth – college players and a sleeker design for more customization options.
- Guardian NXT is for college, pro and larger players due to additional weight.
- Guardian NXT 2.0 is for college, pro, and larger players due to additional weight.
- Guardian Caps NXT are permitted for in-game use for the 2024 NFL season
- Addresses the impact severity of blows for athletes
- Pads blows to knees, hands, abdomen, etc. during position drills
- The leading helmet impact reducer is also available for hockey and lacrosse
- Protects helmet/decal wear and tear
- Reduces radiant heat up to 20°
Utilizing facilities at Rutgers, Virginia Tech, BioCore and Stanford, Guardian continues building upon its current base of research in impact reduction and material development.
- Rutgers
- Youth focused clinical study conducted by Robert Heary, MD, Neurosurgeon. Demonstrated that by using Guardian Caps XT & safe tackling techniques at the middle school level there are fewer head impacts over the course of an entire season.
- Virginia Tech
- “Helmet shell add-ons have been shown to decrease linear and rotational acceleration, thereby helping to reduce risk of injury.”
- BioCore
- On average, the Guardian Cap NXT reduced HARM (head acceleration response metric) by 9%, while the ProTech reduced HARM by 5%, which was a statistically significant difference.
- Stanford
- Overall, by incorporating a Guardian Cap XT, HARM values were reduced in laboratory impact tests by an average of 25% at 3.5 m/s (range: 9.7 – 39.6%), 18% at 5.5 m/s (range: -5.5% – 40.5), and 10% at 7.4 m/s (range: -6.0 – 31.0%)
- NFL On-Field Data
- According to the NFL, the Guardian Cap NXT has been very effective and played a part in reducing concussions by 52%.
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*The NFL’s conclusion is based on a qualified study that evaluated Guardian Caps NXT alongside additional protective measures, which collectively contributed to a reduction in concussions.
The Guardian team is always open to more research on the Guardian Cap to further build on the current base of research and continue to bridge the gap that exists between biomechanical testing to the end injuries. Until the gap is bridged, claims will be held only to what has been empirically proven.
In 2017, the Guardian Cap XT won the NFL HeadHealthTECH Challenge. But when tested under NFL-specific conditions, designed to simulate the higher speeds and heavier impacts of the professional game, the XT didn’t show significant results. “We didn’t really find that it had much of an effect on the NFL impact environment,” explained Ann Bailey Good, a senior engineer at Biocore. Rather than viewing this as a setback, the Hansons saw it as a direction. They went back to the drawing board and added an additional layer of padding, resulting in a thicker 12-ounce version: the Guardian NXT, with “N” standing for NFL.
In 2020, the Guardian Cap NXT was seen on multiple NFL teams during practices. After a year of data collection and lab testing that showed a “statistically significant” improvement over helmets alone, the NFL permitted the Guardian Cap NXT in the 2021 season. In early 2022, the NFL owners announced that the league would mandate the use of the Guardian Cap NXT during the early part of training camp for all OL, DL, TEs, and LBs. In 2023, the NFL expanded the mandate to include all preseason, regular season, and post season contact practices, while adding RBs and FBs to the list of mandated positions.
For the 2024 season, the NFL has once again expanded their mandate by adding receiver and defensive backs to the list of positions mandated to wear Guardian Caps. Additionally, due to the efficacy of the Guardian Cap in practice, the NFL permitted players to wear the Guardian Cap, if they so choose, during games. In the 2025 season, multiple NFL players chose to wear the Guardian Cap NXT in games with customized gameday covers.
*The NFL’s conclusion is based on a qualified study that evaluated Guardian Caps NXT alongside additional protective measures, which collectively contributed to a reduction in concussions.
GUARDIAN CAP BENEFITS
Anything I can do to mitigate any sort of brain injury or long-term health effects…takes precedence. As a professional athlete who plays at the highest level, it is also part of my duty to advocate for my own health and safety and try to encourage others to also make the choice to continue wearing these.
“We are formally stating, under NOCSAE regulations, all Schutt and VICIS helmets worn in practice or games with a properly installed Guardian Cap remain fully certified and warrantied should the player, parent, or coach choose to do so and if allowable by applicable league regulations.”
“It’s really become a norm here. The players know the Caps. They’ve seen the data, it works. The Guardian Caps have become another piece of equipment that they take to practice. You think about all the head impacts that we’re reducing from players wearing them and it’s second nature now.”
“We have tested Guardian Caps in labs and have seen significant reduction in the impact forces that the head sees when the Guardian Cap is on the helmet. It is very promising in the lab and on the field.”
“Practice has been wonderful. It has been healthy, it’s been safe, it’s been sound, all thanks to Guardian Caps.”
“I don’t think people realize how much you practice. For every game, there are at least 20 practices. Most guys experience trouble during practice. It’s a beautiful thing to see Guardian Caps come about.”
“The Guardian Cap provided that extra layer of protection you needed during practice. The last thing you want is to lose players on the offensive and defensive lines to head injuries during practice or training camp. The Cap helped reduce some of those injuries and was useful to our team last season.”
“We train to reduce injuries, we practice smarter to reduce injuries, and we use the best technology available to us to reduce injuries. At Bergen Catholic we want to put our players in the best uniforms, the best equipment, and take every measure to limit the risks of the game. We definitely believe the Guardian Cap is one of these technological improvements.”
“We believe in wearing Guardian Caps to further protect our players. We treat the caps like it’s part of their everyday equipment and it’s mandatory to wear.”
“People don’t really appreciate what an O-lineman and a D-lineman goes through. They’re facing impact – not only in a game, and they’re getting 80 plays in a game – but then you see how they practice. The impact on those kids…there’s impact on every snap of every play.”
“Concussions continue to decrease in the preseason as a result of changes to practices, technique, rules and substantial investments in research that have led to the best performing helmets we have ever seen,” said Jeff Miller, NFL Executive Vice President overseeing Player Health and Safety. “There is more work to do, but player safety is advancing, and we hope to see this trend continue this season.”
*The NFL’s conclusion is based on a qualified study that evaluated Guardian Caps NXT alongside additional protective measures, which collectively contributed to a reduction in concussions.
“While there is no finish line in our efforts to make the game safer, the injury data from this preseason is an example of how the league’s deliberate approach to player safety continues to deliver results,” said Dr. Allen Sills, NFL Chief Medical Officer. “We’re committed to building a culture of safety around the game, and this preseason was another positive step in that direction.”
“I think we can say with a high degree of confidence that the use of Guardian Caps plus the Guardian Cap-optional helmets, has certainly provided a sustained reduction in the number of concussions that we’re seeing in that preseason practice environment.” ESPN Article
*The NFL’s conclusion is based on a qualified study that evaluated Guardian Caps NXT alongside additional protective measures, which collectively contributed to a reduction in concussions.
