Truthfully, I don't know when hard hats were introduced into the national combat rules. I have never heard of an incident which mandated it. I started doing national combat meets (after years of club meets) and joined the RCCA in 1999, and the hart hats were already part of the rules. I personally think it is a carryover from Pylon. I don't mind the rule at all, and the helmets have become something to have fun with, as many have painted logos, personal touches etc...and we have also used them to tape our matrix print-outs to...it's a perfect place! Some guys even go to a army surplus store and get real authintic lids

I guess you could put this issue into the same catagory as to why I have a .38 in my night stand. I would rather have it and never need it....than ever need it and not have it.