The #1 Rated Flag Football Headgear
Virginia Tech Helmet Lab · Rated #1 · 5 Stars
The best headgear in the country is the one your kid will actually keep on.
CLOUD Halo weighs 4.3 ounces. It is rated #1 for flag football by the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab. And it is light enough that athletes forget they are wearing it — which is the only condition under which any of this matters.
Black in stock, ships in 1–2 business days · 30-day returns · Team pricing on 15+
Flag football is non-contact by rule, not by physics.
Collisions going for the same flag. Players landing awkwardly. Incidental head-to-head and head-to-ground contact. It happens in every game, at every level.
Researchers reviewing nearly a decade of emergency department records identified more than 22,600 injuries among female flag football players, with close to one in four involving the head, face or neck.
A tackle football helmet is the wrong tool. It is built for repeated high-energy impact, and it is heavy, hot and restrictive in a sport played at sprint speed. The actual design problem is different: meaningful impact attenuation in something an athlete will wear for a full game without complaining.
We do not grade our own work.
The Virginia Tech Helmet Lab is an independent university research group. They buy headgear off the shelf, test it under controlled laboratory impact conditions, and publish the results. Manufacturers cannot pay for a better rating.
Ratings are sport-specific. Flag football headgear is evaluated under a protocol built around how head impacts actually occur in flag and 7v7 play — a different problem from tackle football, and a rating earned in one category does not transfer to another.
| Product | Rank | Rating | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLOUD Halo | #1 | 5-Star | 4.3 oz | $69.99 |
| CLOUD Halo Lite | #3 | 5-Star | 2.5 oz | $64.99 |
Most padded headbands cover the forehead and stop.
That leaves the temples and the occipital region — the back of the skull — exposed. Those are precisely the areas involved in fall and collision impacts.
CLOUD headgear provides full circumferential coverage: forehead, both temples and the occipital region, in one continuous band. It is also why it satisfies coverage requirements written around full protection rather than a forehead pad.
Weight is a safety feature, not a comfort feature.
This is the part that gets misunderstood. Weight is usually framed as comfort. It is not. It is compliance, in the behavioural sense.
Protective equipment only works when it is on the athlete's head. Headgear that is hot, heavy or distracting comes off between series, gets worn loose, or gets left in the bag. At 4.3 ounces for the Halo and 2.5 ounces for the Lite, athletes stop noticing it — which is the condition under which it actually protects anyone.
One size. For a coach, that is the whole story.
CLOUD headgear is one-size-fits-most, adjustable across an 18 to 26 inch head circumference. That covers nearly every youth and adult athlete.
For a coach outfitting a 30-player roster, this is the difference between measuring every athlete and ordering a single SKU. A mid-season roster addition can be equipped immediately rather than waiting on a size-specific reorder.
- Made in America. Every unit manufactured in the United States.
- Fully washable. Matters more than it sounds for shared team equipment across a season.
- Interchangeable headbands.
- Custom for your program. Team logos, colours and artwork on orders of 15 or more.
Playing in Georgia?
GHSA requires soft-shell protective headgear carrying a 5-Star Virginia Tech rating with full circumferential coverage for sanctioned flag football competition. Both CLOUD models are 5-star rated with full coverage. Read the GHSA rule explained →
Questions people actually ask
Does this prevent concussions?
No. No headgear prevents concussions or eliminates head injury risk. Concussions result from forces the brain experiences inside the skull, and no external padding eliminates that. Virginia Tech ratings measure relative impact performance under controlled laboratory conditions — a legitimate basis for choosing between products, not a guarantee of outcomes on a field. Anyone telling you otherwise is selling badly.
How is this different from a padded headband?
Coverage and testing. Most padded headbands cover the forehead only and have never been independently tested. CLOUD headgear covers the full circumference including the occipital region, and both models are rated by the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab.
Halo or Halo Lite?
Both carry five stars. Halo is the maximum-protection option and the highest-rated flag football headgear the lab has tested. Halo Lite uses a thinner, lower-profile pad at 2.5 oz — choose it for athletes who resist headgear entirely, because the lightest option they keep on beats the best-rated one they take off.
Will it fit my eight-year-old and my fifteen-year-old?
Yes. Adjustable 18 to 26 inches covers nearly every youth and adult athlete. Fit and sizing guide.
Can I wash it?
Fully washable. It is shared team equipment used across a season, so this was not optional.
What if it does not work out?
30-day returns. Tracking is emailed as soon as it ships.
No protective equipment can prevent all injuries, including concussions. Virginia Tech Helmet Lab ratings measure impact performance in controlled laboratory testing. CLOUD Athletic is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Virginia Tech, the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab, or GHSA. Always confirm current ratings and any league or state requirements before purchasing.