Game Changer: Inside the Making of Our EPIC® Helmet Liner

 
The EPIC^® combat helmet liner system, which debuted in 2009, was the first liner to offer helmet padding inserts soldiers could customize themselves.

It was ahead of its time. Now, everything is customizable – TV, music, food orders, data plans. Our way of life is customizable. But that wasn’t the norm in 2009. And it certainly wasn’t worked into the design of combat helmets.

EPIC^® (an acronym for Enhanced Protection, Individual Comfort) also represents the first time Team Wendy engineers took creative license of not just the material of the helmet liner, but also its layout. Prior to EPIC^®, we applied materials to enhance incoming designs. This time, we kept the materials intact – they always performed exceptionally well – and improved the overall design.

We listened to soldiers who were actually wearing the gear. Team Wendy engineers took the foundation of our ZAP™ 7-Pad System and transformed it into a full military helmet liner. Initially, we hoped it would be adopted immediately by the military. Ultimately, we had to wait for integration. But our concept of adjustable military helmet pads – varying pad thicknesses and strategic placement within a ballistic helmet or bump helmet – was a concept that had potential with individual buyers.

Did it ever. Along with the EPIC Air® Combat Helmet Liner System, which debuted in 2011, it’s still one of our bedrock products. Good products stay relevant, and that’s been the case with the EPIC^® liners.

It turned out to be a dividing line for our engineers. We began to build off its success and we continue to experiment and push a potentially new generation of helmet liners. A maritime liner? A firefighter helmet liner? Anything is possible. How about a liner that reacts to brain responses as opposed to the skull? It could be a reality one day.

The future is bright, but none of it would be possible without EPIC^®.