As I recall, back when I raced track in the UK in the 60s, hairnets for the track came in a couple of flavors, fairly bulky for maximum protection, and what was called a pursuit hairnet, which was just a few strips of coated thin foam with a chin strap, I guess you wren't expected to get badly hurt if you fell in a pursuit race and this lightweight affair saved weight but met the requirement for head protection. Virtually nobody wore a hairnet in a road-race. In the UK we never referred to them as hairnets, but a crash hats.
As to the merits of a hairnet, they would provide more protection than a cloth cap, but less than a helmet, so a hairnet is better than nothing I suppose.
Brian Booth Toronto, Canada
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