Helmets with Bills
A couple of years ago a guy on BoaterTalk posted a picture of a close out wave blowing his shredready off of his head. In surf you often are punching through with your head, or throwing your upper body/head into the white water…helmets that are hydrodynamic are going to cause less problems for your neck etc.
I’m a seakayaker and frequently spend
hours and hours in rock gardens. I always wear a neoprene hood under the helmet. I used to wear a ProTech Ace, but after an hour or so I’d get a headache. Now I wear a WRSI and find it very comfortable.
Wear it for an evening at home (with a hood, if that’s how you’ll use it) and see if it’s comfortable over time rather than just a few minutes in the store. Most places will let you return it if you haven’t taken it on the water and don’t remove the tags.
It’s all about style
If it has to look good I can’t help you.
If you want a good solid inexpensive helmet check out Cascade.
If you don’t mind white they sell them in sporting goods stores as Lacross helmets too.
That’s mine in the stern.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2831196310075003331DKgRYG
Tommy
helmets
1. protec = cheap plastic crap
2. wrsi = better fitting than protec, but still cheap plastic crap. useless in a real hit. i’ve seen multiple failures of this helmet
3. shred ready - the composite helmets are excellent, the plastic is still plastic. i really like my sherlock. fits well, and has taken some hard hits well.
4. sweet - the “rocker” is the nicest helmet i’ve seen. excellent fit, excellent protection. expensive at over $200.
figure out what your brain is worth, and where you are using your helmet. if you aren’t going to be kayaking above class II, you don’t really need a bomber composite helmet, but you don’t want a protec either.
Plastic Crap
Whats a real hit?
real hit
hard hit to rock while moving downstream at any kind of good clip in a rapid. i don’t mean a 1-2 mph capsize where your head scrapes some rocks, but a direct hit under speed that can move a helmet around your head if it isn’t fitted well, or rip/tear the plastic.
…
Though I have no experience with Sweet helmets they look nice. However, it sounds unreasonable to say that helmets made from plastic are crap. Considering how many top athletes use them in addition to how many top level instructors use them and endorse them. It would seem that helmets that are adjusted to fit properly and worn properly will do there job regardless of material. Composites vs. ABS seems like a preference potentially based on price…
No
A hit is a hit, and the WW guys have seen stuff much harder than you probably have.
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– Last Updated: Apr-15-09 1:46 PM EST –
I'm a rookie
I bought an FNA kevlar helmet.
I think it’s an excellent helmet, but the foam it came with to fit is very dense. So dense, that on one site reviewing them, a user stated they were knocked out from a fairly mild hit. It sounds believable, as a rap to the head does seem to transfer a lot of the hit. The foam is so dense, it just doesn’t absorb much.
I think it would be a much better helmet than it is with better, softer inserts.
BTW, it was a $130 helmet, and I got it brand new from a Canadian outfitter selling it on eBay for about $70, including shipping. EBay has a lot of helmets for sale, but they aren’t always a great deal. Look around first.
YoS
two types of protection
the FNA is designed more to protect against a really hard hit, but transfers more energy from a smaller hit due to the dense foam.
a helmet that is really cushy and protects against a small to moderate hit will often have too much “give” in a serious hit.
the challenge is to design it in layers with a strong outer layer to protect from a serious hit, but also have softer layers inside to absorb the small/moderate hits.
this is why i really like the sweet rocker fullface. but i’m still saving my money for it at $400.
Real Hits- If it fits right it’s OK.
Modern Protec helmets if they fit correctly will protect your head. A lot of the criticism comes from old helmets, and all the others sold then were crap too.
The biggest real hits I have taken have been being pounded onto a rock jetty with a heavy 8’ closeout wave. A lot more impact and force than most whitewater paddlers will ever take. Protec helmet was fine. I don’t use them anymore because they have too much drag. Class III kayakers should be fine with them. If you are going to free fall down a rocky creek or off waterfalls — that’s another story.
Gath comes in different models
The Gedi is one of the best for WW. The most important characteristic is that it does not move on your head. Your forehead will not be exposed, nor will your spinal cord on the back of your neck. It is the only helmet I use in WW.
Have one.
It does not stay positioned on your head, even with HOG. Surf, capsizing in current, you cannot count on it not to expose your forehead or back of the neck.
your brain is worth more than that
The straight dope
WW helmets are supposed to protect you from injury if you capsize. But you cannot rely on what helmet makers say because they typically do not pay attention to the most serious risks. Here is what I think you should pay attention to.
- It is of no concern what a helmet looks like. Only paddlers who care not at all about death or injury care about this.
- One of the most important characteristics of a helmet worn in whitewater or surfing is whether it moves on your head when you capsize. There are two things that can happen with a high probability of killing you. One is a blow to the back of your neck, especially near your skull. It will temporarily paralyze you at the least and maybe actually stop lower body functions (like your heart). The other is a blow to the forehead. Unless your helmet covers both areas sufficiently and DOES NOT MOVE you are at serious risk.
- The material of the shell of the helmet and the interior of the helmet should absorb shock and and resist penetration or breaking.
Most WW helmets do not meet these criteria. I have a Shred Ready Full Mental Jacket with HOG. It does not make it. It will move and even come off in surf or current. There is a video on the net that demonstrates this. The only helmet that I have found that comes close is the Gath Gedi. There may be others but none I have tried qualify. In particular, there is no Pro Tec helmet that is safe based on the above criteria.
It does well on my head. There is
perhaps 3/4" of shift without summer season pad in or winter time neo cap, but not enough to make a dangerous situation. My biggewst criticism I have is how much water I scoop when rolling. The best fitting helmet I had was the Sweet ballcap style but I broke it. I will probably go to the Full Face when I can afford it.
Dogmaticus
Speak for yourself.
;~)
YoS
Any ideas on where to get some softer
inserts? The helmet is plenty big enough, as I’ve already used about three layers of the denser foam to attain a good, tight fit. I could easily replace the first layer with something softer and have the best of both worlds, the softer material for the lighter hits, and the denser stuff for anything tougher.
YoS
Yos, try NSI sheet foam (link)
http://www.northshoreinc.com/store/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=25