L
Cheese and Rice the kids could fall out of the bed and bash their heads, better make sure they have their sleeping helmets on!! Now if they are Busting 360’s and doing drops and endos in white water then yes get a helmet. BTW more important does the X make them put on a seat belt? PFD YES, helmet NO, unless you are on a bike, or white water.
flat water and helmets (common sense)
My wife and I were circumnavigating an island in the Beaver Island group in Lake Michigan. The water was flat and glassy. We were just cruising along close to shore enjoying the paddle and the scenery. We were about to round a corner which had a shallow spit when very suddenly the wind came up. 15 to 20 knots. There we were in waves in shallow water with rocks all around. Neither of us flipped but I did wish I had had my helmet along. Normally I carry it in the cockpit up between my feet but it was such a nice day and the lake was flat and not a cloud in the sky. So all you adamant NO sayers ought to consider that flat water is not always flat water and there are lots of circumstances where at least bringing a helmet along is the wisest choice.
the only thing that come to mind:
Joon in the movie: Benny and Joon
when they are driving down the road and Joon has her helmet on in the car…
Concidered
– Last Updated: May-09-06 12:03 PM EST –
"So all you adamant NO sayers ought to consider that flat water is not always flat water and there are lots of circumstances where at least bringing a helmet along is the wisest choice"
I did concider this (and I'm sure many of the others did also).
Anyway, if you are not wearing the helmet when you get to this place, it isn't going to help you unless you are already wearing it (it's quite possible that you won't have an opportunity to stop and put it on).
If you are in WW, in surf, in rock gardens with waves, in a pool, and (maybe) a rescue class, a helmet is reasonable (and often required).
None of these situations appears to apply to the original question!
Note that I do have a problem with dismising the idea as "stupid" with out a reason.
"Looking dorky or feeling hot are not relevant"
Well, actually, these may be relevent. If there's no real justification to wearing a helmet, then being over cautious has a real cost: requiring them to wear a helmet when it is not necessary or customery may discourage them from kayaking.
"common sense"
"Common sense" clearly indicates that not wearing a helmet is the thing to do (out side of certain situations such as those I indicated earlier).
brazilbrasil said it better than i could
No, not in the conditions you described
I Must Be Missing Something
I re-read the initial post. The initial post was talking about flat water paddling conditions.
I don’t own a helmet, I have not been out paddling with anyone else who had a helmet in sight, I have not seen other paddlers passing by with helmets on or in evidence, and several folks are talking about always having one at the ready???
The only exceptions to my experience are the few surf kayakers that I have stopped to watch and practices during beach launches and landings. I have not been around WW rivers, yet.
Mark
In Houston, wearing a helmet when
walking down the street makes plenty of sense, though it would look a bit silly.
Give the kids a helmet, tell them that
mom wants them to wear it, and let them go their merry way. They’ll wear it or won’t. I doubt that you’ll satisfy your ex with anything posted here and is it worth the argument?
JACK DIDN’T WEAR A HELMET WHICH EXPLAINS
a lot…
…and his spelling, too!
But despite that (and don’t ask him 'bout PFDs…), I think for the most part he’s right.
Ask your ex if the kids wear’em in her car… Now THAT’S a LOT more threatening an environment…!
I think venue inspection, and reflection about how & especially where the kids dip their paddles. Reviewin those goes a long way towards addressing helmet “requirements” needed by the environment.
But also consider that helmet requiremnts needed by your ex for their satisfaction and calming may not have ANYTHING to do with “paddling”, per se…
Most of the time, I don’t think they’ll need them to happily -and safely -
PADDLE ON!
-Frank in Miami
Hey, I resemble that !
I always use a bike helmet, I used to use a hockey helmet, I used a football cup (not on my head of course), and I use a helmet in WW except once when I drove four hours to a down river race with a big class III at the start. I was told that it was class I-II and didn’t bother bringing the helmet.
There was a big time argument between my brain and my common sense. It came out a draw and I went ahead a ran the course with many “oh sh–ts” as some sort of water god guided me down through the boulders and through the correct wave trains.
Thank goodness the helmet wasn’t needed that day, but I don’t think I would press my luck again.
On the other hand with some of those maniac power boaters that speed through the no wake zones in your neck of the woods it might be a good idea for you and Sally to invest in a few helmets.
Cheers,
JackL
No…but
I’m not answering for children. Only myself.
No helmet is needed for flat water
But you could use this as a political thing with the ex.
Just tell them… “Look your mother is the one making you wear the darn helmet not me!”
Not good, makes the kid pawns. Better
hand them the helmets and say their momma wants them to wear it. They’ll figure out the rest.
better yet
have the X lead by example like any GOOD parent should… If the Kids have to put them on so does the X!!!
better yet
have the X lead by example like any GOOD parent should… If the Kids have to put them on so does the X!!!
mine don’t
My 8 and 6 year olds paddle on flat water with me, and neither of them wear a helmet.
My son once hit his head really hard, and got a nasty bruise…but that happened at an art museum…not in a kayak.
Helmets?
Reality check - If it weren’t the “Ex” asking, but instead some other experienced paddler or friend, would you feel differently and not even question having the kids wear helmets? In other words, are you trying to be hero dad and giving the kids what they want instead of what they need just to get a jab at the “Ex” and be the “cool” one? Just asking.
Anyway, I have a friend who loves to practice rescues. I always wear a helmet when practicing rescues with him because we try to simulate some nasty conditions. We’d be fools not to wear helmets with some of the stuff that we do no matter how flat the water is.
Otherwise, no helmet for me, but then again, I’m an adult and am willing to assume any risk that might come about. There is one race that I do where I probably should wear a helmet since I’ve hit a couple of overhanging trees on the way down over the years.
People have different definitions of “flat” water. To me, flat means flat, like glass. I have another friend who considers anything under a 1’ chop to be “flat.” What’s on the bottom of the water and how close to it are you? Sand? Mud? Jagged rocks and concrete? 2’ away or 20’ down? What’s on the banks? What’s overhead and how close is it to you? What are the winds like? Depending on where you are, is it likely that the glass water you started out on can become angry water in two hours when the sudden weather front comes through and the winds kick up? What’s the power boat and jerkski traffic like? There are a lot of things to consider before you call water “flat.”
After assessing the conditions you’ll be paddling in, can you live with yourself in the unlikely event that something did happen and the kids didn’t have helmets on?
All that being said, I’m all for letting kids be kids and have a great time doing a great sport. I can’t say that I’ve EVER seen a kid with a helmet on while kayaking on flat water (except during rescue practice), and I have to admit that if I did see one my first thought would be “dork” too.
However, the bottom line is that only you and the mother of your children TOGETHER can decide what’s best for the kids you produced TOGETHER.
No Way
PFD, sunscreen, water, snack, first aid kit, whistle, painters, and lots more for flat water trips but unless you’re going to practice rolling around rocks, then no. Just my opinion, fwiw. And I’m talking as a parent and an old girl scout.
Just Not Necessary…
– Last Updated: May-11-06 4:59 AM EST –
for what you described -- "calm, quiet waters." I take this description at face value. PFD wear is the most important.
One can interject special exceptions that can happen on "flat water" but really... Lightening can strike too. Everything has some risk. You deal with what's most likely not what's an outlying, remote chance. Risk management is about addressing the most likely possibilities. Not ALL the possibilities. If you try to do the latter, you would never leave the house, never mind go out and paddle.
sing