Helmets for cragging - likes & dislikes

[Off_White]

Dane's recent thread has got me thinking about a new helmet for cragging. My current lid is an Edelrid Ultralight, which is more of an alpine webbing cradle affair, sort of bulky and clunky. I've never really looked at the modern foam jobbies. What do folks have that they love or hate?

[mkporwit]

I've got a pretty large noggin, so a lot of helmets just simply don't fit or look like I'm just wearing a little skullcap...

 

I like the Petzl Elios myself. And it can be modified for ice climbing with a face shield

[mattp]

The modern foam jobbies are not tough enough for me. I had a salesman at a local Seattle shop tell me I was unreasonable and should "learn new habits" but I've broken two of them just carrying them in my pack. (Of course, I tend to throw a helmet into my pack along with other sharp and heavy objects, use it for a stool at rest breaks, maybe haul it somewhere on a scrappy approach, and generally beat it about more than you might.) Faced with a salesman that only wanted to sell me a soft shell, I simply went to another shop and found what I was looking for: a hard shell.

[JBo6]

I have a large noggin also, 7 7/8 hat size, and picked up a Grivel Salamander. Fits well without a hat, but gets a little tight with anything thick underneath. Have only used it in alpine, but fit well. It was 50 bucks on REI's website a while ago, maybe give that a try.

[Dechristo]

I fastened straps on a 3qt Tupperware bowl.

 

 

[JosephH]

Petzl Meteor III for general cragging when I'm worried about anything loose coming down (or off) for any reason and for semi-dicey leads.

 

Petzl Ecrin Rock for doing FAs and serious lines involving significant loose rock/block potential, marginal pro, and / or runouts. I usually am also on my Mammut Supersafe or doubles when I have the Ecrin Rock on.

[Off_White]

The Meteor is a foam helmet and the Ecrin Rock is a cradle, right? It does seem like a cradle is the ticket for the really bad foo, but I'm mostly worrying about the whack your head in a fall sort of thing, so I want something cool and comfy so I'm not tempted to leave it in the pack. Guess that includes being careful with it too, I have used the Edelrid as a seat, and it's been useful in an unplanned bivy, kept me from banging my head on rocks during bouts of uncontrollable shivering.

[TrogdortheBurninator]

I've got meteor iii and ecrin rock too. Hardly ever touch the ecrin anymore, especially not while craggyn.

[JosephH]

Yeah, the Meteor is an ultra-light deal which I take to mean easily damaged by abuse and good for only one actual use of any kind. I don't like helmets and normally don't climb with one. But, on busy weekends, or any time I get "that feeling", I like having the Meteor around as it doesn't seem like a big imposition or hassle to slap on just in case. When I'm thinking about the Ecrin Rock and Supersafe, their weight and 'discomfort' are usually among the lesser of my worries...

[mattp]

I've posted this before, and it may not be in direct reply to Off's original post, but I have never found helmets to be unduly heavy or uncomfortable since the old days of my MSR helmet c.a. 1980. I wear a helmet just about all the time I'm rock climbing or real alpine climbing but not for more moderate mountaineering. Probably once a year I forget I have it on and walk back to the car wearing one.

[JosephH]

The "always wear a helmet" deal is, I think, OT . I'm not really into much in the way of dogma of any kind, but more typically just think everything has a time and place when / where it's appropriate. At some point we're all spitting into the wind and taking our chances. Always wearing a helmet covers one base, but I generally perceive risk as an odd deal that perniciously tends to squish up and around whatever bases you specifically attempt to cover, clobbering you in some other way.

[Jens]

Petzl Meteor

I will buy the new Meteor 3 when mine wears out.

 

I only wear a helmet on ice climbs, couloirs in the mountains, rockfall strewn alpine faces, and run out slab leads (flipping upside down while backpeddaling is a real possibility).

 

At sport crags like smith, you can pretty much correlate leading grade by helmet/ no helmet.

[woodchips]

Hey Off,

 

Have you thought about the Petzl Elios? http://www.backcountry.com/store/PTZ0203/Petzl-Elios-Helmet.html

 

 

It's lighter than the Ecrin and less bulky, but definitely more durable than the "foam jobbies". I've beat mine up pretty good, sat on it, and stuffed it in the pack among a bunch of sharp pointy things, and it's still going. If you're looking for one for cragging, who cares how much it weighs?

[catbirdseat]

Petzl Meteor

I will buy the new Meteor 3 when mine wears out.

 

I only wear a helmet on ice climbs, couloirs in the mountains, rockfall strewn alpine faces, and run out slab leads (flipping upside down while backpeddaling is a real possibility).

 

At sport crags like smith, you can pretty much correlate leading grade by helmet/ no helmet.

So, Jens, do you think I could increase my lead limit by a full grade simply by doffing my hard hat?

[tradhead]

I have a Meteor 3 and a HB carbon. For cragging, I really like the Meteor 3, but it seems a bit on the flimsy side for the mountains.

 

The carbon is bomber, pretty comfy, not horribly heavy, but no longer made. I saw one on Craig's List yesterday for $15. Seemed like a good deal to me.

[Dane]

Agreed OT, but I'll bit.

 

Anyone who knows me will tell you I am a egotistical, elistist prick when it comes to climbing. Had a bright yellow JB helmet on when I was on the Hinterstoisser Traverse.

 

Not a big fan of helmets out side of ice and hard alpine. Didn't wear a bike helmet much till I broke my first one. Now I seldom ride without one. But given the right place I'll still ride lidless on occasion

 

Doubt I will ever wear a helmet cragging on rock. Not the environment I want to climb in. But it is a decision I have thought about and make from vanity not rational decision making. If I had a kid starting to climb today he'd being wearing a helmet.

 

I did notice one of the Huber brothers wearing a helmet in a recent pic while freeing a line on El Cap. Might be a better role model than a dinosaur like myself.

 

At sport crags like smith, you can pretty much correlate leading grade by helmet/ no helmet.

 

And that too is an image that can change.

 

Helmets I am using now and like are the Grivel Salamander and the BD Tracer. Either would hardly be noticable for climbing on pure rock.

[pink]

i like the feel of the rock in my hair

[rob]

I always wear a helmet (ecrin roc) when climbing, but I often wonder how much protection it will really afford me in a fall, if my head hits the rock (probably not much). It seems more suited for protecting me against rockfall, etc. but I guess it's better than nothing in a cragging environment.

 

I'd like to buy a smaller, foam-type helmet for simple cragging, but I'm way too cheap. I'd rather spend the money on improving my rack, I figure that's going to give me more bang for the buck in terms of protection.

 

I'm so used to wearing a helmet I don't even notice. There have been times I've gotten to the car and realized I still had it on. I guess that's cause I'm a newer climber; I've always worn a helmet. I'm teaching a friend of mine to climb, and I've admonished her to always wear a helmet as well.

[JosephH]

I have nothing bad at all to say about folks who are learning to just learn with a helmet on and so get used to it from the beginning.

[ryanb]

I wore a battered ecrin rock for years but recently purchased a bd tracer on sale. I feel that the tracer offers sufficient protection against falling rock and better protection against inverted falls and other off center impacts...I really wouldn't trust the ecrin in a head falling into rock or bike crash style impact. The tracer is also much lighter. My only dislike is that its vent holes can "whistle" in high winds or on a bike.

 

I also considered the metolius safe tech helmet which used both foam and a hard shell. It is slightly lighter then the ecrin and seems to offer a good combination of protection if you can get your hands on one.

[hemp22]

I've been using a clunky Edelrid as well, and have been meaning to replace it with something lighter and a little more "stylin'".

The Metolius Safe Tech helmet looked great to me too, but they're delaying the release of it until at least late fall, so that one is gonna be a bit of a wait.

 

Kong, Cassin, and Simond all also sell foam/bike-style helmets that should be lighter & more comfy than the old-school brain bucket for cragging. Climbing Mag has some reviews of them.

 

[NateF]

I have a Petzl Ecrin rock.

 

Likes: will protect my noggin from dropped objects and rockfall. when asked whether my fatality could have been prevented by wearing a helmet, the answer is "no, he had one on".

 

Dislikes: sits a bit high on the noggin', always bump my head on roofs. not fashionable in the least, an old bike helmet would at least qualify as shabby sheik. implies my status as a mediocre and not very hip climber at many crags.

 

In other words, it's perfect for me! But I would get a foam jobber ala Petzl Meteor next time around, seems better for falling and smacking head on rock than the hard-hat.

[JosephH]

I don't know the technical data behind the two competing designs of foam in direct contact with skull or a suspension system - but I personally have way more [unsubstantiated] faith in the suspension system helmets than the foam jobs for either rock fall or impact in a fall.

 

Anyone know the real data and trade-offs or links to them?

[ryanb]

http://www.thebmc.co.uk/Feature.aspx?id=1534

 

"Thick foam/soft shell - The thickness of foam is constant throughout the whole shell, and as this is the main energy-absorbing layer, it is clear that the helmet will be effective wherever an impact occurs.

 

Thick foam/hard shell - With these helmets the foam is concentrated around the crown, and thins out towards the edges or simply stops. Again the foam is the main energy absorber, and as it is thinner at the edges, the transmitted force is much greater for an impact in these areas than one where the foam is thickest.

 

Traditional - The main energy-absorbing component in these helmets is the textile webbing cradle, and the crucial clearance distance between this and the shell. This webbing is anchored to the shell at the rim, which means that the nearer the rim an impact occurs, the lower the energy absorption will be – in this case the force transmitted is over four times the maximum allowed for a comparative crown impact by the EN standard."

[hafilax]

Foam should crush lowering the impact force and spreading it out. This should apply in any direction there is foam. Once it's cracked you should get a new helmet. Suspension style helmets only seem set up to lower impact from one direction (straight on top). They both pass the same tests which must only be from the top.

 

I'm going to get a foam style helmet at some point. My old Edelrid is too heavy and flips off my head too easily unless it's tight enough to give me a headache.

 

Given that there have been 2 deaths in the Bluffs from side/rear impact head injuries during falls I think the foam helmets are the way to go for cragging or multipitch where you won't encounter repeated rock fall. I'm don't know what it takes to crack one from rock fall or how well they work once hit with a bit rock.