Type or Style
Choosing the right helmet is very similar to choosing outdoor clothing in the sense that there are many types of helmets for different outdoor activities that share a lot of fundamental characteristics (e.g., foam protection technology).
Unlike with clothes however, there are certification standards for each type of helmet, based on activity, to ensure safety. Helmets are tested rigorously given the conditions of that sport (e.g., speed of impact, type of impact, temperature, underwater vs dry land, etc.). There are a few helmets that are certified to be used for multiple activities (generally some combination of the first 4 activities below), but none that can be used across the spectrum (we don't even cover all possible outdoor activities below!). Not to mention for some people, a helmet is a fashion item, and they don't want to wear a helmet that's a different shape than the norm. While people do swap (e.g., use a bike helmet for climbing), we recommend only using a helmet for the activity for which it's certified.
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Skateboarding or skating |
Biking |
Skiing or snowboarding |
Climbing or mountaineering |
Whitewater rafting or kayaking |
| Example images |
![Skate helmet]( "Skate helmet") |
![Bike helmet]( "Bike helmet") |
![Ski helmet]( "Ski helmet") |
![Climbing helmet]( "Climbing helmet") |
![Whitewater helmet]( "Whitewater helmet") |
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Where is the coverage focused?
Foam may be more thick in these areas
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Generally a bike helmet is OK but you do want a style that covers the back of the head more |
Focus is on the sides of the head & front; back may be less covered, depending on style |
Focus is on the sides of the head & back |
Focus is on the top of the head, back of the head may be less covered |
Full head focus (imagine rolling in a river!) |
| How many impacts can a helmet take before needing replacement? |
One & done*
Helmet designed to resist a single high velocity impact, foam will in many cases crush or crack
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Multiple impact
Helmet designed to resist multiple, but less forceful collisions (e.g., falling rocks or smacking on rock)
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How open is it?
Helmets have ventilation holes** to help you thermoregulate. Sometimes these vents can be adjusted to be opened or closed. Other times they're fixed. We generally describe how open a helmet can be
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More closed
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Most open
Very high exertion activity
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More closed
Cold weather activity
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More open
Can be either warm or cold weather activity
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Most closed
Helps keep out water
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Other feature differences
These influence design/ shape & price
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N/A |
- Sun visor
- Aerodynamic shape
- May be lightweight
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- Goggle compatibility
- Ear muffs + insulation liner
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- Varied ventilation & insulation features (can climb in warm or cold weather)
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Why we do/don't carry it
= we rent = we sell
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We carry helmets originally designed & certified for skiing & snowboarding (so it has that full-back shape), but with removable ear muffs to transform it to a certified biking & skating helmet
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*Skateboarding or skating helmets may be be multiple impact resistant, but there are actually no specific certification standards & many people use a bike-certified helmet, which is one & done
**Vents are also placed differently (generally not in major coverage areas). For example, for climbing where falling rocks are a concern, vents are usually on the sides. For snowsports, vents are usually on the top
Multi-directional Impact Protection System (MIPS)
There are different characteristics in terms of the protective material (e.g., foam), the shell, how the protective material & shell are bound together, or whether or not a helmet uses the third party MIPS technology. MIPS is the only aspect we'll discuss, because it's prevalent in the market (people are generally less interested in the other protective characteristics).
MIPS helps reduce the impact to your head from rotational forces. Imagine running then diving into the ground suddenly. After your head hits the ground, the rest of your body will likely continue to twist over so that you do a pseudo front flip (thus, rotational forces). When this happens, the brain also rotates, which is bad.
When a normal helmet hits the ground, it, like your body, continues to rotate over, so still bad. MIPS is an independent liner in the helmet that acts like a suspension system to hold your head still while the helmet rotates.
![MIPS technology]( "MIPS technology")
Source: https://www.torpedo7.co.nz/community/help-and-advice/bike/gear-advice-technical-info/3604
Price
One of life's certainties is the trade-off between price & quality. This creates an inherently unfair situation. If you save money today by buying something lower end, you'll end up replacing it more frequently, spending money & time each instance so that at the end, you probably haven't actually saved anything. On the other hand, if you decide to invest in something higher end, you'll need a lot more upfront money, and you need to be able to use the item frequently enough to make it worthwhile.
We developed our rental program to address this unfairness. We don't sell lower end items. But for our higher end items, we offer them for rent at up to 90% off retail price, generally well below the cost of buying even the cheaper option. That's a win-win!
It may seem like the price & quality trade-off is disappearing, because you can find a cheap version of almost anything for tens of dollars that still has good reviews (assuming the reviews are real). Remember 2 things:
- Many reviews are written after only a trial use, first use, or infrequent use: We've seen entire review videos of gear done at home, which is very different than actually being outdoors!
- The point of gear is to give you a good experience because you've already spent money to be on vacation from work! Don't let quality issues affect your relaxation
For gear specifically, the quality issues center around performance & durability.
| Snow helmets |
Lower end |
Higher end |
| Entry level |
Mid range |
Best in class |
| Price |
$20-50 |
$50-100 |
$100-200 |
$200-300 |
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Performance differences
We'll call out the price points at which certain features discussed in this guide are likely to appear, then persist through higher end models
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N/A; baseline |
Adjustable ventilation |
MIPS. BOA fit system |
No dramatically new features |
| Each feature gets 'more advanced', e.g., the number of vents, the fit system & how much adjustable control you have, the type of material & construction methods. We haven't discussed these since few people would be interested |
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Durability differences
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Less durable |
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More durable |
| Can refer to durability of chinstrap, insulation liner, ear muff, etc., as well as how prone shell is to scratching |
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Why we do/don't carry it
= we rent = we sell
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| Our mission is to increase access to gear & we are proud to be the only company to rent as well as sell this type |
Methodology notes on prices shown on this page
Size (capacity) & Fit
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Youth |
Adult |
Small |
Medium |
Small |
Medium |
Large |
| Example size range in circumference of head |
48-53cm |
53-58cm |
54-56cm |
56-58cm |
58-60cm |
Sizing headwear isn't as predominant as clothing, so few people know their sizing very well. We carry youth & adult unisex sizes (women-specific ones on average are smaller). Head shape also matters, and different manufacturers do tend to cater to different shapes, however there is no way to account for this in sizing. We encourage you to try on multiple helmets.
Many helmets can also be adjusted with a dial toward the back, the most advanced of these is the BOA fit system (like MIPS, it's a proprietary third party technology, for how it works click here). Other helmets may use an elastic one-size-fits-all liner on the inside. We carry both types.
Here's how to check for fit:
Click on image to enlarge
Source: https://mmbm.ca/cycling-safety/
