The Ultimate Guide to Helmets

Our mission is to get people outdoors, not sell gear. That's why our guide starts with the core function that needs to be addressed, then helps you evaluate your options holistically, since sometimes you may not need any gear & can use what you have at home. We want you to think critically about what you need, which is personal to you with no right answer (some people go venture outside naked without any gear, survive & have a great time).

Core function: We believe you should always wear a helmet if your activity has one. Remember, even if you're confident in your abilities, there may be crowds of other people less skilled than you. Combined with speed, and this can be dangerous. For example, even average skiers can reach speeds up to 60mph going downhill (97kmh), over 3 times faster that the top range of average commute speeds on a bike & as fast as highway speeds for vehicles (at least you need a license to drive)!

Is either the core function or the outdoor-specific gear made for it an essential?

An activity-specific helmet is recommended wherever available .

For rationale, read our 'what you really need' protip

What we carry

General Notes

We choose what we carry based on extensive research on what's the best value to our customers (e.g., price given performance & durability features) across all the top brands. We specifically do not carry every brand & model; for details on why we do/don't carry certain items in the following What To Use & How To Choose section
Buy prices are MSRP with tax, i.e., what you see is what you pay. Prices may differ in-store due to change in models or discounts, but this is rare. If we don't sell what we rent, we list MSRP value with tax
Rent prices are the starting prices; enter trip dates on our Catalog to get exact prices (based on total trip length, not per day!). We also don't charge sales tax, an automatic savings of almost 10%!

Snow helmet	Higher end
Snow helmet	Entry level			Best in class
Model
Model	Smith Holt Jr	Giro Surface or Battle	Smith Holt	Smith Vantage
Buy MSRP with tax	$66	$60-80 value	$76	$282
Rent	$8+	$10+
Online rental Catalog name	Youth helmet (premium)	Adult helmet (premium)
Usable for snowsports
Usable for biking
MIPS

We do not carry gear designed specifically for women since, in our experience, most people do not notice the differences; i.e., actual fit & personal preference are more important than industry-average differences based on sex (e.g., not all women are shorter). Whenever considering sex-specific gear, we recommend comparing all the options, to ensure the price difference is worth it (women-specific items are often more expensive).

When you rent online, we will pick a model for you. You can change the model if you pick-up in-store, subject to availability. On the Options page of our online order process, you can also select options or write-in any preferences. This section describes the majority of our models & options, but sometimes we carry others. We will only pick something else if it doesn't conflict with your choices indicated on the Options page; moreover, if there's a major functional difference (e.g., capacity), we will attempt to contact you first

What to use & how to choose

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.

	Skateboarding or skating	Biking	Skiing or snowboarding	Climbing or mountaineering	Whitewater rafting or kayaking
Example images
Where is the coverage focused? Foam may be more thick in these areas	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			Multiple impact Helmet designed to resist multiple, but less forceful collisions (e.g., falling rocks or smacking on rock)
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	More closed	Most open Very high exertion activity	More closed Cold weather activity	More open Can be either warm or cold weather activity	Most closed Helps keep out water
Other feature differences These influence design/ shape & price	N/A	Sun visor Aerodynamic shape May be lightweight	Goggle compatibility Ear muffs + insulation liner	Varied ventilation & insulation features (can climb in warm or cold weather)	Floats
Why we do/don't carry it = we rent = we sell	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

*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.

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
Snow helmets	Lower end	Entry level	Mid range	Best in class
Price	$20-50	$50-100	$100-200	$200-300
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	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
Durability differences	Less durable			More durable
Durability differences	Can refer to durability of chinstrap, insulation liner, ear muff, etc., as well as how prone shell is to scratching
Why we do/don't carry it = we rent = we sell
Why we do/don't carry it = we rent = we sell		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

	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/

Usage tips

How to know if your goggles & helmet fit

Source: https://www.freeride.se/kopguide-skidglasogon-goggles/

Maintenance tips

Repairing

If a helmet's goggle clip or retainer, or ear muffs or internal comfort liner comes off, you may be able to get a replacement from the manufacturer. If the buckle for the chinstrap comes off, you may be able to find a replacement at a fabric store. Especially for one & done type helmets, do not attempt a repair after a severe impact! Retire the helmet!

We have a general protip on how to store & maintain gear that we highly recommend reviewing as well. If you send us video or a good photo series, we may be able to help you evaluate your repair needs.

The exact numbers (e.g., weights, dimensions, prices, etc.) used were updated as of September 2019 . That said, there usually isn't dramatic change; we update & review the market roughly biennially.

Thoughts, ideas, questions? Let us know in the comments below! We're Last Minute Gear, the only outdoor gear shop where you can buy, rent, or borrow gear!

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The Ultimate Guide to Helmets

What we carry