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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: ISO Two Paddles
Submitted by Mitch <grunes@yahoo.com> on 30/Mar/2021 in reply to Re: Re: Re: Re: ISO Two Paddles posted by Ron R on 30/Mar/2021
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I know that many people think that cross-sport helmets aren't good. I'm not as experienced as some here, but I look instead on what the helmet is designed to do:
1. Can it buffer a fairly hard hit? One of my hits occurred above the water, as a hole rolled me underwater. I almost went unconscious, and would have drowned.
2. Does it cover all the areas likely to get hit, including my forehead and the back of my head? (The hit mentioned above was on my forehead, and is not covered by any whitewater helmet I have found that fits the size and shape of my head. It wasn't the only time I've been hit in the forehead.)
3. Is it designed to take multiple hits without losing effectiveness? E.g., most modern bicycle hits absorb impacts by letting rigid lightweight foam crumble. They are only good for one hit, and are meant to be thrown away after that hit.
4. Is it super-heavy, including when it gets wet?
5. How much does it interfere with your ability to hear? Hearing is good, for interacting with others (e.g., warnings), and because some whitewater features can be heard before they are seen.
6. Does it get very warm inside? Yes, one roll will take care of that - but that isn't always practical.
7. Can it be removed rapidly if needed, because it gets tangled in underwater branches? (Obviously, removing the helmet, like removing a life vest, should be a latch ditch thing to do, because it helps protect your life, but it might happen that you need that.) Avoid helmets that need to be tied on. Also, helmets with grates in front of your face, like some hockey helmets, get tangled in branches very easily, and are bad - though I'm told some people attach the grates with Velcro, so the grates can be removed if needed.
My personal favorite now, based largely on forehead coverage, is an OLD style Schwinn bicycle helmet - from the days when they had re-compressible foam, that could take multiple hits. I trust it when needed on the water, biking, or inline skating.
For a while I used a field hockey helmet in whitewater, but it was very uncomfortable, and it cut my ability to hear things too much. Plus I was worried something would hit the chin covering, and injure my neck. And it had those non-removable grates.
There are at least two other types of reasonably good helmets I have heard of:
1. Snow helmets made for skiing.
2. Hockey helmets. But beware - not only do many have non-removable grates, but some cover very little of your face, but only minimal official requirements.
Both of those are quite heavy duty, and they are also very expensive. But both are designed to work even when wet (in the latter case from sweat), and to take multiple hits. I have wondered whether the snow helmets would get too warm, and whether they would cut hearing. Once in a while, you can find a used helmet in a Salvation Army, at a reasonable price, though I haven't found one that fits me yet.
I would guess that a motorcycle helmet is overkill, would get too hot, and - I'm not sure of this - might interfere too much with hearing.
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