By: Philip Kompass
So, Ive been wearing an NRS Guide for years. Probably close to a decade. I liked it. Still do actually. It was a nice helmet, Looked pretty good I thought. The fit wasn't great, and the minicell kept falling out, but it seemed to do the trick. I rarely, if ever hit my head, so to be honest it wasn't ever something I was all that concerned about. I'd always rather spend my extra cash on boats, or paddles. (I also neglected my PFD for way to long as well, but that's another story.)
A couple of things happened that made me rethink my helmet. One recent. One old.
Event 1: In 2009, I was privileged to paddle the North Fork of the Mokelumne (aka Fantasy Falls) with a crew of great boaters. Gripping whitewater for an east coast paddler, softened by years of pool-drop. The second day into the three day run, I flipped in a shallow manky class three and rattled my head of a rock badly enough to crack the rim of the helmet. I didn't replace it, even though I should have.
That little event got me thinking. Here I am, separated from help by an entire mountain range, covered in manzanita scrub and rattlesnakes, away from help putting my crew at risk, and I hit my head so hard it cracked my helmet. In class III.
I should have replace the helmet ASAP, but I didn't. I liked that helmet. We'd been through a lot.
Event 2: Back in April, I ran Sluice Falls on the Oswegatchie River. See for details on the run. This is a big rapid, and one that I'd been keen on firing up this year. If you have never been there, the "sluice" is a 15 foot falls, in the middle of a longer rapid, that has a guillotine rock right at the base of the falls. It projects at least halfway across the curtain and leaves barely a boat width to pass through. (Look carefully in the picture.) The move involves driving, slightly, onto the rock wall on river left to keep your boat and body away from the guillotine.
I was nervous. I took a monster of a stroke, and drove up so hard on the wall that my bow stuck and my stern swung in the current underneath me. I fell through the sluice backwards and upside down. My head - especially the back - and neck were well exposed to the granite of the Adirondacks, and were I a few inches closer to the river right, I would be typing this from a hospital bed. I did not hit my head... but I should have.
The next weekend, I bought a new helmet. One that stays securely in place. One that protects my temples, and, most importantly the back of my head. That helmet is the Sweet Wanderer.
Why did I choose this one? It seemed solid. The construction was good. The lining stays in place. The helmet is easy to snug up securely to my oddly shaped melon. Most people I know are happy with theirs. And, it seemed to provide me with more protection than most of the other helmets available.
Pros:
Sturdy
Snug fit, easy to adjust.
Multi-layer construction
Best helmet for the price, in my opinion
Its warm (didn't use my skullcap anymore).
Cons:
Its bulky.
Makes my head looks like a ping pong ball.
The liner drips longer than a minicell liner.
Regardless of the helmet choice you make, be certain that it provides your with the coverage that you need. Honestly ask yourself if it will do the job it needs to do, when you need it to do it? If not, get one that will.
Enjoy the pics courtesy of Alex Sauve. (I walked back up and cleaned it the second time, or that would have haunted me for the rest of the year.)
Phitty.
No comments:
Post a Comment