Why are skydiving helmets so ridiculously, unreasonably expensive?!

[airtwardo 7]

I kinda like the old school...but that's 300 euros plus shipping!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[shermanator 4]

$20 for a protech. I think they even advertise one as a skydiving helmet.

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[Andy9o8 2]

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For my own edification - can you guys who have been around tell me when a helmet proved it's worth?

Yeah. Me, on jump #6 - I landed on the runway, backing up in winds, and smacked the back of my helmet on the pavement. I was using a DZ helmet that was probably a $10 special at K-mart. To me, it was priceless.

Even on a solo jump, nobody is too safe or too good to have a hard landing - they can happen to anyone, any time. To my mind, frankly, jumping w/o a helmet is like riding a motorcycle w/o one, or riding in a car w/o a seatbelt - I really just don't understand why people do that.

[futuredivot 0]

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Anyone know what makes a skydiving helmet, a skydiving helmet?

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There's no mandate for a "SKYDIVING" helmet

I thought it was the fact that it was carefully color coordinated with the rest of your gear

You are only as strong as the prey you devour

[Squeak 17]

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Anyone know what makes a skydiving helmet, a skydiving helmet?

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There's no mandate for a "SKYDIVING" helmet

I thought it was the fact that it was carefully color coordinated with the rest of your gear

only if you not very good at your selected discipline..Like me, I'm colour coordinated in Purple and Yellow from top to toe..Look good on the ground and total SHITE in the air..


People who are good in the air wear baggy jeans or shorts and daggy looking Tshirts , with no helmet

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[piisfish 140]

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Why are skydiving helmets so ridiculously, unreasonably expensive?!

because if they were cheap, you would always question yourself (and us) on the protection factor of your cheap helmet.

They are expensive for your peace of mind plus we all like to brag about our expensive gear, so you have extra stuff to brag about.

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[jtval 0]

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For my own edification - can you guys who have been around tell me when a helmet proved it's worth? I understand slamming yourself unconscious in the plane, but is it really that dangerous to jump without one?

Aug 2010- a jumper (one of my previous students) left the otter while doing a gainer styled jump.

He knocked the back of his head on the floor.
He seemingly performed fine in the sky but when he landed he had no recollection of the jump. We took him to the hospital for precautionary reasons.

He had a slight concussion. If he did have a helmet on I am sure it would have been severely worse then a day of staying on the ground.

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[Krip 2]

Hi B

Try and find a older US army Halo helmet. AKA Bunny helmet

Leather with major padding, and all kinds of neat stuff. Oxygen mask snaps, padded ear phones.

They came in two colors Black and white. They work one of the times I had a error in judgement back in pc daysHad horizontal ground rush with a barn door, kicked offf it but the canopy was connected to the top of the barn.

So it swung me back into the Barn door The helmet had enough padding when i hit the door head first no harm no foul. A little shoe polish on the leather.

The last time I wore it was a LP boogie two yr's ago.
Some folks asked me what & where

Look in the dark dirty corners of a DZ old equipment pile, a military jump club or work your grapevine. I've still got mine but its not for sale at any price. Most people wouldn't want it any way its not.

Happy hunting

One Jump Wonder

[DiverMike 5]

Have you tried Ebay? You can get a sub $100 aviator that has an audible pocket.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Aviator-Skydiving-Helmet-2nd-Extra-Small-Black-/330455578129?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cf0aff611

It comes in a really cool color - black. Fortunately for me, that matches my Dolphin container.

For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

[Abedy 0]

There was an accident in Germany some years ago. A young TI wanted to do a backflip exit from a skyvan not knowing how to do it right. Hit the edge of the ramp badly with his head ... correct: with his helmet and only fainted. Saved by the CYPRES. Was widely discussed. At least he wore a helmet.

I never jump without a helmet and my FreeZR saved my face from a lot of kicks etc in RW


P.S.: OK the frap hat isn't a real helmet but I use it for tandems. Mainly do sit-exits from a 206 or a 208, always bum-landings

The sky is not the limit. The ground is.

The Society of Skydiving Ducks

[wildcard451 0]

My swooping helmet is a $30 Protec. Designed for skateboarding.

My RW/FF/Tunnel helmet is a $360 G2 - nice fit, good R&D, quiet.

Whatever. As said before, this is a sport largely for those with disposable income. if $200 rattles your cage....well.

[shah269 0]

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I kinda like the old school...but that's 300 euros plus shipping!

I'm sorry are you placing a pric on looking good?

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[ryoder 1,590]

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Aug 2010- a jumper (one of my previous students) left the otter while doing a gainer styled jump.

He knocked the back of his head on the floor.
He seemingly performed fine in the sky but when he landed he had no recollection of the jump. We took him to the hospital for precautionary reasons.

I saw the same thing happen with a jumper who hit his head on a King-Air tail;
Performed fine in the air; Even did a little CRW.
Then once on the ground remembered nothing of the jump.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[airtwardo 7]

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I kinda like the old school...but that's 300 euros plus shipping!

I'm sorry are you placing a pric on looking good?

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[bertusgeert 1]

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They are expensive for your peace of mind

peace of mind, or piece of mind?

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As jy dom is moet jy bloei!

[bertusgeert 1]

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Whatever. As said before, this is a sport largely for those with disposable income. if $200 rattles your cage....well.

A fair point, but it doesn't disqualify an inquisitive question.

Some of us spent a long time dreaming of the day when we will have enough money to afford to get back to the sport. Some of us spent a long time in school, got in a lot of debt because of it, and had to fulfill other financial obligations, to get to a point where we finally have the time and the money to get back to the sport.

Perhaps it's all this that makes me appreciate the dollars I now have in my pocket and ask - what am I paying all that money for, when motorcyclists and skiers don't? Doesn't mean I'm skydiving without a helmet, or not going to jump because I can't buy a helmet.

Important lesson here from everyone's stories is - get a helmet or 4, and wear it.

I also may let a business idea ferment for a while - good sub $200 helmets...!

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As jy dom is moet jy bloei!

[airtwardo 7]

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Whatever. As said before, this is a sport largely for those with disposable income. if $200 rattles your cage....well.

A fair point, but it doesn't disqualify an inquisitive question.

Some of us spent a long time dreaming of the day when we will have enough money to afford to get back to the sport. Some of us spent a long time in school, got in a lot of debt because of it, and had to fulfill other financial obligations, to get to a point where we finally have the time and the money to get back to the sport.

Perhaps it's all this that makes me appreciate the dollars I now have in my pocket and ask - what am I paying all that money for, when motorcyclists and skiers don't? Doesn't mean I'm skydiving without a helmet, or not going to jump because I can't buy a helmet.

Important lesson here from everyone's stories is - get a helmet or 4, and wear it.

I also may let a business idea ferment for a while - good sub $200 helmets...!

It does also kinda remind ya to take care of your gear, a 1000 jumps on a 200$ helmet is pennies per jump for great insurance!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[bertusgeert 1]

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Anyone know what makes a skydiving helmet, a skydiving helmet?

Motorcycle helmets are rated and approved according to quality. Some are worthy, some are not. I probably wouldn't risk racing around with just a protec, although a protec is probably good for a rail or a concrete corner at low speed when you trip over your laces....

Skydiving helmets have two distinct avenues that other helmets may lack - noise reduction, and they tend to much more low-profile than other helmets.

Which raises the question - how do you know the helmet you're buying will actually resist substantial impact? Such a slim helmet may not protect much - look at how thick a motorcycle helmet is. How much testing goes into these skydiving helmets, and how do we know the results? (Climbing ropes & draws for instance, goes through a huge number of tests that reveal a lot of usable info to the consumer to make valuable life saving decisions.)

A fundamental problem with the helmet market in general is that there is a severe lack of information to the consumer for anything other than fit & comfort. It's not like people post reviews out there saying, this saved me from 100mph impact 5 times! Who knows what the helmet is really capable of?

One thing is probably true - getting in an accident with one is better than getting in an accident without one - after that, it's probably just fit & preference that differentiates.

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As jy dom is moet jy bloei!

[catfishhunter 2]

No way will a skydiving helmet ever get a saftey rating nor will they ever try. The minute they even think of it the scum sucking bottom feeders (lawyers) will eat them alive. They are fancy "Hats"

MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT
Life is Short and we never know how long we are going to have. We must live life to the fullest EVERY DAY. Everything we do should have a greater purpose.

[pyrotech 0]

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Anyone know what makes a skydiving helmet, a skydiving helmet?

Motorcycle helmets are rated and approved according to quality. Some are worthy, some are not. I probably wouldn't risk racing around with just a protec, although a protec is probably good for a rail or a concrete corner at low speed when you trip over your laces....

Skydiving helmets have two distinct avenues that other helmets may lack - noise reduction, and they tend to much more low-profile than other helmets.

Which raises the question - how do you know the helmet you're buying will actually resist substantial impact? Such a slim helmet may not protect much - look at how thick a motorcycle helmet is. How much testing goes into these skydiving helmets, and how do we know the results? (Climbing ropes & draws for instance, goes through a huge number of tests that reveal a lot of usable info to the consumer to make valuable life saving decisions.)

A fundamental problem with the helmet market in general is that there is a severe lack of information to the consumer for anything other than fit & comfort. It's not like people post reviews out there saying, this saved me from 100mph impact 5 times! Who knows what the helmet is really capable of?

One thing is probably true - getting in an accident with one is better than getting in an accident without one - after that, it's probably just fit & preference that differentiates.

Exactly. My old motorcycle helmet had to be passed by the department of transportation certification and carry a sticker that said so. My Bern "hard hat" is not able to be called a "helmet" because it does not meet the safety regulations to make it so. From their website: "Hard Hats do not meet action sports head protection standards. Hard Hats are designed to protect against multiple lower force impacts and may prevent concussions when hard foam helmets will not."
Source: http://www.bernunlimited.com/Innovation/Hard+Hat

If there is nothing regulating a skydiving helmet that would be safe for impact up to n-mph, then I am assuming the cheap $20 skateboarding helmet at wal-mart is just as protective as the $300 "skydiving helmet" sold online. Everyone's comments seem to hold that to be true.

When I looked around a little, I came across this post on a Blinc forum:
http://www.blincmagazine.com/forum/original-base-board/38082-best-full-face-helmets-2.html

It mentions a few helmets that have had proper testing, while mentioning a few times that skydiving helmets have "no safety ratings" like motocross and other helmets. It was also mentioned that there is no impact-absorbing foam, which I hadn't thought about, but has been true so far with the helmets I've used as a student so far. They've been more just a plastic covering for my head.

[maggy187 0]

Wasn't there a newer skydiver posting on here last summer that took a bite out of a Cessna step, sans helmet, and did considerable damage to her face?

Either way, I prefer my helmet for the simple reason that I am 6'4 and just about every jump plane was made for short people. It saves me from having a lot of lumps at the end of the weekend.

[nbblood 0]

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Anyone know what makes a skydiving helmet, a skydiving helmet?

Motorcycle helmets are rated and approved according to quality. Some are worthy, some are not. I probably wouldn't risk racing around with just a protec, although a protec is probably good for a rail or a concrete corner at low speed when you trip over your laces....

Skydiving helmets have two distinct avenues that other helmets may lack - noise reduction, and they tend to much more low-profile than other helmets.

Which raises the question - how do you know the helmet you're buying will actually resist substantial impact? Such a slim helmet may not protect much - look at how thick a motorcycle helmet is. How much testing goes into these skydiving helmets, and how do we know the results? (Climbing ropes & draws for instance, goes through a huge number of tests that reveal a lot of usable info to the consumer to make valuable life saving decisions.)

A fundamental problem with the helmet market in general is that there is a severe lack of information to the consumer for anything other than fit & comfort. It's not like people post reviews out there saying, this saved me from 100mph impact 5 times! Who knows what the helmet is really capable of?

One thing is probably true - getting in an accident with one is better than getting in an accident without one - after that, it's probably just fit & preference that differentiates.

Ok, so now you want thorough research and development, yet you want a less expensive helmet.

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I also may let a business idea ferment for a while - good sub $200 helmets...!

Unless you know anybody doing this type of R/D for free, you'll be talking about sub-$600 helmets in no time. While you're working out your business model, keep in mind the other points that have already been made, i.e., limited market, cost/time to produce, competitors, gaining a share of the market, etc. Also keep in mind that the vast majority of the market consumers are pretty much satisfied with what they've got, also keep in mind your design should include accommodation for audible altimeters and account for current fashion trends (yeah, if you don't think that's important, think again.) Don't forget to keep the overall weight very low, or sell neck braces with them, whichever you prefer. After you figure out your design, production, and R/D costs and figure in your overhead for the equipment, facility, and staff for production and forecast how many units you may sell, please let us know how this sub-$200 skydiving helmet project works out. Let us know what your expected profit margin might be. If you're looking for investors, I'm not interested. Good luck!

Blues,
Nathan

If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

[pyrotech 0]

Here are a few helmets that have gone through the research / development process and have the same safety rating as motorcycle helmets, several <$200, but most seem to be around that price.

[PiLFy 3]

What helmets are these, please? I know of none that are currently certified.

[PiLFy 3]

Hi Bert,
Here. You may have never seen this article. I find it helpful when discussing helmet safety: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index.html

It's a bit lengthy, but provides some good cues for which way a better skydiving helmet could be made. I think it's entirely possible to build a much better helmet than is currently available. It wouldn't cost, or weigh much more, either.