Full face helmet

[Babi 0]

I had a rough landing last Sunday and although my helmet protected my head from some damage, full face one would protect my face and eyes.

I decided on open face helmet because I am clostrophobic, but in view of my recent experience I decided to deal with this and buy a full face one.

I need your opinions on the helmets you use, cons and pros.

[denete 3]

I've seen a few people who broke the face shield on their full face helments and rather than replace them, just wear goggles with the helmet. It gives the protection for impacts around the face, but also the feeling of having an open helmet. Just a thought.

SCR #14809

"our attitude is the thing most capable of keeping us safe"
(look, grab, look, grab, peel, punch, punch, arch)

[JustChuteMeNow 0]

I use a Bonehead Mamba.

Pros
1. Comfortable
2. The face shield is easy to lift with gloves on. Some helmets have a little button that needs to be pressed and this can be hard to do with gloves especially if jumping big gloves in the winter.
3. Well constructed

Cons
1. Expensive

Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.

[baseknut 0]

Quote

I had a rough landing last Sunday and although my helmet protected my head from some damage, full face one would protect my face and eyes.

I decided on open face helmet because I am clostrophobic, but in view of my recent experience I decided to deal with this and buy a full face one.

I need your opinions on the helmets you use, cons and pros.

parasport italia z1

pros:
comfortable
good protection during rw jumps
amazing peripherals

cons:
$$

Step into my (sub)terminal Playground

[ryoder 1,590]

Attached is a photo of my Factory Diver. The damage you see came from two incidents:

1. Someones knee on a freefly jump.

2. Another jumpers helmet on an RW jump. The impact caused me to see stars, and I spent the rest of the day lying on a couch with a splitting headache.

Unless it is a CRW jump, you need a full-face helmet.

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

[slotperfect 7]

The "Search Posts" feature is quite handy in situations such as these.

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=search_results&search_forum=all&search_string=full+face+helmets&search_type=AND&search_fields=sb&search_time=&search_user_username=&sb=score&mh=50

Arrive Safely

John

[mnealtx 0]

Looks like that was a hell of a thump!

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[ryoder 1,590]

Quote

Looks like that was a hell of a thump!

On the RW dive I was literally seeing stars so bad I considered dumping my reserve in case I passed out. The guy I collided with was rubbing his sore neck afterward, but wasn't in as bad shape as I was.

Neither of us ever saw it coming, and I still don't understand how we had that much relative speed between us. All we were doing was re-assembling a funneled ten-way!

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

[pkasdorf 0]

Quote

Unless it is a CRW jump, you need a full-face helmet.

Definitely! Unless you settle for less protection. Not my case. I would like to add that leather helmets are "worse", logically. Jumping backwards from the platform of a Casa 212 I knocked my head against the side and for a couple of seconds I didn`t know where I was. I can only imagine what could have happened if I were wearing a leather helmet instead of my Z1! Love my Z1!

HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757

[wmw999 2,444]

I found that my Freezr had the shield farther away from my face than other helmets. Give it a try -- it might make that claustrophobic feeling less intense. And if you keep the shield on, make sure it's one that opens.

I don't really like having masks on, so I understand. I have an Oxygn now (my Freezr walked away), and the face shield is closer.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[Bill_K 0]

Babi,

I've been using a Mamba since early on and can't think of anything else I would rather be wearing. It's comfortable, the lense locks into place, yet it opens with one hand very easy. I always pop the visor up as soon as I'm able to under canopy. (I.e. all my other safty stuff is done, SSS, etc. Once I'm headed back and all is under control.)

It is a bit pricey, but like everything in this sport or life you get what you pay for. Oh and another pro, I've already replaced the visor once and that was cake. Makes it nice when it gets scratched up from use. All in all I've been very pleased with it.

Stay safe,
BK

[ryoder 1,590]

Quote

Quote

Unless it is a CRW jump, you need a full-face helmet.

Definitely! Unless you settle for less protection. Not my case. I would like to add that leather helmets are "worse", logically. Jumping backwards from the platform of a Casa 212 I knocked my head against the side and for a couple of seconds I didn`t know where I was. I can only imagine what could have happened if I were wearing a leather helmet instead of my Z1! Love my Z1!

Funny thing is that I only started wearing a full-face helmet because I got damn tired of trying to land a canopy with one, or both, contacts blown out. The full-face solved the problem of losing contacts, but I missed the feeling of the wind in my face.

Now that it has saved my teeth and jaw a couple times, and also has protected my face from frozen sleet a few times, I would never go back to an open-face.

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

[AMax 0]

I had been using a Z1 since I was off the student status. I recently switched to Oxygn A3 and I like it much better than Z1.

[Skyjinks 0]

There is a reason why every world and US RW champion in the past ten years has jumped a Sky Systems helmet (Factory Diver, Oxygn). Multiple layer composite, high impact foam, thicker shatter proof lens and best peripheral vision of any other full face helmet. This is also the reason that the Factory Diver is quickly becoming the choice of VRW flyers.

[ficus 0]

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Unless it is a CRW jump, you need a full-face helmet.

Or if there is anyone on the jump you want to kiss pass.

Conversely, a full-face comes in handy if you are afraid of getting a kiss pass from someone on the jump.

[ryoder 1,590]

Quote

Quote

Unless it is a CRW jump, you need a full-face helmet.

Or if there is anyone on the jump you want to kiss pass.

Conversely, a full-face comes in handy if you are afraid of getting a kiss pass from someone on the jump.

True, but I figure I'll have more opportunities for a kiss on the ground if I still have all my teeth.

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

[monkycndo 0]

The Sky Systems helmets are made on the smaller side. If you have a big melon, not a chance in hell that they will fit. The only full faces that fit me were the Mamba and FreeZr. I went with the Mamba.

50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[wildfan75 1]

Do you jump in winter? If so, consider getting a full face that has flip up shield so when things start to fog or ice up in winter, it's easier to lift up than something like a Factory Diver.

I have a Factory Diver and love it, except under canopy in winter (I jump in Wisconsin). Although I'll prop it up on my head when needed due to icing or fogging, I'm always scared that its going to go flying off.

Two people at my DZ jump with Z1's and they hate them because they are so hard to get geared up with the cloth around the bottom, then the chin strap snap, then tightening this, etc. One recently bought a used Factory Diver. The other lost her helmet on deployment about two months ago and is saving up for something different.

As soon as I get a few hundreds bucks laying around I'll get an Oxygn.

[KathleenL 0]

The very first piece of equipment I bought was a full face oxygen helmet. I figure that the plastica surgeon would charge to high a fee to put my face back together should I have a collision or bad landing.

The oxygen is great and the face shield flips up. I have anti fog stuff on it and it works great.