Helmets

[nescio]

Cycling helmet?

Super light, and seems there can't be any bucket effect. Might do too little to break the impact of water (?) but would help against your foil. Has anyone tried this?

[abel]

Due to riding a hydrofoil I have started wearing a helmet again.....
........
I have an old Gath surf hat and it sort of works ok. The wind noise is appalling and it crushes the sunglass arms into the side of my head. I might check out the Gath Convertible and see how that goes. It's a pity that the Gath products are all really old and have had no appreciable development in recent years.

Good decision you started wearing a helmet again.
Besides the risk of the board or foil 'axing' your head, the risk of crashing ear-side is commonly neglected.
Such a crash can blow up your eardrum (tympanic membrane). I know personally a french guy who had it.

I use a Gath, and had the same issue with the sunglass arms 'carving' my head.
Solved it by using army type sunglasses, as they are designed to be worn with a helmet (IMHO also the best price/performance).
They have thin arms so they're quite tolerable.
My 2

[abel]

Cycling helmet?
Super light, and seems there can't be any bucket effect. Might do too little to break the impact of water (?) but would help against your foil. Has anyone tried this?

I did.
Very bad idea !!!!!
They don't cover ears and upper chin sides, a compulsory requirement for kiteboarding helmets.
I was wearing a cycling helmet because I gave my kiteboarding helmet to my son.
He had a tremendous crash and he told me that if I would have it (with the cycle helmet), then I'll be dead because the board hit very hard on his upper chin side and the helmet saved him.
Besides a huge BOOM, no damage done.

[RickI]

It would be great to have a very well designed and considered helmet for kiting, it gets my vote. In the meantime though ...

Proper fit and a good retention system should avoid bucketing. I have had numerous glorious wipeouts from all altitudes over the last 18 or so years without much in the way of bucketing problems. Kiting helmets need to be light given the frequent impacts we undergo. Most alpine helmets I have seen and owned, are simply too heavy for kiting plus they are often too large. Motorcycle helmets are even better than alpine helmets for impact protection but are even heavier and larger than the alpine lids. The padding is superior with thick single impact foam but they are ill suited to the drag prone, wet environment we spend time in. The single impact polystyrene commonly used can readily absorb water, add weight and lose impact protection. What happens when you have a bad ding on a polystyrene surfboard, it is the same problem. An old post from 2006:

Not so, do a key word search for "helmet" here, you get quite a few hits. You can even checkout a post, 4 1/2 years old at this point from Miami at:
http://kiteforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=310

Helmet use is just another choice. Some guys do and some guys don't. It is a function of injury and perception of risk aided by industry example and contest regulations, if any. Look at the adoption of helmets in many other activities you'll see parallels.

Some riders might still be here today if they had helmets on while kiting, not all but certainly some. Some guys are still here today or suffered lesser injury because of helmets in kiting.

Things to consider in looking for a kitesurfing helmet:

1. Good, snug and comfortable fit.

2. Close fit and close contour resulting in low drag without avoidable projections (e.g. fixed visors/bills).

3. Light weight.

4. Well padded with suitable material for impact absorption without creating excessive bulk and drag.

5. Good drainage/fit characteristics to reduce water retention
and bucketing potential.

6. A good hard shell for impact dispersal and penetration resistance. Kevlar/high strength composites may offer better penetration resistance than ABS plastic.

7. Strong, corrosion resistant fastenings in an effective retention system.


Some helmets to evaluate for kiting appear on page five of:
phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2312791

FKA, Inc.

transcribed by:
Rick Iossi

[OzBungy]

Just thought I would give an update on this. Using the "least worst" NP Surf helmet I was still getting neck pain from crashes, and deafening wind noise on strong wind days. It has found it's way to the back of the cupboard.

I am now wearing a Gath Surf Convertible with a neoprene hood underneath. The bucket effect is minor compared to other helmets.

The provided ear covers really amplify the wind noise. I got around that by removing them. It's winter here and I have some surfers ear to deal with. A neoprene hood worn under the helmet protects my ears and reduces wind noise considerably. It's also a fair bit warmer.

So now, the Gath Surf Convertible is the "least, least worst" helmet. I am pretty satisfied with it. I look like a dick, but removing the helmet won't improve that much.

I know the Gath is not certified in any way, but the certified helmets are all grossly not suited for kiteboarding, and greatly amplify the more likely sources of injury.

[JaZone]

I bin seriously thinking of using the liner out of a really good helmet ; i'll
toss everything but the liner, and building my own shell out of spectra, which
is used for bullet-proof vests now. There's another material
that a prosthetic designer developed, that is a cross between spectra and kevlar
but stronger ; it's what i built my latest leg out of called Synthex™ , and i haven't
bin able to break it after i combined it with a matrix of carbon.
Bille

Would love to know more about the process , and any vids or pics along the way while you are making the shell , if you're willing to share with us.

I'm curious about the materials , more for future reference , could be useful to know in case I want to build a board or something.

[JaZone]

http://www.fabtechsystems.com/Synthex-A ... ite-Fiber/

This the stuff you're talking about?

[TheJoe]

are there kayak specific helmets that might work better?

I wear a sweet strutter helmet. It works good and it's low profile so not much whiplash.

Some of the Shred Ready helmets are good too. The big bulky helmets are the problem. They are great if you hit something solid but not really needed in the water.

[Bille]

http://www.fabtechsystems.com/Synthex-A ... ite-Fiber/

This the stuff you're talking about?

YES .
It's the Shit ; can't break the leg i made from it !!!



Bille

[Bille]

?
I didn't post that ??