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Helmet Buyers Guide - Skateboard, Scooter, BMX
Choosing the right helmet to use at the skate park is pretty important – we only get one brain, so let’s make sure we look after it. There are plenty of choices available on the market, and plenty of styles. So let’s take a look at some of the main things to consider when you’re looking for your next skate park helmet.
Skate Park helmets are suitable for skateboarding, BMX, Scooters, roller skating, roller blading etc - basically every sport that we cater for here at RampFest.
Types of Helmet
These are the main types of helmet you want to have a look at:
Standard Skate Helmet
Bucket Helmets are the classic skate park design.
They leave your ears uncovered, and the back covers right to the base of your skull. These are a versatile and comfortable helmet for all-round use. They are great for skateboarding, BMX & scooters – or anything else at the Skate Park.
Some examples are:
Pros
Lots of styles / colours and sizing options.
Comfortable to wear, plenty of airflow.
Offers very good impact protection for the skull.
Well priced.
Cons
They don’t offer any protection for the face.
Full-Cut Skate Helmet
Full Cut helmets are very similar to the standard bucket design – but they come down over the ears too.
They still have an open front and cover the base of the skull.
They can be used for Skateboarding, Scooters or BMX too.
Some examples are:
S1 Retro Lifer
(Coming Back In Stock SOON!)
Pros
Covers the ears.
Firmer fit than most bucket helmets - less chance of coming off.
Offers very good impact protection for the skull.
Cons
They don't offer any protection for the face.
Can get quite hot.
Less options available in size / colours
Slightly more expensive than Bucket Helmets.
Full Face Helmet
Full Face helmets offer the best protection all round – they cover the jaw, and ears completely, and are commonly used by BMX Racers & BMX Vert riders.
The can get quite hot and are significantly more expensive than the other types.
TLD Full Face Helmets are available for Special Order
Pros
Excellent impact protection for the head and face.
Provides full protection of the jaw.
Cons
Reduced visibility compared to open-face helmets.
Can get quite hot.
Significantly more expensive than other helmets.
Which type of helmet you choose is very much a personal preference – they are all suitable for skate park use and can be used for Skateboarding, Scooter or BMX Riding.
Helmet Fit
Making sure your helmet fits correctly is another super important part of safety – your helmet can’t save you if it falls off your head. Each brand of helmet has a slightly different shape, shell and padding – so you’ll just need to try them on and choose the one that best suits your head.
For a helmet to be a good fit, it should:
- Sit low and firm on your head – it should feel tight, but not crushing your head. A good test for this, when you put on your helmet and leave the straps undone, shake your head around a bit. If it moves or falls off, it’s not a good fit.
- From the front, your helmet should sit low, just above your eyebrows (for bucket & full-cut helmets), covering some or most of your forehead. The helmet should not ride up your head.
- The helmet strap should sit just under your chin – but shouldn’t be tight or cutting into the skin. Please note, the helmet is NOT held on by the strap – the fit should be firm on your head without it – the strap just makes sure an impact doesn’t bounce the helmet off. Tightening a strap will not make a poorly fitted helmet work better – it just makes it more uncomfortable.
Here are some pictures of a good vs bad helmet fit.
Good Fit
Helmet sits low, just above the eyebrow & covering the forehead.
Bad Fit
Helmet rides up your head, sits high & exposes the forehead. Often happens with helmets that are too big.
Certified Helmets for Skate, BMX, & Scooter
The final key point with helmets is to check if it’s a certified helmet. A certified helmet has passed a variety of tests (either in Australia, Europe or the USA) to prove that it provides a certain level of protection. This is a really key point as this distinction can apply to all the most popular skate park helmets (Bucket Helmets & Full Cut Helmets).
Basically, Certified Helmets contain a hard type of foam that disperses any impact away from the brain. Non-Certified Helmets simply contain a soft padding that provides minimal protection. Often, non-certified helmets are sold as “skate helmets” (it’s illegal to market them as a bike helmet without passing certain tests in Australia) ,with the fact that they provide hardly any impact protection hidden in the fine print.
At RampFest, we only sell Certified Helmets because we believe that they offer the best protection.
When to Replace Your Helmet
If you have a solid crash, you should replace your helmet. The very nature of the impact absorbing technology that is in all certified helmets means that the protection level will decrease with every serious impact. This doesn’t mean you have to buy a new helmet with every small bump, but if you have a solid hit, you need to understand that the helmet won’t be as effective the next time round.
These videos from S1 Helmets show how a helmets performance can decline over multiple impacts. Obviously a certified helmet performs significantly better over multiple impacts than a non-certified (that doesn’t even pass the test on the first impact).
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Recommended Skate & BMX Helmets
With all this info, there is a lot to take in and we want to help you to make a good decision. Here are three of the top helmets we sell at RampFest - catering to multiple fits and price points:
S1 Lifer Helmet - RRP $89.95
The S1 is great all-round helmet and comes in a range of sizes (from XXS – XXL) and colours to suit your style.
The S1 Lifer model also has interchangeable pads with the same external shell – so if you buy a “Small” and don’t have any accidents, you could simply buy a new set of pads to change it to a “Large” if you outgrow the helmet. You could also change the pads simply to freshen it up.
Gain Protection "The Sleeper" Helmet (Adjustable) - RRP $54.95
The Sleeper is great value helmet that is still certified to Australian Standards. Plus - it comes with an adjustable fit, so you can always keep it tight on your head.
It does come in less colour options than the S1 Lifer, but it's one of the best price-point options that provides high-quality protection.
Shop Gain "The Sleeper" Helmets
Shadow Classic Helmet - RRP $99.95
The Shadow Classic is another high-end helmet that offers excellent protection, while being lightweight and very breathable.
This one isn't adjustable, and the shell sizes are all specific to the size - so depending on your head shape, you may get a better, firmer fit from this type of helmet. They also sit a bit deeper on your head, making the helmet extremely comfortable.
Need More Information?
If you're still unsure about what helmet works for you, you can Contact Us using the form below, of Visit RampFest to try on some of these helmets for yourself.
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