The Importance Of A Good Skydiving Helmet

Many risky sports require the use of a helmet to protect you in case things go wrong, so it's not surprising that you should wear one while skydiving. Choosing the ideal skydiving helmet however, is not as easy as you may at first think.

Which Style Fits You Best?

As with many helmets, there are a number of styles available to choose from, and the one you choose will be down to personal choice more than any particular one being safer than another.

The most basic form of skydiving helmet is an open face model with a chin strap. This kind of skydiving helmet requires you to wear a separate set of goggles to protect your eyes as you make your dive. It is available in several different colors and is quite often the kind of helmet you will be loaned when making your very first skydive.

The next step up is a full face helmet which, as the name suggests, covers your whole face. These have a chin guard moulded into the design, and they often also have a visor already built in, eliminating the need to wear goggles.

This kind of skydiving helmet is usually much more comfortable to wear, and offers a much better view of your surroundings during a skydive than if you rely on goggles. This is especially true if you wear glasses.

Filming Your Skydive

If you jump regularly and want to film your exploits, you may want to consider buying a camera helmet. This kind of skydiving helmet is specially designed to have almost any kind of camera mounted on it.

Alternatively you can buy a standard skydiving helmet and get a separate bracket to attach to it, although this can look rather more bulky than buying a helmet specifically intended to hold a camera.

If you want something a little more portable, you could consider buying what is known as a fraphat. This is basically a leather head covering that does little more than hold your hair in place while you skydive.

Perhaps not surprisingly you won't find too many of these on sale as opposed to a skydiving helmet, as they will offer very little protection in the event of an accident or mishap.

In short, if you want some real protection make sure you buy a proper helmet. It won't guard against all eventualities - especially considering you are jumping from a plane - but it could just save your life.