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bertusgeert

Why are skydiving helmets so ridiculously, unreasonably expensive?!

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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.



Thanks, I'll give it a read this weekend.

A friend of mine in Santa Cruz knows Jim some or other, who started Giro helmets, for the same reason - he couldn't find out there what he wanted, so he made it. His company/brand was bought by Bell I think.


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As jy dom is moet jy bloei!

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Helps keep your ears on in a riser slap, and I've dented some concrete on a demo or two...:$



Then you started wearing a helmet? :P


Yeah, except it was from the Crusades... :ph34r:
"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

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Here's what ya do; find a guy that jumps a lot and has had his helmet for a season or two. Inspect it for nicks and scratches.



My 5 year old Z1 looks like someone towed it behind a car racing down a gravel road... but I only remember where 1 or 2 of the more significant scuffs were earned.
Owned by Remi #?

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Helps keep your ears on in a riser slap, and I've dented some concrete on a demo or two...:$



Then you started wearing a helmet? :P


Yeah, except it was from the Crusades... :ph34r:


Can't get the Viking helmet out the door! [:/]










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

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


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



:D:D:D


Hi Mr T

I wonder if the 300 euros inludes the nice custom made padded Helmet bag made out of cordura with the zipper. The few that I saw matched the jumpers container.

When you pay 300 euros you don't want a scatch on your skid lid;)

The look is pricelessB|:D
One Jump Wonder

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Skydiving helmets are swoopy and generally offer less protection than a helmet that you would wear for other sports, like skateboarding or skiing. I personally wear a Giro ski helmet. It's rugged, much cheaper than skydiving helmets, and adjustable. If you fly cameras, you're kind stuck though.
John Wright

World's most beloved skydiver

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Price fixing? Yeah.

So a dealer makes about $30 on that $200, that's a horrible start to running a successful business. Then there is the cost of having someone hand lay the carbon fiber (remember that stuff is REAL cheap, right) since there are not enough helmets made to justify or pay for automation. Don't forget the assembly, marketing, staff to answer phones, and sell them to you.....

$200? I think we're lucky they are not $500.


Wanna look at rig prices now?:D

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

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Price fixing? Yeah.

So a dealer makes about $30 on that $200, that's a horrible start to running a successful business. Then there is the cost of having someone hand lay the carbon fiber (remember that stuff is REAL cheap, right) since there are not enough helmets made to justify or pay for automation. Don't forget the assembly, marketing, staff to answer phones, and sell them to you.....

$200? I think we're lucky they are not $500.


Wanna look at rig prices now?:D




Was just kidding about the price fixing. Yeah this gives good insight into why they're expensive, thanks.


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As jy dom is moet jy bloei!

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Hey are YOU running the store now?

Seems to be a lot more cool stuff at reasonable prices in there than at times past, just curious.



Running it? Well I and the janitor and bottle washer, so I guess you could say that... :D

Glad you like the new shop. :)
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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

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



Got one for you. The Benny from SkySystems USA. Between $55 and $80 and looks pretty good. Probably has some of the best protection around too.

BTW, I've got them in stock. ;)
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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

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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.



I would have summed that up by saying " Want a warranty? Buy a toaster." ;)
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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

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



Got one for you. The Benny from SkySystems USA. Between $55 and $80 and looks pretty good. Probably has some of the best protection around too.

BTW, I've got them in stock. ;)


This reply is for Bertus. This post just had both quotes handy.

First, I have a Benny. It was only $65. Replacement pad sets are only $20. The padding is nice & thick (unless you wear XL), & it fits excellently on my oval-shaped head.

Second, I know why there's a price gap between $65-$200 for helmets in this sport. I just lost the latest of several auctions on Ebay for an Alti. Some dumb sh*t just paid $140 + $10 S&H for a used Galaxy. $155 + tax gets one brand new w/a ten year warranty. Siempre unbelievable... I do hereby officially give up on finding a decent used Alti on Ebay. Why do most skydiving helmets cost $200 or better? Because the sport is dominated by young, bling-conscious men willing & happy to pay it.

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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.



I would have summed that up by saying " Want a warranty? Buy a toaster." ;)


I was trying more along the lines of, while other sports have safety ratings for their helmets, skydiving doesn't seem to. If you want to know for sure your helmet will probably stop your head from cracking on pavement, go with a real helmet.

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I was trying more along the lines of, while other sports have safety ratings for their helmets, skydiving doesn't seem to. If you want to know for sure your helmet will probably stop your head from cracking on pavement, go with a real helmet



The difference in other sports is that when you 'fall down' and hit your head, the impact speed is generally far less than your overall speed.

For example, if you fall off a motorcycle at 50mph, your head hit's the ground at something much less than 50mph. Your body too. True, you might pinball though traffic and hit other things, but each impact is less than the previous one because each one uses up energy.

In skydiving, when you impact hard enough to overcome the protection of a skydiving helemt, your entire body takes the same 100% impact as your head. You could wear a much more capable helmet, but your neck will snap far sooner than your helemet will. Big deal.

Case in point, anyone remember the pic/story about the motorcyclist who ran into the back of a semi-trailer and got his helmet/head lodged in the back of the truck? His helemt stuck there, and his body hung limp from his helemt and he was dragged down the highway until other motorists flagged down the driver, who didn't even feel the impact.

The point is the impact in that case is closer to a skydiving impact, where your entire body comes to a complete stop with the full force of however fast you're going. In that case, his neck snapped instantly and he was dead on impact. Who knows, his head might have been intact, but the rest of him was shot.

Consider Dale Earnhardt. He had a relatively minor impact with the wall, snapped his neck and died. At the time NASCAR was fairly safe, with tons fo safety gear in the cars and on the drivers. The one area they did not protect was the head/neck conenction, and it got Dale. Now, most drivers (maybe all) use a HANS device, which connects the helmet to the body to limit the movement of the helmet (and head) relative to the body. Without the HANS, you can see how minor of an impact caused a fatality.

You need to face the fact that when you skydive, you're exposing yourself to risks that no safety gear can mitigate. The helmets we have will protect you to about the extent that you can be protected. If you exceed those limits, a 'better' helmet isn't going to help as the rest of your body is still exposed to those massive imact forces.

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You need to face the fact that when you skydive, you're exposing yourself to risks that no safety gear can mitigate. The helmets we have will protect you to about the extent that you can be protected. If you exceed those limits, a 'better' helmet isn't going to help as the rest of your body is still exposed to those massive imact forces.



Good point right, the purpose of a motorcycle, skateboard or ski helmet is quite different from a skydiving helmet.

As my Seinfeld quote quips - it's not by any means designed to protect you from terminal impact - the purpose is to protect from smaller impacts when you're busy with much more dangerous and consequential things. The skydiving helmet is primary protection (keeps you conscious and focused, for instance when you bump or slam your head against the door/an out of control jumper) to stop the secondary event (unconsious, unfocused on altitude & obstacles) from being a possibility. For other sports, those are one and the same - the pavement, the tree or the rail - slam! done.

This reasoning implies that the impact resistance for skydiving helmets can be much less than others and still be considered effective.

And that reasoning (ceteris paribus) implies, since the beefyness isn't needed, that skydiving helmet prices can be much lower than others and still be considered effective.

Note - I said, ceteris paribus.

btw, that benny looks cool, like an amped up skydiving specific protec.


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As jy dom is moet jy bloei!

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Because the sport is dominated by young, bling-conscious men willing & happy to pay it.



this is pretty good right there

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

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You need to face the fact that when you skydive, you're exposing yourself to risks that no safety gear can mitigate. The helmets we have will protect you to about the extent that you can be protected. If you exceed those limits, a 'better' helmet isn't going to help as the rest of your body is still exposed to those massive imact forces.



Interesting opinion, and I can see how your anecdotal evidence can help support it. I'm sure there are plenty of other hypothetical, anecdotal situations that can support it, and disprove it (running into a fence post under canopy, hitting your face on a tree under canopy, etc).

My replies were offering suggestions for helmets that have passed certain standards that are within a reasonable price range. I personally will not be spending $300 on a helmet. I'm fine with a $30 protec. Chances are, if I hit my head hard enough to where it takes a helmet that can stand up to 150mph impact to live through, and I survive, I will have wanted to have died from it. Chances are, I'd be quadriplegic at that point, and nobody wants that.

You need to face the fact that there are industry standards for head gear in high-speed sports, and not all skydiving helmets match up to those.

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Haven't jumped in a while admittedly. However, I recall on particular larger RW formation, I was toward the front of the plan the first of the second group the base went out and the plane bucked and i found myself airborne in the plane headed jaw first for the door frame. I slammed into it chipping the paint on the jaw of my Oxygn, and was able to roll out and still make it to the formation. If I hadn't been wearing a helmet I would likely have been headed to the hospital to get my broken jaw wired shut. Pay the money, Buy the helmet. Some day down the road it is likely to save your ass.
Yeah...You need to grow up. -Skymama

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I'm sure there are plenty of other hypothetical, anecdotal situations that can support it, and disprove it (running into a fence post under canopy, hitting your face on a tree under canopy, etc). You need to face the fact that there are industry standards for head gear in high-speed sports, and not all skydiving helmets match up to those.

This. I don't want to argue w/you, Dave. You never did answer my reply in the other helmet thread. Skydiving helmets could be made much better, w/o a weight or appreciable size penalty. Everyone should be free to wear whatever they want. Some of us want more protection. That is do-able. It wouldn't have to cost a whole lot more, either. That's all we're saying.

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Pay the money, Buy the helmet.



lot of posts saying that helmets are good

but the thread is about the cost, not the need

skydivers have concentration issuLOOK, a squirrel!!!!!

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

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LOL How true. My 4 year old is always pulling that on me...it is sad when your even your kid makes fun of your add..>:(:D


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.

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