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leandercool

Full face helmet

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I waited till I had about 400 jumps before I used a full-face. No real reason other than it took me that long to find one that fit my ginormous noggin and that I felt comfortable in. I first tried the Bonehead Mamba, which is a great helmet and fit me well, but it just didn't feel comfortable with the shape of my face (the lens sits too close to the mouth and though I could breathe fine it just felt claustrophobic).

My first full-face was the FreeZR2, which I really like; and I just recently bought a Cookie G2. Fit-wise, they're relatively similar - both have nice peripheral vision, and people can see my face really well with them, so eye contact works well. But then again, I mostly do the fun "kind of skydiving where getting kicked in the face is a very frequent thing." ;)

As for handles, I'm still able to see my handles well enough with a full-face helmet (well, as well as I can with those mammary glands in the way, anyway;)).

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

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All i am saying is if I could see better, I would like to have the added protection. Why would you knock that?

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...'cause I'm a mean old grouchy sarcastic prick. :$


If ya think I'm an asshole on the Internet, just wait 'till you meet me in person! :o:S:):P











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

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I went with the Bonehead REvolve as my first helmet. I like the flexibility of being able to choose either an open helmet or full faced without carrying around more gear.


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Rap is to music what etch-a-sketch is to art.

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I like full face helmets because I'm lazy and find a flip down visor easier than goggles, especially under canopy where I like to take the goggles off. The extra protection is good too. Getting kicked in the nose is no fun at break off. Oh, and the noise reduction.

The down side can be fogging which can be dealt with, restricted vision which depends on the helmet and believe it or not, not having the wind in your face. If you happen to find yourself unstable in cloud without the usual visual orientation indicators of planet or sky, you need all the help you can get, and a 120 mph wind up your nose is a surprisingly useful one.

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It was 0 degrees F at altitude over the weekend. It keeps my face from getting crazy windburn. I prefer it over open face in almost all circumstances. I really only wear open for video jumps and tandems.
~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

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Hey,

Why do people sometimes prefer a full face helmet instead of a regular helmet?
And what do you guys prefer?



Personal preference.

I wear a full-face for RW and an open face for wingsuit. Not sure how "regular" is defined with respect to helmets.

You wear what YOU want and I'll wear what I want.
...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

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I went with the Bonehead REvolve as my first helmet. I like the flexibility of being able to choose either an open helmet or full faced without carrying around more gear.


I recently got my license and was dying to get into a full-face helmet - for the same reasons others have mentioned, but primarily because I wear glasses and the goggles over the glasses truly sucks.

I also decided on the BH REvolve helmet, and I couldn't be happier - the freedom to simply detach the visor and convert it to an open-faced helmet was great (although I don't see myself using it too often), and I love when I'm in the plane, about to jump - with the glasses/goggles thing, I'd have to constantly lift up my goggles to defog - now, with the helmet, I simply leave the visor up until I'm just about in the door, then I push it down and go ... it's much more convenient.

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Jumping with a full face helmet is like French kissin' yer sister through a screen door...it just don't feel right on a lotta levels! ;)


As opposed to getting your tongue down your sister's throat?
Talk about not right on a lot of levels (unless you're from Oklahoma. Famous Okie quote "Mom, if I divorce her will she still be my sister?")
Personally, 17 years w/frap hat, 5 years with full-face
This is the paradox of skydiving. We do something very dangerous, expose ourselves to a totally unnecesary risk, and then spend our time trying to make it safer.

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I switched to a full face helmet a few weeks ago on my 16th jump. I bought a Bonehead Revolve and it's the cat's nips. I love it.

On my 15th jump, with an open face helmet, my goggles became slack and started flapping around my face. Although I handled it, I wasted the second half of my freefall.

Right off the bat, two things I noticed right away about the full face helmet when I jumped was that there was a tremendous lack of wind noise and I had an easier time seeing things (less wind flapping around your eyes - tight goggles or not). Sort of a freaky feeling for me is that the ground seems to rush at me faster if I look straight down when I'm looking through the visor of the full face vs. using an open face and goggles.

I also love that I can keep the helmet on and just pull the visor down at buzzer time, and then when I'm under canopy, I can easily flip the visor back up to open-face mode.

I can see myself using my lightweight open face and goggles just to change things up now and then. But for me, full face - and in my case, the Revolve - is much, much better overall.

Open face = cheaper, lighter weight, more sensory feeling.
Full face = more protection, quieter, eye protection+helmet in one package

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I switched to a full face helmet a few weeks ago on my 16th jump. I bought a Bonehead Revolve and it's the cat's nips. I love it.

On my 15th jump, with an open face helmet, my goggles became slack and started flapping around my face. Although I handled it, I wasted the second half of my freefall.

Right off the bat, two things I noticed right away about the full face helmet when I jumped was that there was a tremendous lack of wind noise and I had an easier time seeing things (less wind flapping around your eyes - tight goggles or not). Sort of a freaky feeling for me is that the ground seems to rush at me faster if I look straight down when I'm looking through the visor of the full face vs. using an open face and goggles.

I also love that I can keep the helmet on and just pull the visor down at buzzer time, and then when I'm under canopy, I can easily flip the visor back up to open-face mode.

I can see myself using my lightweight open face and goggles just to change things up now and then. But for me, full face - and in my case, the Revolve - is much, much better overall.

Open face = cheaper, lighter weight, more sensory feeling.
Full face = more protection, quieter, eye protection+helmet in one package



You are allowed to jump with a full face helmet before you have your A license?
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This has me curious too. What are the disadvantages of a full face helmet (aside from the "doesn't feel right" factor?)



Some limit vision field of view all the time, and fog up just 'most' of the time...:ph34r:

They don't let your face flap around at 120mph giving the vidiot great material for comedy central...

Harder for others in free-fall to see your eyes and anticipate your next move, or be able to see how scared you really ARE...

Tough to give an audible understandable exit count with your head in a bucket..."did he say 'ready, set' or 'I just shit' ?"

Makes it extremely difficult and messy to puke in free-fall during the 9th point of the sunrise load while fighting a 'tequila with bourbon chaser' hangover...ya end up lookin' like a tuna in a goldfish bowl full of beef stew.

Takes away from the whole experience on a 'purest' kinda level, like having heated hand grips on a motocross bike.

It's freakin' Skydiving...it's SUPPOSED to be cold, fast & noisy ~ that's what makes it BEAUTIFUL! :P


You forgot the most important reason.... you can't do a proper KISS PASS in a full face! ;):P (this from a girl who wears a full-face helmet) :$

I got very comfortable in a full face when flying in the tunnel, so I wanted one for the air. I bought one that does not allow the visor to flip up b/c I had heard bad stories about visors flipping up in free fall (anyone else ever experience that?). I'm thinking more and more that I'll get a second one with a visor that opens, b/c I want to be able to put sun glasses under it.

Regardless, I love my full face helmet. I'm much more comfortable in free fall with it.
See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus

Shut Up & Jump!

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As for handles, I'm still able to see my handles well enough with a full-face helmet (well, as well as I can with those mammary glands in the way, anyway;)).



Pictures? You know... for uhh, "research" purposes and all. :)
"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
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"You are allowed to jump with a full face helmet before you have your A license?"

Yes.



Assuming you jump at a USPA dropzone!

It's a big world out there, and other places have different requirements: the BPA for example require you to get your B certificate first.
--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

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"You are allowed to jump with a full face helmet before you have your A license?"

Yes.



Assuming you jump at a USPA dropzone!

It's a big world out there, and other places have different requirements: the BPA for example require you to get your B certificate first.



Not at all USPA dropzones, either. Some will not let you jump w/ a full face before A license but it is up to local drop zone discretion.
"What if there were no hypothetical questions?"

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I had used open face through most of my student progression. While at a new drop zone they had a z1 for visiting jumpers and i tried it once and never looked back. I had the z1 for about a year and i recently got a g2. Full faces rock especially when it's cold outside. But there is something to say about the wind in your face every once and a while.

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Makes it extremely difficult and messy to puke in free-fall during the 9th point of the sunrise load while fighting a 'tequila with bourbon chaser' hangover...ya end up lookin' like a tuna in a goldfish bowl full of beef stew.

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OMG I needed that visual today! I am still laughing. Damn you are funny!

And for the record this newb likes the wind in his face. Not sure I could do the full face, I would feel too closed off. Plus when I land I like having my hair sticking up thru the holes in the top of the helmet.

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