ParaMount Super Lite

The Super Lite is really an ingenious design. It's light, very stable when fastened down, and has a very clever cutaway system so you can jettison your camera helmet if you need to. The bad thing is that it offers little head protection. It isnt really a helmet, just a head mounted camera platform. When rigging a camera, be sure that you are not defeating the cutaway system by having a bite switch or other accessory that will not easily disconnect when the Super Lite is cut away. I had a camera switch that went into the camera through a right angle plug into a jack on the camera. It would not come loose easily in a cutaway of the Super Lite. I rigged an inline barrel mini jack connector (from Radio Shack) that would pull out easily if the Super Lite were cut away. Problem solved. You would have a hard time making the Super Lite for the retail price they ask for it. It is a very good value. Just don't count on it to protect your noggin. It isnt really a helmet.

ParaMount’s SuperLite camera helmet is a well-built, very light and affordable camera platform. It is perfect for the jumper on a tight budget or who isn’t interested in all the bells-n-whistles offered by other more expensive helmets. I have made over 200 video jumps using the SuperLite with both video and stills for RW, Freeflying, AFF and Tandem jumps.

The Pros:
Great price – This is the reason I chose the Paramount as my first camera helmet. It actually cost only slightly more then making my own camera helmet from an old Pro-tec.
Very Stable – The SuperLite uses a locking band and chin cup to secure the helmet. In freefall the helmet remains firmly secured with no sliding or slipping. Just a side note, swapping the provided soft chin cup with a hard plastic cup used for football helmets makes a big difference in comfort.
Lightest dual camera system – Use a lightweight video and still camera with this system and your neck will thank you.
Open to the air - The open design of the helmet makes it very comfortable in the summer.

The Cons:
BRAIN VICE – The locking mechanism used by the SuperLite is a brain vice and will squeeze you senseless. If loosened for comfort the helmet slides around in freefall giving unwanted shudder or movement to the video. This is my only complaint about the SuperLite and my caution to anyone looking to start any serious videography. If you plan on making several jumps a day with this helmet be warned. You can minimize your discomfort by locking the helmet shortly before exiting and unlocking it while under canopy.
Easy to bump sight – You must lay the helmet on its side to avoid bumping the sight. Several of the videographers at my DZ used mannequin heads to set their cameras on while dubbing videos.
Open to the air - In the cold there is no protection from the wind. I used a balaclava in the winter and had no problems keeping warm.
Top-mount video only – The system will not allow you to side-mount a video or still camera.


ParaMount’s SuperLite helmet is an excellent product at an excellent price. I would suggest it for anyone looking for a starter helmet. At such a low price I was able to quickly turn the money I made from videos into profit. I later used that money to purchase a more expensive but more comfortable helmet.