We talked a few days ago about Plate Carriers vs LBVs. Now let's talk about helmets. On the surface, you may think it is the same argument, but it is actually quite different.
In that article, I argued that plates are not always worth it in a collapse scenario.
I feel the opposite about a helmet.
Let's talk about why, and then I will break down my helmet and how it is set up.
Why have a helmet, if you aren’t wearing body armor?
Whereas I argued that wearing a plate carrier had limited benefits when there is no access to higher levels of medical care, a helmet is a different story.
- Head wounds, while sometimes survivable, are often not survivable. It’s much more binary than body wounds.
- The plate carrier only covers a very small portion of your body, the helmet covers almost all of your head
- The helmet serves (it can be argued that its primary purpose) as a platform for night vision, communications/hearing protection, and marking/signaling to your teammates (IR strobes, glint tape, etc)
- the head is often the most exposed part of your body while fighting with a gun. It is required to be in the open to accurately fire your weapon, unless you plan to Somali fire…
- other mechanisms of injury are just as fatal as gunfire, and your head is an area that is uniquely exposed to things like falling debris, branches, bricks, etc.
Downsides of Helmets
Helmets do have downsides, but they are mitigated in ways that are not possible with a plate carrier.
- Heat retention. This is the PC’s biggest downfall. It's true helmets do retain head heat. Overall heat retention is much less than a PC though.
- Weight. Modern ballistic helmet shells only weigh 2.5 - 4 lbs. Gone are the days of old with 5-7lb ACHs. It still weighs on the most sensitive part of your body, the neck. You will need to adjust to the weight and play with padding to get it right.
- Cost. You will pay over $1000 for a premium ballistic helmet. You can get other options generally at the cost of comfort or weight.
The major difference here is that your helmet is easily removed to mitigate the heat and weight concerns. Its not easy or fast to doff or don your body armor. The helmet can very quickly and easily be taken off or put on, and easily stowed if not needed.
Bump or ballistic?
That's up to you. Bump helmets give you all of the benefits of having that platform for NV, comms, and marking, as well as protection from other mechanisms of injury besides gunfire. They also weigh less and breath more.
That being said, I personally choose a ballistic helmet, because the weight increase is worth it to me to have some protection in the most exposed, and vital part of my body.
Ballistic Helmets I recommend are Team Wendy Exfil Ballistic 2.0, Opscore FAST SF, Mtek Flux, Hard Head Veterans ATE Lite (now sourced and made in Texas). There are others, this is not a complete list. Just the ones I have, or close friends who actually train have, and have good things to say about them.
here are some budget ways to get ballistic. You can get a surplus ACH. You will pay less money, but have more weight and need more tweaking to get right
Now to my helmet setup.
Havoc’s Helmet
Shell: Team Wendy Exfil Ballistic 2.0
Harness: TW Boa
Pads: TW CloudLine
Scrim: wendigoworks
Comms: Otto NoizeBarrier Tac with Otto arms
Light: Surefire m340 vampire w/ 100c Admin cap on an S&S precision M-Ax mount
Goggles: Smith Boogie goggles with homemade Fastex buckle system
NVG Tension and Retention: @trexarms
Counterweight: Microbat systems flathead
NVG Mount: Wilcox G24
NVGs: NVD BNVD-SG, Elbit tubes, Butler Creek scope caps turned into focus caps.
Strobe: Amazon Helstar clone. Its literally just a light, the real Helstar is dope, but I'm not doing HALO jumps, it doesn't need to be rated for that.
This helmet has seen MANY iterations and changes over time. Some of the most important upgrades I want to highlight:
Light: This lighting system is incredible and versatile. The Admin cap is genius, essentially eliminating the need for a Princeton Tech admin light by making the Surefire pull double duty and acting as an ARD at the same time. The M-Ax mount is second to none on the market.
The Trex arms retention system is the best. Just having J hooks isn't enough security and requires having a secondary tie-down. Trex includes these mini-carabiners that create a secure retention system, while also putting tension on your NODs to keep them stable.
Comms: I am a huge fan of the OTTO ears. They perform similarly to AMPS, but without the dumbo ears position, and they don't break all the time… like amps… so that's been nice…
Tips for setting up your helmet
-Balance is more important than weight. Its worth a few extra ounces to create a balanced helmet.
-Weight is also important. Since your helmet will be on your neck for many hours at a time, don't put anything you don't need on it.
-Don't be afraid to DIY. Helmets are very personalized. There may not be a product out there that does what you need it to do. Be creative.
-Pad comfort and stability is key. This is a long, and annoying process of changing pads, wearing it for hours, and seeing what works. IT IS A VITAL STEP. If your helmet sucks to wear or gives you hotspots on your head, you won't wear it.
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