Petzl Meteor III Climbing Helmet - 2008 BCS

This helmet is super lightweight and adjusts great to fit over a hat, or just your head. Its so light that you forget its even there until tiny little chunks of ice tink off of it. I use this for ice climbing and trad climbing, and the comfort is amazing. Luckily I've never taken a rock to the head, so I can't really comment on the protection properties, but I've always been a believer that a helmet is really just an insurance policy that makes your loved ones feel better, and if you can forget that you are even wearing it, that is a success for me. I give it a 5/5!

For those of you want to shave of all the extra oz... Get this helmet. It's the lightest helmet I've wore. It fits well and ventilates. It's adjustable for a beanie or a hood. Also, you won't look like a bobble head in this!

I used this helmet ice and alpine climbing in Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, and the Beartooths in MT and I love it. It's taken a few hits and has some small dents in the top, but it's all cosmetic. The core of the helmet is lined with a soft outer foam that nicks and dents easily, but it doesn't compromise the structural integrity of the helmet.

I love it but cant give it 5 stars based on the fact that i feel like i am always going to break this thing!
I forget that im wearing it but you have to be really careful when putting it down, i feel like dropping in from waist level on a rock will bust it.

But i still love it

This helmet is incredibly comfortable for all day alpine trad or ice/mountaineering and it is insanely light. The ease of use is great as well, even with gloves on. The helmet is so adjustable, it is second to none.

I hate helmets because they are uncomfortable, bulky, clunky, inconvenient to carry, and generally get in the way. But if you're going to play outside, they're really non negotiable. This helmet gives more coverage than most rock specific helmets which makes it safer for a wider range of potential impacts. It is so lightweight and comfortable that I've forgotten to take it off until I bang it against the car when getting in to go home. I use it year round for rock and ice climbing. It fits well under a hood and/or over a hat (in winter I use a windstopper hat because of all the vents in the helmet). This is the only chin strap that doesn't annoy the *$%& out of me. Unlike my shell helmet (Grivel Salamander) this helmet does not get ice crystals inside it. Wish it came in a matte color though.

I really like this helmet. Not only is it very light, and well ventilated. It features an great adjustment system so it always fits whether your wearing a beanie or not.

Tired of a huge helmet sticking up from your head? Look no further...

This is the best helmet out there. While it may not me as durable as others, it has the best side protection of almost all helmets. I did a bunch of research and found that most helmets are not designed for forward, side or rear impacts, but are made only for objects falling on your head. Well, this helmet apparently does offer some protection in those areas.

This helmet's awesome, comes with replacement padding and protective cover. It's super well vented and has worked great on the hottest days, it's low profile and is really easily adjustable so it can sit squarely and securely on your noggin'. I had previously used another superlight foam core helmet from a rival manufacturer which was great 'til the padding started peeling off, I thought I'd fix it with some barge cement and that managed to melt the foam. The Petzl has all straps and pads well attached and Backcountry's stellar return policy swapped out the helmets no questions asked.

On more than one occasion, after a day of ice climbing when wearing a hat underneath, I have forgotten to take my helmet off and have not realized it until looking in the rear view mirror on the drive home... The only question to ask with a helmet this light and comfortable is: will this thing work? In fact, better than most and I can testify. I got hit with a rock about the size of a softball on the Grandes Jorasses last summer and had I not been wearing this helmet things could have turned out bad. Fortunately this did exactly what it was designed to do. The helmet was dented and cracked pretty badly, but my head was not! In my opinion this is the best helmet on the market and there is no excuse not to have one on your next climbing adventure.

This is a one and done, save your noggin from a gnarly fall or severe impact helmet. This is not a helmet that should be worn when you expect numerous small impacts from falling debris.

This isn't a great helmet to wear if you need one for belaying, as one small chunk of rock can do it in. But that's the trade-off for foam instead of a shell. It's basically a sport climbing helmet for when there's a possibility of bad fall.

The Meteor III offers better side and back coverage than the Black Diamond Tracer helmet, and really feels like it could take a severe impact.

I wear a large in the Black Diamond Tracer helmet. This helmet fits comfortably and is very light, but a beanie underneath makes the fit a little tight.

The headlamp clips work well.

This helmet is pricey (I bought mine during a 20% off sale), but brain buckets are a good place to splurge.

This brain bucket is ridiculously light easy to adjust, all around awesome, the venting is great on hot days.