Fitting- Every helmet includes foam strips of different thicknesses. These foam strips have an adhesive side. So when you decide where you want them, just peel and stick. I sat down with a knife and began cutting up the strips and testing the fit. Within twenty minutes outfitting I achieved a tight helmet.
Weight/strength- This helmet is extremely light. The weight to strength ratio is excellent. Grabbing the sides of it and squeezing and pulling, I was hard pressed to feel any give in the structure. I am totally amazed at how stiff and rigid it was without compromising on weight. The materials are Kevlar and Fiberglass, I believe more Kevlar than glass.
Overall impression- This particular design, the Bomber, is a good full protection lid. I picked this helmet for big rivers and big water. I would not hesitate to wear this down any drop. It has good ear and frontal lobe protection. A helmet should not be skimpy on protection, I have seen too many kayakers wearing tiny helmets go over and come up bleeding from an earshot. I built up some foam in the brow and this makes me happy for two reasons. First, more foam equals more protection. Secondly, it helps keep the sun out of my eyes if I tilt my head down a bit. After wearing it on the water I really don’t have any more comments other than I didn’t even notice I was wearing it.
Layout- The aesthetics are outstanding. The colors are sharp and crisp. Each design is unique; FNA can do special orders with almost any layout you can think of. The glassy gloss finish makes this helmet worthy of an art piece you could hang on the wall.
These helmets are hand-made by Faron Alstad. Purchasing his helmets are like buying local and going to the co-op. Each helmet is hand made, it is not just some factory spitting out helmets.
Typical Slide.
