Arkansas Canoe Club Forums

I read a thread about the guy that got hurt this week....neck injury and some head brusies.....well I also read that he had a protec helment on. I just bought one. Are you telling me they are not too good. If not I may go grab another. Thanks.

that one really doesn't sound like helmet problem. Fish was there, saw it and would know.

I think Protec may have improved their setup, but older versions don't protect as they should. This isn't a one type fits every situtation either, there are some boats and some styles of play that need much more head protection than others..

read the history behind WRSI
http://www.whitewaterhelmet.com/

OK good. I don't do much yak playin in the open boat....yet. I was just worried that I might have made a mistake. It was the only one that was a perfect fit and all. Thanks Arthur!!

Just make sure you have a good fit. It should be comfortable, but at the same time it can't move around if you take a hit.

I am looking at getting a Shred Ready Super Scrappy, do you know of any problems with them?

Roman hit the key point about both helments and lifefjackets.

Assuming good quality and good condition, then fit and comfort are probably the main factors for most of us. How much you may want to cover again will depend on a combination of other things like your boat, your style of paddling, and the water/conditions you might encounter.

The way helmet fit is checked in most SWR classes is by putting it on and strapping in for coverage and snug comfort. Hold your head still, and try lift and twisting at the edges first, the helmet should be snug to your head and not move but very little.

Next lift the edge(maybe the bill) just above your nose. The helmet should stay as is and not roll back to expose more of your head. Many injurys are caused by blows to the face and brow. The best designs will cover the brow down pretty low and stay there with almost no movement when you lift the bill of the helmet.

ACA and ACC guidelines are simply that if you have a boat or rigging that allows a skilled paddler to stay in an upside down boat, then a helmet is required.

I'm one that believes and teaches that anything is better than nothing. Also none of the gear can protect a person from everything that can happen on the water or in the wilderness. You do the best you can to know what the dangers are and then use equipment and actions that lower the risks of those dangers to some level you can accept.

Even amoung the guys that paddle very difficult conditions a lot and truly understand what they are exposed too, you are going to see a big variety in the equipment details they choose, in part because of the different comfort levels they have with certain risks and trade offs that are chosen.

Don't listen to them, protecs are death traps. Just ask the wsri founder

Well I ended up buying a protec. So, I would appreciate a little more info on your comment!

the wrsi link is in my first post. the story is there.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index ... 938AA9l9Ei

more info

There is a significant difference between the
WRSI and most of the others on the market.
This is the number of layers.
WRSI has an outer shell, then a layer of foam
then another hard shell. Then the comfort foam
inside this.



What this does for you is to give the ability to
sustain MULTIABLE impacts. Most whitewater
helmets are designed after land helmets...Motor sport helmets.
A single hard layer with foam for comfort. These state on a warning
label to dispose of them after a significant impact.
When swimming in whitewater the chance of a
second impact is high.
Also is the point Arthur brought up.
This helmet is outfitted with a back band that
is integrated with the chin strap. The harder you
push up on the bill, the tighter the helmet pushes
the back band to keep the helmet down and not
exposing your forehead.
Just my two cents.

Paddle Dog Wrote:

There is a significant difference between the
WRSI and most of the others on the market.]

I wonder if I could see the total sample size, variance, and experimental design........... :roll: yeah, bad joke I know. I just couldn't help it

I have searched around and the only research I can find is where they are pitting this helmet against Pro-Tec's and the like.

Has anyone seen any research showing that this helmet is safer than, say, a Shred-Ready Shaggy or Full Mental Jacket?
It doesn't look like it gives very much protection to the base of the skull?
The HOG lock system on Shred Ready is very hard to beat if you have ever tried one.

If anyone has any information on this helmet versus a composite/fiberglass Helmet, i would really like to see it.

BTW Steve... my extra pro-tec helmet is on the way to you soon my friend!
Thanks for coordinating this !!

also depends on the alpha level, what is considered a significant difference? .05 or .1, got to watch out for those type I errors! I am a dork.

William82 wrote:also depends on the alpha level, what is considered a significant difference? .05 or .1, got to watch out for those type I errors! I am a dork.

I'd actually be more worried about beta, your type II error. Remember a type II error is finding them to be the same when they are actually different (with type I being finding them different when they are actually the same).

If you make a type I error here (and it turns out that the helmets are equally good), your test is telling you the WRSI is better but they are really equally protective. In this case you are going to buy the WRSI and you end up with a good helmet.

If you make a type II error here (and it turns out that the WRSI is better), your test is telling you that the WRSI is the same as the Pro-Tec, but the WRSI is actually safer. In this case you might buy the Pro-Tec (or keep using the one you have), when a WRSI would actually be safer.

Not really any cost (to your noggin) of making a type I error here, but could be costly to make a type II error.

Yeah Math!!