Helmets - what's the difference?

[Lozart]

Looking into getting a helmet because I'm getting bored of explaining why I have welts on my head on Mondays, but there seems to be a plethora of very similar helmets and I was wondering if anyone knows what the differences are and why one is better than another?

I can see the difference between a MICH and a PASGT but once we get into EXF Bump, Base Jump, FAST and PJ they all look the same! Are they? What am I missing?

 

[Simon Rees]

Prob comes down to personal preference.

I have a Mich 2001. It has rails, no vents and no ridge, with a NVG mount at the front with no elastic.

I also have an IBH. It too has rails, but also has what can only be described as "sideburns" which create a small arch at the ear, designed to house headphones such as comtacs or sordins (I have comtac 2s mounted on the rails of that). There is a metal NVG mount with elastic.

Not sure there'll be any specific practical tactical advantage to any particular design. Vented ones might give better temperature control. Internal strapping/padding might be better on some than others. NVG mounts might be important if you were looking to do night games/milsim etc.

My standard MO when looking at getting something new is to google the crap out of it.

From my personal experience, the PASGT (had one a while back) is a bit old school. Mich 2001, 2001, Fast, IBH etc look a bit more up to date. I wanted something that looked the part and provided protection. I was also scared of getting hit on the ears, hence getting the IBH with attached comtacs as my ears are now completely covered whilst still looking OK.

On a separate note, what TK armour do you have...?

 

[Lozart]

On a separate note, what TK armour do you have...?

The pic isn't me, but I DO have armour. It's FX (I know) and was a 40th birthday gift from my best mate. Still needs assembling but might have to make an appearance at a skirmish if I can find an airsoft Stirling!

 

[Lozart]

Thanks for the info though. I'm not looking to recreate any specific loadout or "look" so I'm mostly bothered about fit, ventilation and whether it makes my bum head look massive!

 

[jcheeseright]

99% of it is down to looks, most airsoft helmets are sized for M/L so about 56-60cm head size. If you've got a bit of a gigantoschwad then you may need to look further afield to find something that fits, dragon red airsoft do a good line in ops core replica helmets which are sized true to L/XL.

Generally if something is described as a 'bump' helmet it's real world counterpart will offer no ballistic protection and is there to protect the wearer's head while parachuting/abseiling/smashing his head on door frames etc, if it's described as 'ballistic' it'll offer greater protection against frag and maybe even smaller calibre firearms. FAST/PJ/Base Jump/Maritime/Swimmer etc are all different cuts of the same type of helmet, the PJ ones for example are actually an Ops Core FAST Carbon helmet which is popular with USAF Pararescue jumpers (or PJs).

 

[Lozart]

Yeah, I have massive nappa so yeah...fit is....interesting at times!

Thanks for that though. Any brands to avoid like the plague or are they pretty much of a muchness?

 

[jcheeseright]

dunno, only repro helmet I've ever bought was the dragon red one, it's decent enough but still hardly ever gets worn.

 

[Ian_Gere]

A bit old skool looking maybe, but available in many sizes easily and with good comfy interior strappage, with the option to swap it out for the new style pads ===>

The good old British Army MK6 - all sorts of covers, bands, & edge rubbers available - plus riot control options neck cover and visor, or enhanced face protection anti-mine visor - and it fits over bowman style headsets comfortably and, with a bit of messing about to get the straps right, with a lower face mask too.

 

[remus]

just won one of those on ebay, looking forward to it after my cheapo m88 helmet.

 

[Lozart]

A bit old skool looking maybe, but available in many sizes easily and with good comfy interior strappage, with the option to swap it out for the new style pads ===>

The good old British Army MK6 - all sorts of covers, bands, & edge rubbers available - plus riot control options neck cover and visor, or enhanced face protection anti-mine visor - and it fits over bowman style headsets comfortably and, with a bit of messing about to get the straps right, with a lower face mask too.

Unfortunately the "sweats like a paedophile in Mothercare" part of me says I need plenty of vents in a helmet!

 

[Ian_Gere]

Actually they're not too bad for it - there's a fair bit of room between the strappage and the interior of the shell for air to circulate. Because I have long hair, the rear leather pad traps it and pulls a few more than others - it's a minor discomfort, but constant, so I needed a solution. I use the thigh of a pair of old tights stretched from the outside, over the cover but under the net and rubber edge bumper. That leaves a stretched tube inside which goes between my hair and the leather pads, which stops the hair pulling. It also impedes airflow, but even though I am that paedo in Mothercare, it's no worse than under a hat.

 

[Airsoft_Mr B]

I tried on a MK6. I looked absolutely retarded.

I guess it must've been a very large head size one?

Anyway thanks for mentioning Dragon Red Airsoft. Their budget helmets look good for the price so I might get one.

If I want a more authentic MTP loadout I will try to find a mk6 that fits me ok though.

 

[remus]

i prbably look the same but dont actually wear mine that often... also my mk6 arrived today, and as i expected came with no straps...(if your buying a helmet of ebay make sure to check the pictured one has straps or not... also whilst advertised as large the label on the inside says medium and it was too small with the liner in but ive already nearly fashioned new straps after a quick google of that they are supposed to sit like. add some foam to replace the padding, not a hard job but if your not expecting to do it, well watc out if you plan to ebay one...