Petzl Elios or Black Diamond Half Dome for cragging?

What do you think?

Of the two, the elios is a better helmet IMHO. I like the strap and adjustment system better. At least the old half-domes only had a cheesy velcro system. Which one fits best?

Personally, I'd get a foamy for the lightweightness. Cragging won't require the durability of a hard shell for multiple hits like alpine.

Um...(ignorance on display) those *aren't* foamies? I thought they were. What helmets do fall in that category?

Camp USA Rock Star.

They're both hybrids with the Half Dome having a slightly burlier shell. That said, I know many people who have had "issues" with the Half Dome's durability and adjustment system. Of those two, I'd go with the Elios. In the foamy realm, a friend of mine really likes the Meteor III(?). I haven't used foamies since the hybrids came out, but that's just a personal preference thing.

It's a personal thing. I tried the half-dome, for some reason, it never felt. But when I tried elios, it just felt right. I think the adjustment on elios is better so it can fit the giant head of mine better.

The Trango Skull cap is one of the lightest foamy's out there. very low profile so it makes belaying easier on the neck, i have started to take my out on alpine routes now too due to the weight and comfort. My elios has seen the sun in about a year.

Shawn Mitchell wrote:Um...(ignorance on display) those *aren't* foamies? I thought they were. What helmets do fall in that category?

Petzl Meteor III and the BD Tracer are both foam helmets, I've been using the Meteor III and I like it a lot, very light and fits my head well. You barely notice that it's there. I wear it more often now because it is lighter and more comfortable (especially in the Rewritten area).

I have a Rock Star and its served me well. Problems I have with it.
1) I can't get a ball cap on under it based on how the headband adjustment sits on your head. (7 5/8 noggin)

2) No headlamp strap clips. Not an issue for cragging, its the principle of the matter.

Other than that it is comfortable, if not a touch heavy.

I have both the BD half dome and tracer. I would not recommend the half dome. Like others said, it never seemed to fit right. Maybe the problem is the shape of my head.

I bought the Tracer 6 months ago and have been please so far.

Base it entirely on how they fit your noggin.....I had an Elios, lost it, went to get a newer fancier lighter version and walked out with another Elios as it was still the best fitting helmet for me.

Yep, totally fit. They aren't like the Erin Roc with a simple suspension. I tried both on and the halfdome was more comfortable and had a better fit.

So it doesn't matter how much better which helmet is if it doesn't fit and isn't comfortable. I wouldn't recommend a helmet that is going to give you a headache and you constantly have to screw around with.

Same thing with boots and shoes...nothing can substitute fit.

I used to use the BD Tracer (foamy). Because of the "close to head" fit I would sweat a lot in this helmet. Also, the adjustments worked poorly. Then, the hard shell began to peel off. I knew I wanted to go back to a suspension (or hybrid). I almost bought the Elios when I found this:

.

They were having a web special (may still be) because they have no US dealers. It was only 35 bucks + 10 or so for shipping. It is similar to the Elios. I have been very pleased with it so far. As Kevin said, fit is the most important thing when it comes to a helmet. But, I decided to get this one without trying it on. I knew it would be easy to sell if it didn't fit me properly. I think they had some kind of guarantee, as well.

see it here: austrialpin.at/

+1 for going with fit. if it doesn't fit well you're more likely to leave it in the car.
I've worn both for extended periods of time. They are both comfortable for my head. neither of them have very good ventilation for hot days. I own a half dome, but I've seen them fall apart while doing gear inspections for high volume programs. the elios typically passed inspection more often. but again this was with super high volume.

Probably can't go wrong with either if it fits, but I really like my Elios. Great and lightweight. Can take some abuse with the harder shell compared to the pure foam ones. Plus, if you like ice, you can attach a visor, too.

Hey Shawn, here's some photos and thoughts to help with your decision:

One key thing i don't see mentioned allot about the Elios is the hinging of the rear adjusting headband. Here's a couple photos to save me trying to explain this:

And here's the fixed Halfdome configuration:

The fixed rear band leaves the ratchet mechanism extended, exposing it to more damage while being packed, stored, moved around, etc. The Elios rear band tucks down into the helmet when not in use thereby moving the ratchet safely inside the helmet.

The thing in particular about the Elios' rearstrap for me is that the center of this strap fits better under that little indention in the back of my skull. So that makes it fit better overall. The Black Diamond rear strap is slightly higher which is fine but the Elios being just a tad lower is better (again, on me).

Another thing is how well that little ratchet adjuster is built. Hands down, it goes to the Elios. I have another half dome on which the ratchet broke but since i found this older helmet, i can't say how much abuse it took before it finally gave up.


You can see above that the Elios is thicker, and beefier. The newer halfdome i have [pictured] is already losing the ratcheting click in the loosening direction. It still holds but i can slide it in (as in tightening it) without turning the knob now and it was slipping a bit until i applied some mineral oil to allow the ratcheting to run smoother and engage more positively.

One more point is how the rear straps connect. You can see here the Elios has the straps connected through the rear ratchet band and then into the back, center of the helmet shell. The BD has the straps connecting at roughly the same angle but connect directly to the outer shell at a location that they form a smaller angle from the chin perspective.



The result of the angle difference: The Petzl rocks slightly less and seems to be held 'down' a little better.

Other small things of mention:
As far as weight goes, i don't have a scale so i can't weigh them but closing my eyes and picking each up, i can't tell the difference. Whatever the numbers are, it's negligible.

The plastic suspension bands on both are very similar in thickness. 1.78mm on BD the and 1.58mm on the Elios.

The chin strap on the BD is about a 1/4" wider; so it's slightly more comfortable. .63" on the BD and .4" on the Elios.

The hard foam padding on the Elios is slightly softer. The Elios has two thicker/wider soft foam pads vs. the thinner, more spread out soft foam padding on the BD. In a thumping push-down comparison, the BD is much more comfortable as a result. All the weight of the Elios is basically centered on those two wider pads. I haven't worn the Elios at length yet so i can't say which is more comfortable long term.

All i can think of for now.

Hope that helps!
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Dude! I appreciate everyone's thoughts, but especially Daryl...that's extraordinary.

So, I'll go try 'em both on and probably some foamies, too. Based on the input here, I hope the Elios feels most comfortable.

See you on the rocks.