Do I finally need to replace my beloved helmet?

I love my Petzl Elios helmet, purchased new in 2015, but I recently noticed that the foam inside is cracked and now holds on by one little piece... Can I just glue it back together?

Aside from the cracks, the foam isn't disintegrating or anything like that and the mechanism holding the helmet to my head (separate from the foam) still works great. So as long as the foam stays between the shell of the helmet and my dome, I should be fine.....right?

 Obviously... YER GONNA DIE... but seriously, should I stop being sentimental about my well-adventured helmet and just get a new one, or is it fine?

P.S. I'll upload a picture when MP stops giving me an error code......

I believe that the general consensus around these parts is that if you have any doubts on the integrity of your gear, it's time to retire it. 

Cracks in the foam and being held on by one section would certainly qualify for retirement in my view. 

Happy climbing. 

Gosh Glance wrote:

should I stop being sentimental about my well-adventured helmet brain and skull

yes

Sounds like yours might be pretty beat haha, but I am curious about this one. Mine has a few dents in the plastic for sure from ice, but structurally is fine. Since these are not ski helmets really rated for impact, and really just for rockfall, if it is structurally sound does it need replacement? I feel like I would be much quicker to replace a ski helmet than a rock one?

Norbert Stark wrote:

I believe that the general consensus around these parts is that if you have any doubts on the integrity of your gear, it's time to retire it. 

Cracks in the foam and being held on by one section would certainly qualify for retirement in my view. 

Happy climbing. 

Agreed- I'm generally a huge proponent of replacing gear earlier rather than later, especially with ropes, harnesses and other gear. I even tend to stick to the 5-year replacement cycle of my cam slings and quickdraw dogbones, regardless of how they look and ignoring firsthand, eye witness knowledge of cams and draws repeatedly holding big ass whips despite having 15+ year old slings.

But to Pat's point above, a helmet is not a load-bearing soft good, nor are they rated for serious falls like a bike/ski helmet... Maybe I'm just justifying a silly desire to keep using an old helmet, but I assume manufacturers use some kind of adhesive (comparable to glue) to hold together the synthetic rubber particles that compose commercial foam, so just curious what you MP "experts" think about superglue/equivalent as a bandaid.

I'll probably just replace it, but this helmet has been part of some really great memories, so didn't want to just immediately commit to consumerism. I know if I ask REI, they'll just upsell me on a $200 ultralight one that probably doesn't work as well or last as long.

MIPS is a new technology for your cranium, https://mipsprotection.com/  Definitely consider upgrading.  

I’m not going to read a single word beyond your thread title and be able to answer “yes”. Any time you start to question the condition of your gear, my rule is you replace it.

Pete S wrote:

MIPS is a new technology for your cranium, https://mipsprotection.com/  Definitely consider upgrading.  

To my understanding of MIPS it is more for protection of the spine w headfirst impacts- ie over the handlebars of your bike. If your rope cuts and you fall off a climb, MIPS ain’t saving you. Not trying to promote being sketchy here, more just wondering how much climbing helmets really do. I wear mine basically only when concerned about rockfall, so not when I am out slabbing on granite in little cottonwood. Yes your foot could catch behind the rope and flip you, but realistically, is 90% of a helmet while climbing not for falling objects?

Pat Marrinan wrote:

To my understanding of MIPS it is more for protection of the spine w headfirst impacts- ie over the handlebars of your bike. If your rope cuts and you fall off a climb, MIPS ain’t saving you. Not trying to promote being sketchy here, more just wondering how much climbing helmets really do. I wear mine basically only when concerned about rockfall, so not when I am out slabbing on granite in little cottonwood. Yes your foot could catch behind the rope and flip you, but realistically, is 90% of a helmet while climbing not for falling objects?

For me safety is a big deal.  Before dismissing and spraying options, maybe actually go to the site and learn the facts?  Then feel free to spray away.  would love to hear why someone should not have the safest helmet!?!!   FYI, my profile pic is Mammut Wallrider, w MIPS system, picked it up from Mountain Gear a few years ago for $125 on sale.  

Pete S wrote:

...would love to hear why someone should not have the safest helmet!?!!

Because no one really knows which one is the safest.

Pete S wrote:

For me safety is a big deal.  Before dismissing and spraying options, maybe actually go to the site and learn the facts?  Then feel free to spray away.  would love to hear why someone should not have the safest helmet!?!!   FYI, my profile pic is Mammut Wallrider, w MIPS system, picked it up from Mountain Gear a few years ago for $125 on sale.  

I am not dismissing anything. Safety is important for me too, I work in wilderness medicine. I am just saying a climbing helmet is not going to save your life in an impact as a ski helmet might, so I might prioritize my limited gear funds toward a new harness or rope over a helmet. If you have a different interpretation of MIPS or climbing helmets, please share!

Foam (like that used in helmets) degrades over time. I replaced my cycling helmets regularly for this reason, even when I didn't crash on them. Foam is also not really inspectable -- you can't always tell if it's damaged just by looking at it. It works by absorbing the force of an impact which compresses the foam, thereby reducing its future effectiveness.

I have a simond helmet that fell off my head and tumbled 250m bouncing a bit and landing in the snow on the glacier beneath, the foam appears to be unharmed but now rattles around inside the shell, I would be happy to use it, gives similar protection to mips in my mind. 

But yeah you should replace your helmet

Pat Marrinan wrote:

 If you have a different interpretation of MIPS or climbing helmets, please share!

It's not down to interpretation, you're factually wrong.

Rotational forces occur in every impact that isn't dead center regardless if it's you impacting rock or the rock impacting you. 

I'll second the MIPS recommendation. Soon it will be in every helmet, because it makes too much sense to not have it...

I have the BD Vision MIPS helmet. It is by far the worst fitting BD helmet in their lineup for me. It lacks the adjustable back strap, so it is kinda floppy. Anybody have a favorite MIPS helmet? 

Call Petzl and ask them?

Pat Marrinan wrote:

I am not dismissing anything. Safety is important for me too, I work in wilderness medicine. I am just saying a climbing helmet is not going to save your life in an impact as a ski helmet might, so I might prioritize my limited gear funds toward a new harness or rope over a helmet. If you have a different interpretation of MIPS or climbing helmets, please share!

If you want ski helm protection, there are helmets rated for climbing and skiing.

Pat Marrinan wrote:

To my understanding of MIPS it is more for protection of the spine w headfirst impacts- ie over the handlebars of your bike. If your rope cuts and you fall off a climb, MIPS ain’t saving you. Not trying to promote being sketchy here, more just wondering how much climbing helmets really do. I wear mine basically only when concerned about rockfall, so not when I am out slabbing on granite in little cottonwood. Yes your foot could catch behind the rope and flip you, but realistically, is 90% of a helmet while climbing not for falling objects?

I'm not sure of percentages, but there are plenty of cases of climbers being saved from death or very serious injury thanks to helmets in non-rockfall situations. If in doubt, check out ANAC stories from the past. Helmets are not just for rockfall, and they're always a good idea. This is especially true of newer impact-rated climbing helmets which are more than just hard hats. Unless you're free soloing, in which case YGD.

And, to the original question, yes... definitely a good idea to replace your helmet. The force-dissipation effect of helmets generally works by directing that energy into breaking the foam. Since your foam is already broken, it stands to reason that the force dissipation effect is severely reduced.

Chris C wrote:

I have the BD Vision MIPS helmet. It is by far the worst fitting BD helmet in their lineup for me. It lacks the adjustable back strap, so it is kinda floppy. Anybody have a favorite MIPS helmet? 

Agreed! I am also apparently in between sizes for this helmet, while the Vector line fits great. so weird.

In most of the places I climb, I place far more importance on fall protection than on falling rock protection. Possibly because, BITD, I had a friend die at Hueco Tanks from head impact. When I started leading I used a BMX helmet. The climbing/skiing helmet options available today are the best option I believe. At the moment I'm using a BD Vector for both. Once it gives up the ghost, I'll look at a ski/climb option.