Maybe you can help? (Missing width/length specifications in climbing helmets)

Update:

I've put together this spreadsheet -- Collection of Rock Climbing Helmets -- that I'm happy to maintain that shows specs of all the helmets. It looks like this. I've grabbed specs from the not-so-helpful manufacturing websites. If anyone is willing to measure your helmet(s), please kindly contribute the information via this Climbing Helmet Database Intake Form. 

The Original Impetus:

No shop around me stocks a meaningful amount of climbing helmets. Basically, it's almost impossible to try them, esp. the high end ones, before making a purchase. The published sizing guide at the most talks about circumference. No specifications talk about width and length of the helmet opening. As a result, all the helmets I've owned do not fit well, and even make my head hurt. While searching online, I encountered this blog post that talks about "Asian Fit". I'm probably more Asian than a typical Asian in terms of head dimensions. The article specifically states, "This is a phenomenon alien to most non-Asian people." So, please have some empathy if you can't relate. Here is an image from that post.

In the past few years, I've been using this old style Petzl Sirocco Size 1 (48cm) helmet. The length (measured here at around 8") is too long so the helmet tilts fore and aft too easily, which is annoying. The width (measured here at 6.5") is too small. I already shaved off quite a bit to widen it, and it still pinches my temples and gives me headache. I tend to leave my helmet on the ground because of that. I can't use Size 2 as my head just disappears in the bucket. 

It's time to upgrade my helmet to a new one, but I know the next one will be just as uncomfortable if not more so. The question is which one is least uncomfortable? The blog post links to some pretty good composition of bicycle helmets that show the length and width specifications. There is no such resource for climbing helmets. I wish they were listed in manufacture specifications. 

If possible, I would be happy to maintain such a database for rock climbing helmets, but that will require crowd sourcing measurements from the community. Do folks have good ideas how we can get this done? Are you willing to pull out your helmet and provide the measurements of the width/lenght of your helmet opening? 

Very good point! I would be curious/hopeful that people would share some measurements from their helmets. I guess I have the Asian head shape! I wonder if there are helmet models sold inAsia that would be worth checking out...

I do not climb in a helmet, largely due to the helmets being really uncomfortable. I used to think that my problem was that my head was too small, and back in the day when I was first looking for helmets hard shels were the norm, and the kid climbing helmet selection was even smaller (read non-existent) than adult size. I've had my hard-shell Petzl Elios that I had grudgingly put on on multipitch routes when I was worried about rock fall, and considered the rock fall risk worth the neck pain, but it doesn't make a crag appearance for sport climbing.

But over the years, as the helmets became more common, I had tried every helmet I had come across, at demo's, events, and in stores. And even the ones that should theoretically fit right, based on the circumference, always feel painfully tight in the side/temple region, while being too big in the front/back dimension. 

Just curious if you've tried any helmets from Chinese or Japanese companies (though I'm sure it's difficult to find those stateside), and if those tend to fit any better? Or any Asian company? I haven't heard of Asian climbing manufacturers outside of those countries.

Montbell Japan ships internationally and has Asian fit helmets for pretty much every activity: https://www.montbell.com/jp/en/products/list?c=47 

Eli W wrote:

Montbell Japan ships internationally and has Asian fit helmets for pretty much every activity: https://www.montbell.com/jp/en/products/list?c=47 

The only viable rock climbing helmet from them is the first one "Light Weight Alpine Helmet". Just like all other brands, they only use head circumference for sizing. Unsure of width/length.

Over here (in the US), I have not seen any helmet made by an Asian manufacturer targeted for the Asian market. 

Mei pronounced as May wrote:

Are you willing to pull out your helmet and provide the measurements of the width/lenght of your helmet opening? 

I’ll grab the BD Capitan MIPS for you. Stay tuned. 

The Wild Country helmet I have has straps inside that seem to allow for a little flexibility in shaping the part that sits on my noggin

Thanks all for the input. I've updated the original post to solicit for community contributions. The width/length measurements are for the bowl opening. For some of us, when that opening is the wrong shape, no amount of strap adjustment/padding/shaving can help.