6.6 is the number of the beast. Sure, we dropped a six, but how else to explain the weight in ounces of the new Black Diamond Vapor brain bucket? Clearly someone sold their soul to make this puppy.
The Vapor features an EPS foam liner molded into a polycarbonate shell. You'd expect a featherweight helmet like this to sacrifice something, but we're still searching. The fit is perfect, low-profile and over the ears. A ratcheting crown band has these very cool pinch-grips that allow you to tighten or loosen with no screwing around - seriously, you have to try it. Once on the Vapor has the best feel of any climbing helmet we've ever worn, more like a very expensive biking helmet.
There are even four little headlamp clips that are removable, supposedly to save weight but at less than a quarter ounce for the quartet just fix 'em and forget 'em. The venting is great, and what more can we really say except you will literally forget it's on your head. And did we mention the colors? This may just be a gear-gasm but it seems like BD paid a little more attention than normal to the finish, which is race-car beautiful. Sexy, smart and supermodel-thin. The Vapor sits squarely atop the helmet heap, and it should be sitting squarely atop your noggin.
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