GearFlogger

Melon Urban Active Bike Helmet

Brain bucket, noodle, noggin, or crown, whatever you call it you want to protect your brain housing group, and you do that with a skid lid, brain sponge, or if you're wearing camo for a living, dome of obedience.

The aptly-named Melon Helmets makes some great helmets, and our Littleflogger has been rocking the Urban Active bike/skate model in a very handsome camouflage blue. If camo ain't your thang, never fear, Melon has a wide selection of cool colors and patterns to choose from.

FYI this is not a MIPS helmet, which if you're not familiar with the technology you can learn everything you possibly need to know from our friends at Cycling News, who btw pointed us to the very cool website Virginia Tech Helmet Ratings. The tl;dr is that the most protection comes just from wearing a high quality, CCEN/CPSC certified helmet. If it has the MIPS liner to reduce rotational impact forces, great, but you don't need to rush out and replace your perfectly good non-MIPS helmet if it's a good make/model. The Melon has plenty of safety and style awards, so you're good to go with Melon for sure.

The Urban Active is more than just good looks. It has a couple of great features that will be appreciated by adults and kids alike, the Spin Dial for dialing in the fit and the Fidlock magnetic buckle. Airflow is great with a dozen 1cm holes  arranged in pairs on the centerline front to back, and they even throw in a spare set of 8mm Coolmax liners in addition to the 5mm set that come already mounted on the helmet.

The Urban Active is a comfortable and lightweight helmet, and with the easy adjustments it's as close to grab-and-go as helmets get, so no more excuses from adults or kids. Not that you'll want to leave it behind, because as I believe we did already mention, it's so good lookin'.

$119.99 at Melon Helmets

Freetown Lumiere MIPS Bike Helmet

Biking is a great escape in these trying times. Flying down a mountain trail, feeling the wind in your hair and the tree trunk in your face... You are wearing a helmet, right? If you need to update to the latest helmet technology, Costco has a smoking deal for you.

We found the Freetown Lumiere MIPS helmet on sale for a ridiculously low $19.99, which qualifies as an impulse buy for a MIPS helmet. Once we got it home and got it on we were impressed with the fit and features of the Lumiere. MIPS stands for multi-directional impact protection system, and it's designed to alleviate the rotational force from impacts at an angle, which are the most common. If you're getting a new helmet, it really should include this technology, which is simple and adds almost no weight or bulk: it's really just a thin plastic inner liner that will allow the outer shell to slide a bit on impact.

The Lumiere has decent padding and a comfortable chin strap, as well as a dial adjustment for size. Ventilation is good, with large holes in all the right places. Freetown even throws in a nice in a nice integrated five-LED red light on the back, with bright solid and flashing modes. The helmet is sized for youth to adults and worked for everyone in our family. If you have a large head it might not size up enough, but if you normally wear a M/L or smaller the Lumiere is a great choice and a bargain to boot.

$19.99 (on sale from $39.99) at Costco

Giro Chronicle MIPS Bike Helmet

Back in the dinosaur days, there was an advertising campaign for helmets that billed them as "courage for your brain." Courage is fine, but what's even better is straight-up armor, and the best brain buckets these days use MIPS: multi-directional impact protection system.

MIPS is basically a helmet within a helmet. The outer part rotates around the inner part to dissipate the force of impacts at an angle, which are most impacts for heads that are moving. Giro has always been a leader in helmet design, and so no surprise they've got a bunch of MIPS helmets including three mountain bike models.

The Giro Chronicle is the middle of the three. It's a great helmet, providing maximum protection with minimum fuss. The liner is comfortable, the adjustments easy and the goggle compatible visor has three different positions: all the way up for maximum visibility and cooling, all the way down for shade. The 14 vents provide generous airflow without sacrificing protection, and the chin strap is a set-it and forget it design.

One thing about the Chronicle that we really appreciate is how far down the back of the helmet extends. It provides a lot of coverage for the tender part of the base of your skull, something not all helmets do. If it's time to upgrade your melon cover, definitely go MIPS and definitely put the Giro Chronicle at the top of your list.

$109.95 at Backcountry

Sweet Protection Trooper MIPS Helmet

A good brain bucket is safety equipment numero uno on any alpine skier's list. The new thing in helmet design is MIPS: Multi-directional Impact Protection System. It basically involves an inner liner and outer shell that can move separately, so that the force of an impact at an angle - which most impacts are - is dissipated somewhat, instead of all going straight to your head.

Sweet Protection is a top tier helmet maker, and they cut no corners with the Trooper MIPS. It's just a tad on the heavy side - 24 ounces - but that's really just about 8oz heavier than the lightest MIPS helmets out there. The simple physics is that a heavier, bulkier helmet is going to offer more protection, all else being equal. Get a stronger neck we say.

The size M/L adjusts from 55-59cm which is pretty much a normal range, and it feels true to size. You always want your helmet as snug as possible without being uncomfortable, and you shouldn't have any problem dialing in the fit on the Trooper, especially since they include some padding inserts for the truly picky. The adjustment system is slightly wonky, but not a big deal since usually you just set it and forget it anyway. The earmuffs are hollowed out in the center, which makes them less warm than a fully padded ear cover but on the plus side you can hear better, and if earbuds are your thing it'll fit better.

The Trooper doesn't feel that heavy or bulky on the head, even after a long day of skiing. It's extremely comfortable, and the venting system is top-notch. The finish is slick, so make sure goggles and headlamps have sticky straps. It comes with a white cover bag. Minor nitpicks don't detract from the facts: the Trooper MIPS is among the best options out there for protecting the most valuable part of your anatomy not directly related to reproduction. And the Trooper is a damn good-looking helmet, so maybe it'll help there too.

$223.96 (on sale from $319.95) at Backcountry

Smith Variant Brim snow helmet

Move over, Ponch and Jon: CHIPs has nothing on Smith when it comes to helmet design. A lot of snow helmets these days look like rejected Borg technology, but Smith's Variant Brim is a smooth operator with a seamless melding of form and function.

The ABS/InMold PC shell and EPS liner make an effective brain bucket that doesn't sacrifice comfort. The big plush ear covers and chin strap are comfy cozy, and if you start to overheat just pop open the 16-vent configuration. Straps are all adjustable for the perfect fit, and the goggle retaining strap will keep your eye pro strapped on.

The Variant is available without a brim, but why go there? It cuts down glare, especially in low-sun-angle conditions, and it plain looks cool. Plus it adds authenticity to the CHIPs roleplaying the SheFlogger likes after hours... what, I was speeding? But I'm broke, how will I pay my ticket? Comes with a high quality helmet cover for storage.

$104.96 (on sale from $149.95) at Backcountry Outlet

Petzl Meteor III helmet

Brain buckets are a must-have piece of kit for most climbers, and Petzl has always been a leader in protecting your gray matter. The Meteor III is their latest and greatest entry into the gear fray, and chances are you'll either love it or hate it.

First, the hatemonger perspective. Compared to the Petzl Elios the Meteor is slightly larger, awkward to adjust using one hand, comes in only one size and color and costs $30 more.

Now, the love-in. Again compared to the Elios the Meteor is significantly lighter (8.2oz versus 12.3oz), has better ventilation, has slightly more padding on the inside and has significantly more coverage of your brain housing group with the thick foam coming all the way down to the lip of the helmet a la bicycle style.

In my opinion the lighter weight and increased coverage of the Meteor make it worth the extra money, and it has replaced the Elios in my gear bag.

$89.00 at REI

Petzl Elios helmet

The marketing buzz is "more than just a foam helmet with a hard shell." Which is a little strange, because upon examination that's exactly what it appears to be. But as the kids say these days, whatevs.

I find it hard to get excited about a helmet, although I'll give the highest praise I can think of to the Elios: I don't notice it at all when I'm wearing it. Petzl knows what they're doing with climbing gear, and there are many thoughtful touches on this helmet: one-hand adjustment of the headband, great ventilation and lightweight at about 13oz.

It's also available in youth sizing, and with a face shield for use in ice climbing and, presumably, riot control applications.

$59.95 a REI