Wild Country Rock Lite helmet review by Alex Ekins
31st Aug 2011
My favourite climbing helmet of all time was the original Petzl Meteor. Light, comfy and most importantly it looked super-cool. I ended up giving it to a Ugandan guide in the Rwenzori and ever since I’ve been hankering for a replacement. By default I’ve been using the strangely popular Petzl Elios which has never felt very nice to wear and because of the hard plastic interior seemed to slide around on my head. The Black Diamond Tracer seemed like a viable alternative but I never got round to getting one and just carried on using the Elios.
However earlier this year I got hold of one of the new Wild Country Rock Lite helmets. It is the most recent addition to the Wild Country range of helmets and is obviously a direct competitor to the ubiquitous Petzl models.
I have now used this helmet for via ferrata, gorge walking, instructing kids and adults, weaseling, scrambling the usual rock climbing stuff and a winter season in Scotland working for Jagged Globe . Two things are immediately obvious and thankfully I believe these two things are the most important attributes – it is very light and it is extremely comfortable to wear.
The helmet has a soft thinly padded liner which is removable for washing. The liner seems to help the helmet fit snugly and it is possible to move the head around quite violently with the chin strap undone without the helmet falling off. The chin strap has some nice foamy cover and the helmet is easily adjusted at the back with one hand.
It also seems fairly durable and I have happily used it for Scottish winter stuff, ice and mixed climbing. For extra protection if you climb in areas with a high risk of rock fall or for the Alps and winter climbing, you can retro fit the Alpine shield which adds an outer layer of extra protection. The helmet also has very secure head torch attachment slots.
The Rock Lite is now my new favourite helmet – it doesn’t weigh much, it’s very nice to wear and it’s usable all year round for a mix of rock and snow based activities.
You can read more about Alex Ekins on his website www.alexekins.com
And you can see a selection of Alex's awesome outdoor photos here:
http://www.wildcountry.co.uk/community/gallery/alex-ekins-gallery/
