Military personnel can be thankful because they don’t need to choose combat helmets for themselves. A quartermaster will simply share the gear you get from above with the troops. But, when you need to choose your own, you might need to employ some tricks.
Thankfully, most models of helmets will serve their primary purpose of protecting your head from projectiles and shrapnel. But, the best helmets will be the ones that will fit your head, your gear, and your mission perfectly.
Currently, there are three main categories of models when it comes to ballistic helmets:
- Low-cut
- Mid-cut
- High-cut
As gear changes over time, there are currently few mid-cut models available. Those in the market to buy a ballistic helmet will have a wide selection of advantages depending on the model. And, if they follow the tricks below the choice will be much simpler.
Ideally, you will want to test each model with the gear you have. Regretfully, as most people purchase online that would be a tedious process. Because of that, you need to have some preliminary standards that will let you know if the model you are seeing is the model for you.
#1 Go Bottom Up
While counter-intuitive, this is the best way to figure out what type and model of helmet you might need. For instance, if you are only wearing a plate carrier without neck protection, you probably know you won’t be facing traps and explosives and need a high-cut type.
Beards and facial hair are usually not the best idea when wearing helmets. But, if you have one you will need to find something that will hold your chin without pulling.
Finally, there is the gear, and if you want to wear things like headphones and large radio comms you won’t be able to fit them to a low-cut even if it is prudent for the situation. In that case, you will need external covers.
#2 Plan Gear in Advance
Same as with headphones, it would be best to plan other gear in advance as well. Thankfully, this will make for an easy solution as not all helmets are good for all gear.
Generally, those with a lot of gear needed on their head, including NWG and tactical gear attached to the Picatinny rails, will usually need a high-cut model with ample padding. The Pick rails can be added externally, as is the case with the BHBH™ Boltless High-Cut Ballistic Helmet from https://uarmprotection.com/ , which does give more structural integrity to the outer shell.
But, if your gear is internal and you need protection from top-down explosives it would be much better to go with a low-cut that will cover more of your head.
#3 Always Look for Padding
Finally, the type of padding used in a helmet might just be the most important thing when it comes to ballistic helmets in both private and national militaries. Because people have different shapes, the padding inside needs to be modular.
Generally, this is the only way to adapt the helmet exactly to your comfort and keep it balanced over prolonged periods.
Military personnel can be thankful because they don’t need to choose combat helmets for themselves. A quartermaster will simply share the gear you get from above with the troops. But, when you need to choose your own, you might need to employ some tricks.
Thankfully, most models of helmets will serve their primary purpose of protecting your head from projectiles and shrapnel. But, the best helmets will be the ones that will fit your head, your gear, and your mission perfectly.
Currently, there are three main categories of models when it comes to ballistic helmets:
- Low-cut
- Mid-cut
- High-cut
As gear changes over time, there are currently few mid-cut models available. Those in the market to buy a ballistic helmet will have a wide selection of advantages depending on the model. And, if they follow the tricks below the choice will be much simpler.
Ideally, you will want to test each model with the gear you have. Regretfully, as most people purchase online that would be a tedious process. Because of that, you need to have some preliminary standards that will let you know if the model you are seeing is the model for you.
#1 Go Bottom Up
While counter-intuitive, this is the best way to figure out what type and model of helmet you might need. For instance, if you are only wearing a plate carrier without neck protection, you probably know you won’t be facing traps and explosives and need a high-cut type.
Beards and facial hair are usually not the best idea when wearing helmets. But, if you have one you will need to find something that will hold your chin without pulling.
Finally, there is the gear, and if you want to wear things like headphones and large radio comms you won’t be able to fit them to a low-cut even if it is prudent for the situation. In that case, you will need external covers.
#2 Plan Gear in Advance
Same as with headphones, it would be best to plan other gear in advance as well. Thankfully, this will make for an easy solution as not all helmets are good for all gear.
Generally, those with a lot of gear needed on their head, including NWG and tactical gear attached to the Picatinny rails, will usually need a high-cut model with ample padding. The Pick rails can be added externally, as is the case with the BHBH™ Boltless High-Cut Ballistic Helmet from https://uarmprotection.com/ , which does give more structural integrity to the outer shell.
But, if your gear is internal and you need protection from top-down explosives it would be much better to go with a low-cut that will cover more of your head.
#3 Always Look for Padding
Finally, the type of padding used in a helmet might just be the most important thing when it comes to ballistic helmets in both private and national militaries. Because people have different shapes, the padding inside needs to be modular.
Generally, this is the only way to adapt the helmet exactly to your comfort and keep it balanced over prolonged periods.
