Re: [Paddlewise] Helmet and nose

----- Original Message -----
From: "M. Wagenbach" <wagen_at_u.washington.edu>
> Raising the question:  How often do you need a helmet when you DON'T also
> need an attached facemask?
>

Mike,
That's a tough call in the surf. A lot of kayak surfers use Gath helmets
that are very close fitting because they say that any kind of protrusion in
the helmet creates a LOT of drag when a wave closes out on your head. I
haven't experienced this myself, but my self-preservation instinct may
prevent me from experiencing dumping waves that big. Still, I would imagine
that were this true, then a face mask would greatly exacerbate the problem.


> I've resisted adding a mask to my helmet, mostly because I would feel
> self-concious that I don't measure up to the more hardcore WW paddlers who
> most often sport them.
>

There's no shame in being a safety geek. Anyone who teases you for this
ought to really hope that they don't need a rescue from you later. :)

> However, there must be more risk of snagging the mask on something
> and tweaking your neck.

This is the common reservation against face masks. I think that the risk of
bashing your face is far greater unless you paddle narrow, brushy creeks on
a regular basis. My facemask saved my face from one good impact last year on
the White Salmon when one munchy hole had me for lunch. You could also go
with the Cascade helment which has a motorcycle style facemask which
probably has less of a chance of being snagged. My problem with this
facemask is that nobody can see when you are smiling.

Cheers,
Kevin



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