Climbing Helmet
Black Diamond Vapor Helmet
$140, 7.5 oz. (M/L)
Sizes: S/M (21-23 ins./53-59 cm), M/L (23-25 ins./58-63 cm)
blackdiamondequipment.com
I’m afraid to put this new helmet down somewhere and take my eyes of it: My climbing partners unabashedly confess how covetous they are of it. After wearing the Vapor for several days of rock climbing at Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve, Castle Rocks State Park, and Mores Mountain, I’m quite loathe to lose it. Those included a couple of hot days baking under the desert sun, one of them on the five-pitch route Sinocranium on Steinfell’s Dome at the City. The Vapor is hands-down the coolest, lightest, and most comfortable climbing helmet I’ve ever worn—by comparison, much more comfortable than BD’s older Half Dome helmet, which I’ve worn for years.