Helmet Cooling
 

I live in Arizona so I have one incredibly hot summer to live through each year, which I'm cool with since I love it here, but helmets suck. It's not really even that hot out right now but inside my helmet reminds me of an old D.A.R.E. commercial about my brain, drugs, and something about a frying pan.

I wanted to put something cool inside the helmet that would help keep it that way. I thought about those ice cube packs, but those are thick. I then remembered my Mom having these face masks that covered mainly the surrounding areas of your eyes. If you haven't slept in a couple days these actually come in handy.

http://www.aspshop.net/customs-whole...-mask-6459.htm

So I went to Wally world and bought two of em and cut the straps off. If you see one close, you can see where to cut. I then put them behind the padding inside the helmet so they'd stay put. I started with the cheeks but they didn't stay as well and it didn't cool as efficiently.

I then tried with one right at the forehead part just above the viewing area, and then another that would sit in the back of the helmet that would rest against the divit in your neck where your spine connects to your skull.

This works incredibly well, and all you gotta do is toss these things in the freezer for 20 minutes or in the fridge for a couple hours/over night. Now I just gotta find something for the cheeks.

So with all this said, perhaps this may help someone, and while the topic is fresh, anyone have any other DIY/commerical cooling ideas for the helmets?

Doesn't that mess with the comfort of the helmet?



I've got a Scorpion EXO-1000, and its got a ton of vents in it. I've had it out in the high-90's, ( I know the tmps in AZ exceed that occasionally), and I'm never really dying in the thing unless I'm sitting at a light for too long. Maybe you just need a more area-appropriate helmet?

From a guy that's ridden in AZ (Gila Bend too), I can understand your plight. ;-)

The UA-type skull caps are good for helping keeping your noggin cool as well.

I am from North Texas so I understand the heat. I have an Icon Domain and have no problems with heat as long as I am moving.

You could always wire in a small battery operated fan into the chin guard area. Use something small like a fan from a computer or other electronic device.

^^ I did that once on a paintball mask to prevent it from fogging. It worked pretty well, but I don't know where you would put it on a bike helmet.

Entity-unknown, how long do the ice packs last before they start to get warm again? Just curious, I live in Canada so this is seldom an issue.

Be VERY careful with placing frozen items in contact with your head/neck.
You can get meningoencephalitis - brain swelling - as a result.(The brain tells the body it's cool, so adjusts your body temp to suit.) Or so I'm told by people who know.......
Not a good thing.

We ride in similar heat to you - I find a soaking wet shirt inside my jacket keeps me cool for around 100 miles, or until I find another garden hose................
Far better than cooling your head IMO.

Pete was describing evaporating cooling , which is prolly the best way to go , rather than freezing vital parts ! , but hey guy's , at the end of the day , if the temp is up and over 36C , which it gets to here quite often , **** riding !!!.... I ride for pleasure:icon_mrgreen:!!! , some ride because they have too as there main type of transport and that's fine , but if you have a bloody choice?? , bugger sweating to death for any reason just for a quick run I recon .... that's what aircon in cars are for !!! lololol

In Aus , I can tell you, that most of the summer its is way too hot to just crack the bike out at midday for a run , unless you have a brain disorder ...:icon_mrgreen:
A quick run very early is nice , before the sun gets nasty or the cops are active !!! *****

Quite allot of maintenance and stuff is all I do when its blisteringly hot here ...

You would install it right on the chin guard. I forgot which company it was, but one helmet brand actually sold helmets that had fans in them and they were mounted in the chin guard. from the outside you would never know there was a fan in it. That was a few years ago already. they even make motocross style goggles with fans in them.