UKC

I've had my Elios for almost a decade now and have been meaning to replace it for a while. I fancy something lightweight and have shortlisted the Petzl Sirocco, BD Vapor or Grivel Stealth. Having difficulty choosing between them - does anyone have any first-hand experience or advice?

The Sirocco would be the winner I think, but I can't help but feel that wearing a black helmet in the blazing sun on a glacier in the middle of summer is a poor idea. I've been put of the Vapor by reports that they crack very easily, and there's nowhere nearby I can try the Stealth on to ensure a comfortable fit.

Any thoughts?

No suggestions, but I'm in a similar boat - I want something lighter than my old Ecrin Roc with better side impact protection.

Mammut Wall Rider

The sirrocco also comes in white.

I replaced a broken elios with an orange sirocco four years ago and it has been excellent - light, comfy and cool. The straps also don't interfere with glasses if that is if any consequence to you.

The newer version looks even better on paper as it's lower at the back...

I've just managed to crack my second BD Vapor.  Not even sure how I managed to damage this one.  So yes, they do seem to have an issue with being easy to damage. 

I've just been given a white sirocco, it's lovely. 

I've been using a Mammut wall rider for the past few months and it is excellent. Really nice just having fabric straps to adjust the size, not the easiest to adjust on the go, but once done is barely noticeable. 

Been using a petzl Meteor for a few years now. Love it. So light you barely notice its on an, so far, has proved to be durable. Looks pretty good too.... and very easy to adjust.

I've just bought my second BD Vapor. I love it because its so light and comfy I often forget that I'm wearing it (except on very hot days when the headband gets sweaty against the forehead - this seems unavoidable). I have to admit though that I had to replace the previous one because it was in a very sad state after c. 3 years of abuse. To be fair I used it for cragging all over the UK, mountaineering in Italy and France, ice climbing, Scottish winter and skiing so I don't feel like it did too badly.

I've haven't tried the new Sirocco but heard good things about it and would be tempted if the durability compared favourably. 

I have the Grivel Stealth. It's light and comfy, but it's a bit tight with a hat under it (my head is big and round; a more elongated head would probably fare better) so I only use it in summer

It hasn't had a lot of use, since I'm only just starting climbing (so it's probably got about 2 weeks of use in total), but I've already managed to put a couple of noticeable dents and 'bruises' in the plastic shell from hitting some overhanging bits a couple of times. I probably wouldn't buy one if I was looking for ultimate durability (I've taken similar hits while wearing my BD Half Dome and it marked up far less)

That being said, I think it looks cool so when it's time to replace it I'll be getting another

Oh, I'm sure they didn't exist when I last looked! That puts the Sirocco in the lead - although that said, I don't really want my lid to be snow-coloured either. Call me particular or just plain weird, but I like to do everything possible to make myself visible to...whoever might need to look for me.

I think I'm going to discount the Vapor on the basis that it's both really quite expensive and apparently not particularly durable.

I don't think that will be an issue for me - I have a thin Powerstretch liner that I wear if the conditions warrant it, but otherwise I avoid having hats under helmets because I'm never happy with how they sit on top. I use some combination of my plethora of hoods instead.

I might have to order a Stealth and see if it suits.

The white sirocco has an orange top...

That's a very good point...

I'd third the recommendation of the Mammut Wall Rider

Really comfortable once you've got the straps adjusted to fit, very lightweight. Similar concept to the new Sirocco but the hard plastic part on top is a bit thicker.

How do you find the headtorch clips? OutdoorGearLab suggests they're not fantastic, which is a bit of a downside for me. That said, I'm sure the same was said about the Stealth. It's not the be-all-and-end-all (I mean how many times do you put on or remove your headtorch each day?), but it'd definitely be a small downside.

The clip on the back is bery secure, the attachments on the front are more like ‘guides’. I think the idea is that the headtorch rests on the lip of the helmet and the tabs just stop it popping off the top. I haven’t used the feature though yet.