In reply to TobyA: Hi,i would like to add a few things here..
I have a grivel air tech which i bought mainly for protection on rock but also use it for winter,the headlamp attachments are crap and the plastic studs that hold the adjustment cradle both snapped and i replaced them with plastic number plate bolts,now one side of the adjuster slide has snapped half way through,this im sure is with repeated folding in the helmet when being packed,it still kinda works but im in the market for another.
I tried a few helmets on the other week and realised a few things to look out for..
Of course fit,how it sits on your head,does it wobble when fastened up and how high it sits on your head etc,not all helmets fit everyone.
As the review says helmet clips can work or be total crap.
Does the helmet adjuster at the rear fold into the helmet easily (the meteor is designed with this in mind)or is there resistance and maybe plastic parts that will fatigue and break eventually (like mine).
Does it restict your vision,i say this because apart from the meteor sitting on top of my head and just looking wrong i found the meteor to restrict my vision when looking straight up (like you would when climbing) quite badly,shame because im a fan of petzl in general.
Volume,something i never thought of before,my air tech and the meteor are quite bulky,not noticable at all until you put your hood over it,now all the manufacturers like to say there hoods are helmet compatible but in my experience a large volume helmet will fill a hood to the point where there is some restiction in movement.
Its funny how you say the el cap was big,did you mean inside ?,i tried the smaller sized el cap on but on more or less full adjustment and i was shocked how low volume it was.it was easily the most slimline helmet i tried on and wished that i had my jacket with me to try it with a hood,will def take my jacket with me next time.
Im quite keen on the el cap,but as you rightly point out i could also do with a new eps style helmet for rock if i buy an el cap, but at least that could prob wait till next spring.
cheers cliff....