Snowmobile Helmets

Just like a motorcycle or ATV helmet, a snowmobile helmet’s primary job is protecting your head. But snow means winter, and unlike street and trail oriented helmets that might only be used occasionally in cold weather, frigid temperatures are a snowmobile helmet’s natural environment, so along with protecting your noggin, a snowmobile helmet must also have features that enable it, and you, to effectively perform in the cold. We offer full face, modular, and dual sport snowmobile helmets that will provide impact protection and shield your face from icy wind, help to keep your head warm, and prevent shield fogging that could obstruct your vision.

The anti-fog and insulating measures are the main differences between snowmobile helmets and motorcycle helmets. When the temperature drops, the moisture from your breath will condense on the inside of a cold face shield on a motorcycle helmet, causing the shield to fog up and dangerously impair your vision. Some motorcycle helmet face shields have anti-fog coatings or provisions for the attachment of an accessory anti-fog shield, but these may be ineffective in the severe cold that’s typical for snowmobile riding. Snowmobile helmets deal with shield fogging in 2 ways. A dual pane face shield, also called a dual lens or double shield, consists of 2 panes of scratch and UV resistant plastic separated by a layer of gas, which acts as an insulator to prevent fogging. If you ride in extreme low temperature conditions, then choose a helmet with an electrically heated face shield. An electric shield contains heating elements that function like the rear window defogger in a car, and it’s powered via a cord that connects to the sled’s 12-volt electrical system.

To help the dual pane or electrically heated face shield combat fogging, snowmobile helmets also come with a breath box. The breath box fits over your mouth and seals against the bridge of your nose so your breath is directed down, away from the face shield, and out the bottom of the helmet. The breath box can also help to keep your face warm, and many snowmobile helmets also feature a chin curtain to block cold air from entering the helmet. It may sound counterintuitive to allow cold air into the helmet, but snowmobile helmets also have effective ventilation systems. Warm, moist air from your breath and perspiration can build up inside the helmet and contribute to the fogging problem. The ventilation system carries out this moisture laden air, but it can also provide some welcome cooling when you’re working your body hard riding in mountainous terrain. The vent openings can be adjusted to regulate or completely close off airflow as necessary, to control temperature within the helmet.

You’ll benefit from the features described above no matter which style snowmobile helmet you choose. With their one-piece construction, built-in chin bars and integrated face shields, full face helmets provide the highest level of protection from wind, and most importantly, impact in the unfortunate case of a crash. Their enclosed design and aerodynamic shape make full face helmets warmer and much quieter than other types. The glare you can experience riding in bright sun and snow can be tough on your eyes, but it’s easy to get relief with a number of our full face helmets because they feature a convenient lever-operated internal sun visor that can be dropped down to cover your eyes when needed. The downside to a full face helmet is that if you want to eat, drink, or smoke the helmet has to come off. And with a full face helmet on it can be difficult to put on eyeglasses or carry on a conversation. If those limitations are a deal breaker for you, then maybe a modular snowmobile helmet is right for you.

The entire chin bar is hinged and flips up on modular helmets, which is why they’re also known as flip up helmets. Although the hinge and latch mechanism make a modular helmet not quite as structurally strong as a one-piece full face helmet, with the chin bar closed and latched, you get the same degree of protection against wind, and a level of impact protection and noise reduction. And when you want to enjoy a liquid refreshment, grab a quick bite, or just take a break and get some fresh air, with the push of a button you can flip up the chin bar and face shield. With a modular helmet in the open position it’s easier to make yourself heard and understood when having a conversation and you’ll have much less difficulty putting on eyeglasses; in fact, you can put some modular helmets on while wearing glasses. Like full face snowmobile helmets, many modular helmets are equipped with drop down sun visors.

A dual sport helmet resembles a dirt bike helmet, also known as a motocross or off-road helmet, except it comes with a face shield. However, if you want to wear goggles instead and have a snocross helmet look and feel, most dual sport helmets have a large eye port to accommodate goggles and on many there’s plenty of room for them when you flip up the face shield, although on some the shield must be removed. A dual sport helmet also has the pronounced peak, sometimes referred to as a visor, of a dirt bike helmet, which can help shield your eyes from the sun, and many also are equipped with drop down sun visors.

All our snowmobile helmets meet government safety standards and carry DOT (Department of Transportation) and/or ECE (Economic Commission for Europe) certifications. Most snowmobile helmets have an outer shell made of thermoplastic like ABS or polycarbonate, that is designed to spread an impact over a broad area and prevent objects from piercing the helmet. The impact absorbing liner within the helmet shell, made of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam, decreases the amount of energy transmitted to the head in the event of an impact. The helmet’s comfort liner, the padded layer that contacts your head, is made of open cell foam covered with fabric. Some comfort liner fabrics are moisture wicking to draw sweat away and make you more comfortable and some liners are antimicrobial to keep odors at bay. However, any fabric that’s continually exposed to perspiration and oils from the hair and skin is going to get funky after a while, and one of our helmets with a removable, washable liner makes getting rid of dirt and odors easy.

With Bluetooth communicators you can talk with other riders in your group and your passenger instead of using hand signals, make calls, and rock out with your favorite tunes, and many of our helmets make it easy for you to get connected. These helmets have provisions for the installation of the speakers and microphone, and some even have a recess for the controller. We offer men’s, women’s, and youth snowmobile helmets in sizes from youth small to 5X-large. Check out our collection and you’ll see we have many innovative shell shapes to choose from, and they come in a rainbow of gloss and matte solid colors, distinctive multi-color and stripe patterns, and unique graphic displays.