Black Diamond Capitan Rock Climbing Helmet

Curated from 103 real Reddit conversations

Refreshed on: July 6, 2024

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Black Diamond Capitan Rock Climbing Helmet

Brand: Black Diamond
Price: $69
Snoop Score:
8.3
Sentiment
8.2
Popularity
8.5
Technical
7.7
Buy on Amazon for $69See All Helmets Reviews
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Snoop's Take

The Black Diamond Capitan Rock Climbing and Mountaineering Helmet is designed to offer safety and comfort for climbers and mountaineers. With a combination of EPP, EPS, and a durable ABS shell, this helmet provides excellent protection while remaining lightweight for extended wear. Consumer feedback has highlighted several strengths of this helmet, including its lightweight design and comfort, with users stating, "I honestly forget it is on my head." Many have praised its fit for medium to large heads and the increased side impact protection it offers compared to cheaper alternatives. Users appreciate that its comfort encourages regular helmet use, which is critical for safety during climbing and mountaineering activities. Overall, the Black Diamond Capitan helmet comes highly recommended within its category, especially for those seeking a reliable and comfortable option for climbing and other outdoor adventures, making it a solid choice for both beginners and seasoned climbers alike.

Not for you? Check out our other rated Helmets

petzl meteor is either s/m or m/l. of you are in fact a straight m i recommend the black diamond one.

Positive Feedback

It does invite minor scratches.

Negative Feedback
Product
8.3
Black Diamond Capitan Rock Climbing Helmet
Buy on Amazon for $69
Sport Climbing
9 / 10
Mountaineering
9 / 10
Caving
9 / 10
Via Ferrata
10 / 10
See how this compares to all Helmets

What it does well!

Key strengths users can’t stop talking about.
Recommended for medium size fit
“petzl meteor is either s/m or m/l. of you are in fact a straight m i recommend the black diamond one.”➕
“First climbing helmet recommendations? Hey everyone! I've started climbing outside more and I'd like to buy a helmet.”➕
“For me it’s not just the circumference but also the volume and I wear a M/L BD half dome.”➕
Lightweight and comfortable
“I have the BD half dome. super comfy to me.”➕
Good side impact protection
“This helmet offers better side impact protection which a lot of cheaper hard shell helmets lack.”➕
“the helmet performed pretty well!”➕
Comfort encourages helmet use
“This. For me a slight reduction in durability (mainly cosmetic) is a small price to pay for comfort, which in turn encourages me to keep my helmet on more.”➕
“Well done on your decision to wear a helmet. The Half Dome saved my wife's life last year, though many others on the market are great picks.”➕
Good durability and shape retention
“It's pretty durable and won't show dents how you're envisioning.”➕
“Mine stays pretty clean. It isn't very porous. Also it feels surprisingly durable.”➕
Comfortable and lightweight design
“This is what we use, works well, comfortable and lightweight, ability to hook a head torch on”➕
“It's comfortable, has held up well, and is all around totally fine.”➕
Recommended for fit and usability
“Black Diamond half dome. Team has petzel helmets, but I don’t really like them.”➕
“Black Diamond Half-Dome. $60, everything you need in a helmet.”➕
Good fit for large heads
“I'm in the process of buying some gear and realized I have a huge head and it's hard to find a helmet that would fit me.”➕
“I have a older model BD foam model (tracer) primarily because it was the only foam model that fit my large head well even with a hat when I was shopping.”➕
Good performance for caving
“my only complaint is it seems to hold smells pretty bad.”➕
“There’s not really any reason to change from a half dome.”➕
Comfortable fit
“I ski with MIPS :)”➕
Encourages helmet use
“Best wishes to your daughter for a quick recovery and kudos to you for insisting she wear a helmet.”➕
Durability for hard use
“Personally, I like a helmet with a fairly robust plastic outer shell.”➕
Lightweight and comfortable design
“I honestly forget it is on my head.”➕
“I just want something lightweight and somewhat protective.”➕
“This right here. I love mine, it's great.”➕

Where it needs some work!

Areas to watch—feedback on possible improvements.
Cosmetic scratches are easily visible
“It does invite minor scratches.”➕
Preference for other brands
“Petzy Vertex vent for regular stuff, not climbing.”➕
“using SP Ascender for some time now and have no complaints, slighty heavier than standard climbing helmet but still light and can use for few different activities.”➕
Sizing may not be true to size for some
“Petrol's sizing is annoyingly small, the M/L I have is for a head circumference up to only 24".”➕
Styrofoam lining deterioration
“The vertex vent is an excellent helmet. I’ve used one for years.”➕
Limited protection for side impacts
“Climbing helmets only protect you from stuff falling onto the top of your head.”➕
Not sturdy enough for serious impacts
“What are y’all using for helmets? I had a petzl meteor most recently that got squashed in luggage.”➕

Compare On All Talked About Dimensions

Product NameImagePriceScoreCompareSee DetailsBuy Now
Mammut Skywalker 3.0 Climbing HelmetMammut Skywalker 3.0 Climbing Helmet$69
8.8
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Black Diamond Capitan Rock Climbing HelmetBlack Diamond Capitan Rock Climbing Helmet$69
8.3
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Singing Rock Penta 2 Lightweight Climbing HelmetSinging Rock Penta 2 Lightweight Climbing Helmet$79
8.3
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OutdoorMaster Rock Climbing HelmetOutdoorMaster Rock Climbing Helmet$39
7.7
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Black Diamond Capitan Rock Climbing HelmetBlack Diamond Capitan Rock Climbing Helmet$69
7.4
DetailsBuy
PETZL BOREA Women's Durable HelmetPETZL BOREA Women's Durable Helmet$69
7.0
DetailsBuy
Black Diamond Half Dome Rock Climbing HelmetBlack Diamond Half Dome Rock Climbing Helmet$59
6.9
DetailsBuy
Black Diamond Half Dome Rock Climbing HelmetBlack Diamond Half Dome Rock Climbing Helmet$59
6.3
DetailsBuy
Black Diamond Half Dome Rock Climbing HelmetBlack Diamond Half Dome Rock Climbing Helmet$59
6.2
DetailsBuy
Black Diamond Half Dome Rock Climbing HelmetBlack Diamond Half Dome Rock Climbing Helmet$59
5.9
DetailsBuy
OutdoorMaster Climbing Helmet - Rock Rescue HelmetOutdoorMaster Climbing Helmet - Rock Rescue Helmet$49
5.8
DetailsBuy
Mammut Crag Sender HelmetMammut Crag Sender Helmet$79
5.7
DetailsBuy
KAILAS Selma Ⅱ Rock Climbing HelmetKAILAS Selma Ⅱ Rock Climbing Helmet$58
5.0
DetailsBuy
Pfanner Protos Integral Arborist HelmetPfanner Protos Integral Arborist Helmet$334
5.0
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Petzl BOREO Men's HelmetPetzl BOREO Men's Helmet$69
4.0
DetailsBuy
ipoob Adult Safety Hiking Climbing Caving Work Helmetipoob Adult Safety Hiking Climbing Caving Work Helmet$69
4.0
DetailsBuy
Fusion Climb Meka II Climbing and Zipline Safety HelmetFusion Climb Meka II Climbing and Zipline Safety Helmet$54
2.6
DetailsBuy
Tontron Climbing Caving Helmet (Blue, Large)Tontron Climbing Caving Helmet (Blue, Large)$43
0.6
DetailsBuy

Core Power Plays

The specs and strengths that make it shine.
Discussion on various climbing helmets
“Helmets What helmets do people recommend for year round usage, from summer climbing to winter mountaineering and climbing?”➕
“I use the Petzl Meteor. I like it quite a lot.”➕
“Mammut has a new triple certified helmet coming out next year they just previewed at [ISPO to be the replacement to the Wall Rider].”➕
“It doesn't feel as solid as my SP Ascender MIPS. I'm a bit paranoid in that department as I have had a few concussions while snowboarding despite wearing a helmet.”➕
Discussion on helmet suitability for different activities
“I have been using a black diamond halfdome helmet that I have from rock climbing as my caving helmet, but is there anything more suited to caving specifically?”➕
“I use the petzl boreo, hasn’t let me down.”➕
“if there isn't some big advantage to using a helmet made specifically for caving, I'll probably keep using the one I have.”➕
Discussion on low profile climbing helmets
“the Black Diamond vapor's low profile, ventilation, and headlamp clips.”➕
Discussion on helmet specifications and safety
“People are always commenting here about how everyone needs to wear a helmet and I've been convinced to purchase one from this sub.”➕
“A lot of the research goes into getting people to wear helmets.”➕
Discussion on dual certified helmets
“Look for dual certified helmets, with proper climbing and alpine ski certification CE 1077.”➕

Buyer’s Cheat Sheet

What to check before you click ‘Add to Cart.’
Discussion on cleaning helmets
“Clean? Who tf “cleans” their helmet?”➕
General comments on helmet use and fit
“Can't stress this enough. You want a helmet that you're going to wear.”➕
“Helmet bros.”➕
Discussion about fitting issues with helmets
“I’m a member of the big head club too and have a hard time with hats/helmets!”➕
“I have a big ass head and west a mammut wall rider mips.”➕
General discussion on helmet recommendations
“Are those a death wish? Or could it get me through a couple trips until I figure out if this is something I can do more often?”➕
“RIP.”➕
Discussion on the safety of using climbing helmets for ski touring
“Climbing helmet for ski touring I was thinking about buying black diamond vapor helmet or any other climbing helmet for ski touring.”➕
“Technically it isn't rated for the sort of impacts often sustained in a ski crash.”➕
“Climbing helmets were the standard for skimo racing for awhile until very recently.”➕
Personal helmet usage habits
“Personally I just take off my helmet when I’m going up and put it on for when I’m starting the descent.”➕
General helmet usage and safety discussions
“I wear helmets for everything.”➕
“Thank you for sharing this. More people need to wear helmets.”➕
Comparisons to other helmet brands
“It's not quite as cool as ventilated suspended models (it's a shell and foam design), but I stayed fairly cool in TAG and bumped my head *way* less than with any of the Petzl helmets I've had.”➕
“The Vertex is an excellent lightweight helmet, though the absolute Cadillac of comfort is the Kask Super Plasma - I have never put anything as comfortable on my head.”➕
Discussion on alternatives to the Black Diamond helmet
“Thoughts on Black Diamond Vector/similar helmets? My helmet is in need of replacement after 3 years of use and abuse.”➕

Cautionary Callouts

Know the pitfalls before they catch you off guard.
Recommendation against cheap helmets
“Avoid Amazon and cheap helmets. Stick to big names like REI, OnRope1 & Inner Mountain Outfitters.”➕
Concerns about neurological risks
“The thought of neurological damage freaks me out, personally, so I would say it’s not worth the risk.”➕
Discussion about MIPS helmets and their effectiveness
“Any thoughts on MIPS helmets? Have you seen any better outcomes or mostly just marketing?”➕
“I did undergrad research in university with football helmet testing for a materials lab - the important thing is they wouldn’t be worse than a standard but they can be better for specific cases.”➕
“You can look at the rating of mips vs non mips for the same helmet and see how much better they are, and in general the top 10+ tested helmets are all MIPS.”➕

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