Black Diamond Half Dome Rock Climbing Helmet

Curated from 97 real Reddit conversations

Refreshed on: December 27, 2023

Black Diamond Half Dome Rock Climbing Helmet

Brand: Black Diamond
Price: $59
Snoop Score:
5.9
Sentiment
7.5
Popularity
9.0
Technical
3.1

Snoop's Take

The Black Diamond Half Dome Rock Climbing and Safety Helmet is designed for climbers seeking safety and comfort during their outdoor adventures. This helmet offers essential protection against falling debris while ensuring a lightweight and comfortable fit, making it suitable for both climbing and caving activities. Consumer feedback highlights several strengths of this helmet, including its comfort for extended wear, with users stating, "I have the BD half dome. super comfy to me." Additionally, many appreciate its good side impact protection, often lacking in cheaper alternatives, and its overall durability. Users have emphasized that it is a reliable choice for a range of outdoor activities, often forgetting they are even wearing it due to its lightweight design. Overall, the Black Diamond Half Dome Helmet comes highly recommended for those in need of a reliable climbing helmet. While there are some concerns regarding foam padding hardness and specific impact ratings, the majority of users find it an effective and comfortable choice for their climbing and caving needs.

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

The foam on the inside of the thing is too hard! Do they not make a decent helmet that fits comfortably onto a person’s noggin?

Negative Feedback
Product
5.9
Black Diamond Half Dome Rock Climbing Helmet
Sport Climbing
7 / 10
Mountaineering
6 / 10
Caving
8 / 10
Via Ferrata
7 / 10
See how this compares to all Helmets

What it does well!

Key strengths users can’t stop talking about.
Recommended for a size medium head
petzl meteor is either s/m or m/l. of you are in fact a straight m i recommend the black diamond one.
Comfortable for extended wear
I have the BD half dome. super comfy to me.
Good side impact protection
this is one of the better helmets at the lower price bracket. It offers better side impact protection which a lot of cheaper hard shell helmets lack.
Comfortable and lightweight
My pack check is coming up and I need to buy a climbing helmet, boss said it doesn’t matter what kind, I wanna stay on the lower $ range of helmets, don’t care about any extras like side attachments or color at all, what’s worked well for y’all?
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.
I honestly forget it is on my head.
Effective for both climbing and caving
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?
There’s not really any reason to change from a half dome.
Helmet is comfortable and warm
The thing with helmets is that they look nice, are very comfortable, don’t itch, and are warmer than knit hats.
Encourages safety for young skiers
Best wishes to your daughter for a quick recovery and kudos to you for insisting she wear a helmet.
Durable for hard use
I like it.
I just bought a half dome as my first helmet, should I be worried?
Good fit for larger heads
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.

Where it needs some work!

Areas to watch—feedback on possible improvements.
Foam padding is too hard for comfort
The foam on the inside of the thing is too hard! Do they not make a decent helmet that fits comfortably onto a person’s noggin?
I can't offer a positive experience, but I bought a Petzl Sirocco mountaineering helmet. Petzl's sizing is annoyingly small, the M/L I have is for a head circumference up to only 24".
Cosmetic durability concerns
All up, given the significant weight savings, I'm really glad for the Sirocco.
Sizing inconsistencies reported
any help would be recommended.
Not rated for ski crash impacts
Climbing helmets only protect you from stuff falling onto the top of your head.
I think there’s a fairly large difference between helmets designed for your head impacting something vs. something impacting your head.
Concerns about the effectiveness of MIPS
We are just trusting the documentation.
and in general the top 10+ tested helmets are all MIPS.
Not suitable for impacts from the side
Many climbing helmets are mainly for impacts from the top.

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Core Power Plays

The specs and strengths that make it shine.
Discussion about MIPS and its benefits
the important thing is they wouldn’t be worse than a standard but they can be better for specific cases.
MIPS helmets basically let the shell of the helmet slide slightly over the foam/cushioning layer.
MIPS helps.
Discussion on helmet specifications and safety
Talk to me about helmets. What helmet do you have? What's a good helmet for someone into sport climbing?
Get one that has foam all around your head including the back and sides where your head will hit if you take a nasty upside down fall.
They're more in the hardhat category than anything.
I was surprised that there are some risks claimed with bike helmets. They make your head bigger which can increase rotational force transmitted to your brain, is the claim.

Buyer’s Cheat Sheet

What to check before you click ‘Add to Cart.’
Discussion about alternatives to Black Diamond 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 about reputable climbing helmets
There are plenty of comfy helmets, I would go with a reputable climbing helmet though and not one from Amazon
What brand / model of helmet?
Discussion about helmet cleaning practices
Clean? Who tf “cleans” their helmet?
Discussion about various helmet brands and preferences
The Vertex is loose enough that when I look up with a pack on the back of my pack pushes the helmet over my eyes, if that makes sense.
Black Diamond half dome. Team has petzel helmets, but I don’t really like them.
Discussion about helmet sizing challenges
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.
Consideration of alternative helmets for caving
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.
Personal helmet usage preferences
Personally I just take off my helmet when I’m going up and put it on for when I’m starting the descent.
Discussion about other helmet brands and recommendations
If you're looking for a low profile helmet that's hard shell (with ventilation and clips) then I'd highly recommend the [Edelrid Targa].
I used to wear the Black Diamond Half Dome for caving, which is a great low-cost, lightweight, vented option.
Discussion about finding the right helmet
The best helmet is the one you're going to wear. They're all safe, go to a store and try some on, see which one is the most comfortable and buy it.
Can't stress this enough. You want a helmet that you're going to wear. If that means you pay a little extra, so be it.
Consideration of other helmet options
Finally, something that I didn't find obvious at first: the helmet is for rockfall.

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.
Preference for other helmet brands over Black Diamond
The Ecrin Roc is the best caving helmet ever created.
Avoid the Ecrin Roc.
Discussion about helmet reliability for new cavers
The half dome was okay but it felt a little bulkier.
Discussion about climbing helmets for ski touring
The main reason that i consider switching from skiing to climbing helmet is the breath ability and the light weight that climbing helmets provide.
There are now lots of dual rated helmets specifically for ski mountaineering, and petzl is trying to get a new rating established particularly for ski mountaineering with the meteor helmet.
General discussion on helmet safety and preferences
that makes sense. i just couldnt immagine how a typical crash (slamming the head sideways on a icy slope) could induce big rotational forces on the skull, since helmet und slope are pretty slick...
Thank you for sharing this. More people need to wear helmets. I hope she gets better very soon.
General thoughts on helmet safety
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.

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