"Michael Daly" wrote in message
ble.rogers.com...
BTW - I still don't see why a good hockey helmet wouldn't be fine for WW.
ISTM that hitting the boards at high speed while a 225lb meathead is
slamming
his forearm against the back of your head on every shift is a reasonable
approximation of a really, really bad day on the river. Protection all
around
and tested for 100mph frozen rubber pucks. Mature technology too - all
done
by experts. Reinventing the wheel for WW seems a tad wasteful. Minor
mods
to existing hocket helmets seems easy.

Speaking as a person who has almost always worn a hockey helmet in
whitewater, I feel somewhat qualified to address this.

The biggest safety issue with hockey helmets is that the foam is not
designed to be in contact with water. I don't think it's a big deal, but
you should check it regularly to ensure it's not degrading.

My experience with hockey helmets has been that they are not assembled in a
water-resistant manner. My first one had cardboard in it--the foam was
glued to the cardboard and the cardboard was attached to the shell. You can
imagine how well that worked. My second (current) one has the foam glued
directly to the shell, but the glue was not waterproof. I have to reinsert
the foam every time I put it on--once it's on my head , the foam can't
shift, so I don't worry about it.

Coverage is excellent, though. Durability is good. I'm pretty confident
that it will protect my noggin in any situation where any whitewater helmet
would work.

-Paul