Helmet over Hood? (cold water wreck)

[broncobowsher]

Yeah, if I find one that might help. I am hoping to find an actually impact rated helmet w/o foam. Not that an impact rating would be needed just for diving, but it would be multi use... Anyway finding new, un-used suspension mount no-foam climbing helmets... I may be strange, but I hesitate buying such a helmet used, not knowing where it's been and what it was exposed too... will keep looking so.

That might be part of your problem. Multi use where your needs will be different in different uses. If you size it for a hood it isn't going to fit very well without a hood. Add in issues of air entrapment and venting, padding/suspension. You really should plan on a helmet just for diving, and a different one for the other uses.

The padding/impact rating needs in water are going to be different than in air. You just don't get the speeds in the water. You get a bump, not an impact. Rocks fall slow, you move slow, actions are much more muted in the water.

 

[Schwob]

That might be part of your problem. Multi use where your needs will be different in different uses. If you size it for a hood it isn't going to fit very well without a hood. Add in issues of air entrapment and venting, padding/suspension. You really should plan on a helmet just for diving, and a different one for the other uses.

The padding/impact rating needs in water are going to be different than in air. You just don't get the speeds in the water. You get a bump, not an impact. Rocks fall slow, you move slow, actions are much more muted in the water.

...
Very fair and correct point. While at the same time bemoaning the amount of stuff I tend to collect what for in my case is occassional use... I don't mind a compromise and I don't need my helmet to be so small as to fit through the tightest spots (those spots are not for me...) but of course it has to work with a mask.
Anyway but in this case I may need to relent and ridiculous as seems, get or fashion yet another dedicated use helmet.
It does serm ridiculous do... :
Ski, bike, paddle, motorbike (contemplating retiring that, hard thought), hardhat and now a dive helmet... If I ever were to manage to live out of an RV for a while, I'd need a helmet garage... anyway, that's besides the point...

 

[rongoodman]

http://www.lightmonkey.us/helmet. When I was cave diving I used to wear it over a 5mm hood on my largish head. The 2W lights and brackets are very nice too.