In RyeBrye’s Favorite Things, RyeBrye will blab on about something that he loves.
Sure, I know what you are thinking. “Why would a HELMET qualify to be on the same list as a Space Blanket… What makes it deserve it’s place in RyeBrye’s Favorite things???”. Let me begin with an illustration of one of my canyoneering buddies, who shall not be named here.
This friend of mine has a history of causing rock avalanches that engulf tiny villages. Sure, that’s a big claim to make - but let me back it up with some stories…
Story #1: One day I am coming down a very steep trail leading away from a climbing area. All of a sudden I hear someone yell “ROCK” - and I immediately get off of the trail.
A split-second later, a small boulder tumbles past me and onto oblivion. In the far distance, I see my friend smiling like the cheshire cat.
Story #2 A group of us are coming down from the Grand Teton. While we are making our descent, one member of our group is lagging behind slightly. Two of us stop to wait for him. No sooner do we turn back, but we hear him yell “Rock” but a small, thin, fist-size rock comes whizzing by us. It was going so fast the noise it made sounded like it came straight from a special effects CD. And yes, there is my friend… smiling like he just beat Super Mario III or something.
Sure, so ANY helmet would do, right?
Well… no. Not necessarily. There are lots of climbing helmets out there, and just about every helmet model has people who swear by it. Lots of people swear by the prehistoric design of the Petzl Ecrin for instance. Take one gander at the thing and you will understand why it’s not my favorite. Some things are worse than death.
The CAMP Silver Star is unique because of a few things. First - it is lightweight. Second - it has one point of adjustment. (You merely adjust the back of the helmet to fit your head, and the straps miraculously change their angles so they are in the right spots… This is a major improvement over other helmets.) Third - it’s got lots of ventilation so your brain doesn’t start to boil. Fourth, it likes water. (This is important for canyoneering applications).
If you really want to get one, you can go pick one up at Backcountry.com.

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