Smith Session helmet

£136

Our medium Session weighed 393g, so it’s certainly not the lightest lid out there, but, thanks to 15 massive vents and extensive internal channeling, there’s plenty of airflow, which means the weight isn’t a concern on the trail.

Smith have opted to place Koroyd protection in just four of the air intakes (a much more sparing approach than on their Forefront helmet). This ensures ventilation isn’t stifled too much, but improves safety in areas where impacts are common. The lid also features the MIPS brain protection system.

While the Session feels breezy, the deep fit and dropped rear mean your head is well protected. Thanks to the easy-to-use indexed dial on the retention cradle, things feel nicely secure too. Though the padding is thin, we never suffered any pinch points or hot spots when the lid was cinched up snugly during long days on the hill.

The peak is indexed, with three different positions to choose from. While it doesn’t wobble, the indexed positions are quite vague and it doesn’t have the reassuringly rigid feel of some peaks. We left ours in the middle position, where it stayed put throughout testing. Our only other niggle is that the matt black finish marks up pretty easily. The Session has worked well with all the glasses we’ve tried it with, which is always a plus. Rob www.smithoptics.com

It may not be the lightest, but the Session is packed with safety features and feels comfy and airy