When Kayaking Calls for A Helmet

How many helmets can you count? Here's a weekday group paddling the low-water remnants of the 271 Wave on the Cuyahoga River in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

A friend asked me "When is it time to start wearing a helmet when I'm paddling?" 

Naturally, I started thinking about all the times I'm paddling when it's OK not to wear a helmet. And I couldn't think of any.

Of course, really only one instance came to mind. The only time I would consider not wearing a helmet is if I were paddling on a really deep inland lake, where there's almost zero risk of hitting a submerged strainer, rock or other object if I inadvertently flipped or rolled intentionally to cool off on a hot day.

And even when I do, I still wear my helmet.

So when should you be wearing a helmet? Every time you get into your kayak. I'm not a Class V paddler. I haven't even fired up a Class IV yet. I've paddled my share of flat water—and still do. I got my start in a rec boat. Whether it's a flat-water doldrums stretch between rapids or a lazy Sunday afternoon paddle, I wear my helmet every time. It's incredibly unlikely, yet still not impossible, to flip in a gently moving flat water stream. Even still, the risk of getting walloped by a strainer creeping underneath the surface or a boulder remains.

I was on the Lower Yough recently, paddling with a group of more experience kayakers, when the most-skilled paddler came through a rapid without his helmet. I figured he lost it somehow. His answer? He was too hot. At the standard release of 1.8 feet the Lower Yough is overflowing with boulders ready to jump up and crack your crown. He cinched his chin strap after seeing the dumbfounded look on my face in response to his justification for relying on his skull as his brain's last line of defense.

Are you paddling shallow Class II or better? You should absolutely be wearing a helmet every time. Even if you're just a lazy weekend paddler, a $75 brain bucket is cheaper than any concussion—or worse—you could encounter underneath the surface. 

The bigger question is: should you go full-face or not? And that's a question for another day.