My friend Craig told me before I went to France for the first time in 2009, “to get a helmet pod”.
I listened to him and am thankful I did. Although helmets are pretty tough, it doesn’t take much to crack one and render it worthless. Craig tells me of his Lance-special Giro being smashed on a domestic flight, so I wasn’t about to take any chances.
For those heading off to France for the TDF or Etape du Tour, or indeed for any readers flying overseas, repeat after me: “I shall not pack my helmet in my luggage”. This is a recipe for disaster.
Instead, get yourself a helmet pod.
The Giro Helmet Pod
Chain Reaction and ProBikeKit are selling the Giro Helmet Pod, which is what I have. Although it’s made by Giro, ostensibly for Giros, it fits other helmets. Specifically, I pack my Specialized 2D SWorks helmet in this no problems.
Nice and light with high density foam, I carry it on the plane with me. It has one robust strap for carrying. The zip is very large gauge and at times is a bit stiff to zip open and close.
Expect to pay $AUD24ish on both Wiggle and ProBikeKit.
Get the Giro Helmet Pod from the links below*.
- ProBikeKit (or use this link if that one doesn’t work)
- Chain Reaction Cycles (or use this link if that one doesn’t work)
Giro Helmet Pod
The EVOC Helmet Bag
First up a disclosure, I am a big, big fan of EVOC’s stuff. If I didn’t have a Giro, I’d hands down have gotten an EVOC even if it is double the price.
So, I don’t have one but upon close inspection the zip looks a lot better than the Giro.
The EVOC comes in that crazy multicolour the crazy Germans at EVOC are fond of (see it also in their EVOC bike bag in my EVOC Bike Travel Bag Review!)
Padding looks good, and there’s space at the front for sunnies. Though if you have Oakleys in a hard case I don’t think they’ll fit, so you probably wouldn’t put unprotected sunnies in the front, unless of course you deliberately wanted them to accidentally break so you could justify a new pair to the Ministry of Finance at your house?
You can get the EVOC Helmet Bag from the links below. Wiggle has it cheapest at time of publishing, at under AUD$50.
- EVOC from Chain Reaction Cycles (or use this link if that one doesn’t work)
- EVOC from PBK (or use this link if that one doesn’t work)
- EVOC from Wiggle (or use this link if that one doesn’t work)
EVOC helmet bag
EVOC open
Overall?
Overall and remembering I don’t have an EVOC Helmet Bag (yet), I actually rate the EVOC a little higher from what I can see. That’s not to say the Giro Helmet Pod is bad, but, the zipper mechanism is a bit stop/start.
But, at half the price for the same function, the Giro is a worthy option as well.
You’re going to have to make your own call on this one!
*These affiliate links, the small commissions help support the site.
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