Review: Salomon MTN LAB Helmet
What we liked
Great adjustability for head and goggle fit
Good ventilation
Perfect for both piste & backcountry riding.
What we didn’t
Fixed Vents
Goggle strap gets caught on Headlamp Retainer
The Verdict
THE SHORT READ…
A super comfortable lightweight helmet that comes in at a small, easily packable overall size while still offering great protection and adequate warmth on colder, early season tours.
THE LONG READ …
The Salomon MTN LAB Helmet has been kicking around for a few seasons now and, to be honest, little has changed. Which isn’t Salomon not being arsed to improve the design, it’s more the fact that the stripped back design was pretty much spot on first time around!
If like me, you have too many hats and helmets for all your favorite pastimes, then the Salomon’s MTN Lab helmet could well be your answer, as it meets safety norms for alpine, mountaineering and biking. The latest version comes with an interchangeable lining without ear flaps for spring and autumn mountaineering and biking, even without the ear flaps it’s far too hot for summer climbing and biking.
The vents, which are fixed open (Salomon call this ‘Passive ventilation’), offer good airflow around the front, sides, and back of the MTN LAB Helmet, I don’t have a problem with them being fixed open, and even when using a helmet with adjustable vents I don’t recall ever thinking I’ve got a cold head and I should close them, but if you do like that option you’re out of luck with this helmet.
Weight, is where the MTN LAB is great compared to other backcountry helmets, Salomon claim it comes in at 400g and maybe the small does, but on my kitchen schales a medium comes in at 410g including the Merino lined ear flap inner. This compares favorably to the Oakley MOD BC, which is 470g without the inner hat and 525g with the hat.
The Lining appears thin, but I’ve never been cold wearing the MTN LAB, the ear flaps and lower sections of the liner are Merino wool, it’s really nice on your skin, keeps you warm, and is removable/washable. The earless hot weather liner is a thin foam, with a soft feel, TBH I’ve only used it once when doing some Via Ferratas in the summer and the helmet was too hot. I’d say it’s fine for 3 seasons but too heavy weight for hot weather.
Packability, one real positive of the MTN LAB is that the ear flaps fold down really easily and the helmet comes with a snug elasticated bag with three small clips, so you can clip the helmet to the outside of your backpack, for the way up when it’s too hot to wear a helmet.
The Buckle is a simple affair and stays in place nicely, this wasn’t the case on the first roll out of the MTN LAB but they’ve piut it right with a small rubber loop that stops the strap coming loose. The under chin strap has a thin but comfortable soft touch cover.
The Fit is really snug with the Custom Dial allowing easy adjustability and, while it looks a little flimsy, I’ve never had a problem with it.
The rear Goggle Strap Holder is a thin piece of elastic, with a good sized fixing loop and easily pulled fixed fabric glove tab, fine to use for all but the thickest of gloves. I’ve worn a MTN LAB for around six winters and the only thing that stopped doing its job properly was this elasticated goggle holder, the elastic didn’t break but did loose its strength but, with a couple of twists, it still worked.
The headlamp retainer is the one thing I find a little annoying, it works really well to keep a head lamp in place, but I do find that on occasion when lifting my goggles up, say on a chair lift, the goggle strap can get snagged, but it’s no real drama.
SUMMARY…
The best thing I can say here is that the only reason I got a new MTN LAB was my old one had probably seen too many knocks and bangs, and that over six or possibly even more seasons, I still like the fit and weight and I couldn’t find anything out there that I wanted to replace it with, so I simply bought a new one!