About the company:
"A Park City Utah Based Ski & Snowboard Helmet Company. Made up of snowsports enthusiasts, pro athletes, veteran engineers and veterans of the ski and snowboard industry. Our goal is to create the ultimate performance helmets. Pret fuses the optimal blend of optimized materials and construction to deliver protection, performance and style."
About the Luxe helmet:
"Luxe defines style and comfort with features like durable and light In-mold construction. A soft Ultra fleece liner and the RCS fit system which allows you to snug up the fit with an easily adjustable dial. The Fidlock magnetic buckle ensures quick on-and-off without the need to remove your gloves. VTT2 ventilation for a no fuss approach to warmth and breathability. The Luxe also features our detachable Covert Ear Cover System with audio* ready pockets. All day comfort defined."
Features: (Includes: helmet, liner, fit system and ear covers)
VTT2 (Vent Tuning Technology): A proprietary labyrinth system uses front intake vents feeding fresh air that won’t directly contact your head, meaning no more “brain freeze”. This unique system automatically adjusts to perform perfectly in conditions ranging from from deep freeze to spring thaw.
RCS Fit System: Designed by Pret, the Ripcord System (RCS) is the perfect micro-adjustable, compact and ergonomic fit system. Simply pulling up on the adjustment dial and the exclusive Ripcord feature instantly releases the system. One full turn gives you 4cm of micro-adjustment. Best inside fit and shape with 5 shell sizes to guarantee perfect fit.
Covert Ear Cover System: Quickly and easily remove your ear covers without messing with the fit system. Perfect for hot spring days when you have quick weather changes.
Goggle to Helmet Fit: Transparent designs starts with the perfect fit of goggles and helmet. Our helmets are designed to match the curvature of most of the popular goggle frames, eliminating the brain freeze gap and allowing efficient venting of the goggle venting system.
Audio Ready: Pret recommends Outdoor Tech® Chips® audio (not included) for a seamlessly integrated audio experience. However most earbud style audio systems will fit underneath the Covert ears.
SNAP Fidlock Magnetic Buckle System: One hand operation with automatic closure even with gloves on. Way better then regular buckles.
In-mold Constructio
Utlra Fleece, Wool Blend
Weight: Small 385gr/0.85lbs - Medium 400gr/0.89lbs
Sizes: Small (51 - 55cm) - Medium (55 - 59cm)
Certifications: All Pret helmets are ATSM F2040 and CE EN1077 certified.
First Impressions: November 2014
Out of the box, the first thing I noticed was, this helmet is LIGHT! I had to pick it up and toss it around I couldn't believe out light it was. It looked and felt like a solid, simple, cozy helmet. I noticed the light weight and super comfy feel right away. It was plush enough to be perfectly cozy and so light I hardly noticed any extra weight on my noggin. The RCS Fit System was a really simple and easy to use with just one hand.
A Season Of Use:
My first experience with the Pret Luxe helmet was In mid-November, during a very blustery, frigid blizzard, doing a little backcountry skiing in Colorado's San Juan Mountains on the little ski hill at the top of Lizard Head Pass. I'd say the biggest issue I have with most helmets in general is, when I'm working hard, I overheat quickly and sweat, a lot. I tend to gravitate towards helmets that come with vent closures for that reason. That blizzardy day being my first time out with the helmet, you can bet I was a little concerned. My thoughts were, either my head is going to freeze off because this thing is so airy and I can't close any of the vents, or my head will freeze off because I will get too hot, have to take the helmet off and my sweat will instantly freeze.
Yeah, there was no way I was taking that helmet off, it was F***ing cold out! I definitely got hot on the hike up, open jacket and pant vents and all. My head did sweat, but I didn't really notice it. I feel like the amount of vents and their position make for just the right amount of circulation that cooled my sweaty head just a bit and kept the sideways wind from chilling my brains. At the same time that very circulation also kept my goggles from fogging over from the sweat that might have been dripping down my forehead.
The helmet kept me plenty warm enough to sit and have a quick brew before making the transition and skiing back down.
One thing I noticed pretty much right away was it's size. Pret seems to size their women's helmets a little differently from most other brands. What I mean is they only offer a small and a medium, no large. Most likely because they believe their RSC Fit System will micro adjust to fit everyone. This particular helmet I wore was a medium. I figured, based on all of the other styles and brands of helmets I had tried (like say the Smith Variant for example), I am definitely a medium. All season I kept this Luxe synched down as tight as it could go and it still always felt just a little loose, especially from side to side. I have a slightly narrow vs round head and these helmets are definitely more round. That extra space came in handy though for when it was so cold I had to use a beanie underneath.
I used this helmet for the remainder of the season. There were really only a few days in particular where I remember the wind chill being so cold that the helmet alone was not enough. Some days I would just wear my Loki Fleece Hat under the helmet and I stayed plenty warm. On days where I forgot my hat, I had to put my hood over the helmet on the chair lift as well as while skiing because the wind would pierce through the ear flaps, through any space where the goggles and helmet met and was getting a little brain freeze.
All in all I have to say, I absolutely love this helmet! I have yet to fly head first into any trees, rocks, people, bears, yetis, etc... so I can't comment on it's durability there, but I have taken a few good Superman tomahawks and popped right back up without any headaches or helmet mishaps! I do wish it had closable vents for when the days get really blustery, but I was still impressed by the amount of airflow it had without ever feeling the direct air-to-brain wind through the vents. On most days I was perfectly happy with no vent closures and a lot of airflow, especially during those sunny spring days. Perhaps the only thing I would do different, when the time comes to break down and get a new Pret helmet, I will have to try a small instead of medium.