Caving helmets are a job for that elusive E&T committee of the BCA to get sorted out!
The Petzl Vertex model breaks my rules no. 1 and 2 as it isn't going to stand up to banging around and abrasion in a cave (it's not intended to) and it has no expanded polysytrene internal shell in case you get hit by falling rocks. I've seen images of criss-crossed webbing internally, like a building site helmet, so loads of fresh air sits between your skull and the shell apparently.
Both the Boreo and the Vertex comply with EN12492, the mountaineering helmet standard, which requires a standardised drop test with a maximum transmitted force of 10kN. I'm not sure there's any reason to think either helmet will greatly exceed the standard, so I think assuming one is better than the other is probably guesswork.Builders helmets should comply to EN397, which has a similar but more limited test.
Main Menu