While not for the average sailor, there are an increasing number of performance and small boat sailors who are wearing helmets. Primarily known for mountaineering and industrial climbing gear, sailors know Kong for the robust Tango tether clip used on most safety tethers (See “Safety Tethers Under Scrutiny,” PS March, 2018). In addition to climbing gear, Kong also makes anchor swivels, mooring hooks, and snap shackles.
At only 8 ounces, Kong’s new helmet is 62 percent lighter than any competitor, and only 35 percent heavier than a ball cap with a bump insert. You barely know it’s there. The combination of efficient insulation, massive ventilation channels, and the reflective white color also made it the coolest of the helmets we tested.
Designed as a mountaineering helmet (EN 12492), it meets impact requirements 2-4 times greater than those required of water sports helmets. Foam construction ensures it floats. Because it is also a mountaineering helmet, requiring four times greater top impact protection, the Kong helmet sits about ½-inch higher on the head than water sports helmets. We didn’t find this noticeable sailing, except when wearing it under a hood. We’ve been wearing the Leaf sailing, kayaking, and climbing, barely aware that it is there. Yes, it’s a helmet, but it’s as cool to wear as a ball cap and barely heavier.
Bottom line: Kong’s model is simply more comfortable than any other we tested. One size fits most. Price is $129.
Musto Winter Glove
In March of 2020 we compared a wide range of gloves that readers had recommended over the years. While there were warmer and more water resistant gloves in the test, the Musto gloves had check marks in all the other areas that mattered to performance sailors. They were relatively warm for the “performance” category, they had a good fit at the fingertips, promoting good line handling. A thin layer of grip material on the palm and fingers wore through within a few days, but this proved to be superficial and the underlying layer proved quite tough. We used them hard as our main glove through the winter, and plan to use them for many more seasons.
Bottom line: Recommended and Best Choice for active sailors.