Petzl Elia – Women’s Review

The Petzl Elia is one of the only helmets on the market today that has been designed specifically for women, and as such we’ve given it our Top Pick for Women award. All of the other “women’s” models that we tested were just a small version of the men’s with “female” colorways, which we understand since there’s not a huge difference between the male and female noggin. Petzl, on the other hand, took their popular Elios helmet (now discontinued) and converted it into a women’s version by redesigning the suspension system and creating a cutout for your ponytail. If you’re a lady (or a man) with a lot of hair, you know the struggle is real. It can be difficult to tighten many models effectively, or the suspension and tightening system pushes against your ponytail uncomfortably and makes it fall out. Our lady testers truly appreciated the design and comfort of this model, as did our male testers with long hair, though they weren’t so sure about the color choices! We are a little disappointed that this is only available on their ABS helmet, though. Despite the women-friendly design, this ABS shell helmet is heavy and not exactly a top performer, although it is equipped to handle any sort of climbing adventure you might dream up.
REASONS TO BUY