Intro:
Even in 2025, helmet talk is a surefire way to pull heavy statements out of even the least opinionated person you know. If you’re going to wear a helmet though, it has to fit right, and it has to be comfortable. Dakine’s Charger is its first try at a helmet, and it does all that and more.
What Dakine says:
The Charger Helmet is built for casual style, with reliable safety features that allow us to minimize risk while we’re carving through fresh pow. The comfortable helmet is made with a MIPS Brain Protection System that is designed to reduce rotational motion if we take a spill, and the adjustable dial at the back ensures the helmet stays securely in place from the top of the hill to the bottom.
Tech highlights:
- Soft, padded helmet for hard-chargers at the resort
- MIPS technology minimizes impacts from rotational impacts
- Hybrid construction utilizes foam and a hardshell
- Plush lining is soft and comfortable for hours of riding
- Fidlock magnetic strap buckle quickly secures the helmet
- 4 active and 7 passive vents keep us cool on bluebird days
MSRP: $130
You can buy this helmet here.
The Situation:
I rode with this helmet one day at Wintergreen Resort in Virginia, one day at Montage Mountain in Pennsylvania and two days at Bromley Resort in Vermont. I wore it with my Whitespace Magnetic MD Icon goggles and my Dang Shades Onlock goggles. I wore it with an Ortovox hooded base layer, a Jones balaclava, and a hooded Airblaster Ninja Suit.
What Snowboarder says:
Some people think that snowboarding without a helmet is punishable by a $1 million fine and life in prison. I’m not one of those people, but I do rock one about 90% of the time that I’m on snow. With that being said, I am pretty picky when it comes to choosing a helmet, mostly because I’m terrified of looking like a 32-year-old bobblehead or a gaper.
When a representative from Dakine reached out to me and asked if I wanted to test out its new helmet, I was surprised to hear that Dakine had entered what seemed like an already crowded space. They ultimately did a good job for their first foray into helmets.
For starters: the silhouette. No, this doesn’t matter at all from a safety perspective, but as Deion Sanders once said (and Chris Grenier often repeats): You look good, you feel good. You feel good, you play good. You play good, they pay good.
Dakine doesn’t try to get fancy here. They don’t reinvent the wheel, and they don’t get all crazy like Oakley does. It’s a simple, sleek silhouette, that flattens out a bit on the sides and has a slight brim, looking like a cross between a skateboard helmet and a ski helmet.
I tried it on at home first, and I thought it looked bulky, but once I went on snow and had the rest of my gear on, it looked unremarkable, and that is exactly what I want in a helmet.
The front of the helmet sits flush with two very different style of goggles. My Whitespace Icon’s are big, shiny, and wide. I wore them underneath the helmet for my first day with it, then over the helmet for the last few. The helmet fit great with both options, and I couldn’t feel the bulk of the goggle strap under the helmet.
As for the plush earflaps, I typically remove them right away, but I left them on for the sake of the review. They’re still on the helmet right now for one main reason: I can still hear my surroundings perfectly with them on.
It was really cold for all of the days that I tested this helmet, so my vents stayed closed. The ability to vent the top of my head is pretty important going forward, though, especially since I’ll be doing some touring in it.
In the promotional material, Dakine puts a lot of emphasis on its Fidlock magnetic strap buckle. I was wondering why this mattered: regular buckles have worked for decades, and I didn’t see a reason to move away from that. The magnet is for one thing though: to make it easier to buckle your helmet with just one hand. In the frigid conditions I encountered (it was -10 the morning of my first day at Bromley) I was thankful for that.
The Fidlock buckle on the Dakine Charger.
Photo: Dakine
There is one area in which the Charger is an unparalleled winner, and that is its price point. It’s important to protect your noggin, I get that, but I’ve worked in a shop, and all too often, a customer is too eager to blindly pay top dollar for a helmet, even if it isn’t the right one. Sometimes, it feels like companies are aware of this, and will mark up certain helmets accordingly.
The Charger is $130 at full price. I cannot be entirely sure, but my guess is that price point is set intentionally as a way to enter the market and win over customers. That’s the most affordable price for a helmet with this many bells and whistles by a lot.
The Oakley Mod5 and the Smith Code Mips retail for $270 and $240 each. The Anon Mips is probably the most similar comparison, and that starts at $180. The Giro Neo Mips is similar too, and that starts at $145.
If you’re looking for a versatile brain bucket that won’t break the bank, the Charger has got you covered.
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