Five of the best adventure helmets

With a carbon-fibre shell, you may not be surprised to hear many reviewers have been impressed with the lightweight of the Klim Krios Pro, which weighs in at just 1320g. As well as the standard clear visor it comes with a light-reactive one that darkens in bright sunlight. Owners say it excels for its comfort, light weight, innovative visor and overall refinement. It is particularly appreciated for long rides and mixed-terrain use, suits riders who value modern features like the reactive visor and Fidlock strap, and is widely recommended by those who’ve lived with one.

Scorpion’s adventure helmet sits in a key price area, filling the space between entry-level helmets and premium options like Arai and Shoei. It’s compatible with goggles for off-roading and can be converted to street mode for longer road rides. Owners rate it strongly for comfort and praise the wide field of vision, easy-to-use drop-down sun visor and good compatibility with comms systems. They also like the added value of having a spare visor included. They say noise levels and ventilation are decent rather than exceptional, and the peak can tug a little at higher speeds, so long-distance motorway regulars may want to factor that in. But for mixed riding, touring or commuting with light off-road ambitions, real-world users consider it a well-made, confidence-inspiring helmet

Airoh's latest adventure helmet is quickly becoming a very popular choice with riders looking for a crossover road-dirt helmet. The Commander 2 is a strong contender according to owners who praise its comfort, snug fit and excellent field of vision. Build quality is well regarded and the helmet’s low weight helps reduce fatigue over longer stints. Most users say it’s great value and performs well for touring, commuting and light trail work. Like many peaked helmets, it can get noisy at higher speeds, venting isn’t the most powerful in hot conditions, and some communication systems may be a tight squeeze. But owners call it a capable, feature-rich adventure lid at a mid-range price.

The premium version of the Nexx adventure helmet, with its carbon-fibre shell, is regarded more highly by owners than those who've gone for the more cost-effective X.WED3 with a composite-fibre shell. Owners describe it as a premium adventure helmet that combines comfort, excellent ventilation and a lightweight construction with a versatile features like the removable peak, easy-to-use visor mechanism and good touring performance. It’s regarded as a comfortable, high-quality lid that performs well on long rides, though a few note that wind noise or small fit quirks temper an otherwise excellent experience.

We waited an age for the fifth generation of Arai’s dirt-touring crossover helmet as the previous Tour-X4 sat in the range for 12 years. Now the Tour-X5 is finally here and builds on the success of its predecessor. The visor offers better vision, the Pinlock mounts more easily, swapping the peak is a considerably less fiddly process and it’s also approved to the new ECE 22.06 safety standard. Visors can now be swapped without using tools, though it can still be a fiddly task. The Tour-X5 can be run in MX mode with goggles, street mode with visor and no peak (handy on longer road rides). Many riders feel it improves on its predecessors with better visor ergonomics and airflow, and appreciate its fit, finish and ability to integrate communication systems. While wind noise and minor build quirks come up in some reviews, most buyers are very satisfied with the helmet’s performance and find it worthy of its price.