Smith Variant Brim VS. Giro GT MX

if you've already got IOs, your safest bet is the variant brim. smith made them to be compatible with one another. i have the giro and my crowbars fit beautifully but the IOs very well might not.

have you tried them on before? i always take my goggles to the shop when looking at a helmet.

also... a little about the giro. it keeps your ears damn warm. too many helmets let air in there. however, it does muffle sound. you can still talk with you buddies but there's no doubt things will sound a little quieter. the vents are nice, adjustable fit wonderful, and the helmet stays in place when adjusted properly.

this said, the variant brim always gets good reviews. it might come down to goggle compatibility and fit for you. i went with the giro because the variant brim felt short lengthwise. almost like my forehead was pressing up into the front of the helmet while it remained too wide on the sides of my head.

I was leaning towards the variant because theyre both made by smith. I havent had a chance to try either on yet. My shop will have the variant and not the g10 mx. Thats a really good idea though, i had never thought of trying it on with my goggles in the store.

these are the kinds of things i wish i could experience before i buy. thanks

Get the Vantage, it's better in every way than the Variant.

you gotta give me more details than that. Have you used both?

ive used all 3. owned the g10mx for a couple yrs and now have had the vantage for 3 yrs. ive used the variant brim on occasions. i like the vantage the best. its lighter, more comfortable (for me), and has better venting. as said before smith helmets were designed to work best with smith goggles. to get the full potential out of the IO use a smith helmet. not to say it wont work with a giro but the goggles works as it should with a smith helmet.