Smith  Vantage 2 Mips Snow Helmet

It's so close to being a great newly designed helmet but unfortunately they blew it on the back where the boa system is. Unfortunately when you put it on the back of the helmet hits the base of your skull/neck and pushes it forward when moving your head in certain directions. There's no way I could ride with this helmet constantly doing that and it would probably creat a headache at some point. So, this one is getting returned. Not sure what happened during R&D, but they blew it. If it were just slightly shorter or had more cushion in that area it'd probably be perfect.

Excellent quality helmet. I like the fit and color. My only comment is why Smith couldn’t manufacture a $300.00 helmet in the US.

Unfortunately, Smith took some bad design cues from the Nexus in designing the Vantage 2, making it a significant step down in comfort from the original Vantage. The head pad does not go far enough down to cover the adjustment straps. As a result, the adjustment straps end up on the inside of your upper ear, cutting right into the skin, just like the Nexus. It’s a very strange design choice considering you only have to put the helmet on to realize the problem. If you end up using one of these get a thin beanie or a balaclava to wear under the helmet. Otherwise it will hurt very quickly. The original vantage provides a much better fit but lacks the fidlock, which is a nice addition.

As a long time wearer of a Smith Variance helmet, this Smith Vantage has excellent, even better, quality, venting, and impact protection with MIPS and Koroyd. I personally don't like the added material around the back of the neck with the BOA system integrated into it as it's bulky and makes adjustment trickier with gloved fingers. I've found the extra thickness and firmness of the ear pads make pushing integrated helmet speaker controls more difficult and clumsy to press. It would be nice to see less bulk in the ears and boa system and some brighter colours offered in the next design.

It's top of the line safety but the ear pieces is a real design flaw. Company reviews (or paid reviews) will say the ear pieces are easily removable. . . They are definitely not. If you live in Colorado/Utah/CA where the weather can be zero degrees in the morning and 35 degrees in the afternoon this helmet is going to leave you either too warm or too cold with no easy fix. If they change the design to make the ear pieces removable in a reasonable time frame this would be a top of the line helmet.

Fits snugly over my big head. The boa really helps in the micro adjustment and my head feels secure after fitting it. It's a little tight for me while wearing a balaclava so I just set the boa to the loosest setting.

I realllllly liked my previous Vantage, but it needed a replacement after many years of use. Fidloc is a nice change for the buckle. The back of the helmet (where the BOA is) is much bulkier that the previous version of this helmet, and the BOA frequently slips under the fabric hole surrounding it. It is also still perplexing to me how a Small mtb helmet and a medium Snow helmet by Smith fit me the same.

I love the Vantage 2 MIPS! The Matte Dusk / Thistle color is my fav. This is the second Smith helmet I’ve bought in this color and I think it’s the cutest. I’m a ski patroller and I think it’s so fun to have a pop of color on the mountain and of course protect my head. These have always been durable helmets that last me multiple seasons. I also love the ventilation for backcountry splitboarding.

REI cancelled the helmet order without notifying me. A week after expected delivery, I inquired to find out it was subsequently cancelled because it was out of stock. But, when I checked the website, the helmet was back in stock. INCREDIBLY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. This is not the REI I grew up with.

Ended up returning since the liner in the back goes way too low and doesn’t leave room for my hair making the fit uncomfortable. Currently have the previous version of this helmet and prefer the cut on the back on the old one. Not practical for women with longer hair