KALI TRINITY CARBON FULL FACE HELMET REVIEW

Words by Sourpatch  |  Photos by Dusten Ryen

California-based Kali Protectives has been on a mission to push the boundaries of protection for mountain bike and motorbike riders since 2008. These days, they’ve got a range of helmets and protection that aims to offer the best protection possible, and the latest offering to their range is the Kali Trinity Carbon, a top-tier downhill full face helmet.

We spied the raw carbon beauty that is the Kali Trinity Carbon helmet at Sea Otter earlier in the year and had to test to see if its performance matched its looks. Read on to find out how it’s been performing in bike parks all over North America this year.

ABOUT THE KALI TRINITY CARBON FULL FACE HELMET

According to Kali, the Trinity Carbon Full Face helmet was the be-all, end-all helmet for the serious downhill rider. It has everything a rider could want and nothing they don’t…for the most part. You get a lightweight carbon-shelled helmet with an adjustable visor. Two sets of Kali’s Kool Draft moisture wicking pads are included to help dial in fit, and a magnetic Fidlock Buckle is used to close it. There’s even the combination of a Helmet sock AND Premium helmet bag for storage.

Let’s dive into a bit more detail on the Trinity Carbon Helmet. Kali manages to get their helmet weight down to an impressively low number thanks in part to their Composite Fusion process. This process allows the shell material – in this case Carbon – to be bonded directly to the Conehead Nano Foam inside. The nano polymer is designed to dissipate g-forces more efficiently than standard EPS foam.

Along with the Nano Fusion layer, Kali also incorporates an ERT Low Density Layer, or LDL. The LDL is placed in patches strategically throughout the helmet. The goal of this layer is to reduce the rotation impact forces, and low-g linear forces. The Trinity Carbon helmet has CPSC, EN1078 and ASTM F1952 certification.

The Trinity Carbon helmet has 20 vents placed throughout: 17 in the helmet itself and 3 in the adjustable visor. This helmet is available in six sizes from XS (53-54cm) to XXL (63-64cm), and comes with two sets of pads to aid in getting a dialed fit. The Trinity Carbon is available in four color options, all equally wild with the exception being the gloss carbon tested here. All that said, The Trinity Carbon Full Face will set you back $500…but you can’t put a price on protecting your head, can you?

THE DIRT

We’ve had a number of Kali Helmets come through our door, from the Invader to moto qualified Shiva. The Trinity Carbon, however, is the first downhill specific full-face we have tested from Kali. For this review, I am testing the Gloss Carbon option in size medium (57-58cm).

FIT | My cranium has a circumference of 58cm, making the medium a perfect choice. Around the top of my head, the fit is snug and secure. Though secure at the top, around my cheeks the fit is less snug compared to other DH-specific full faces. The Trinity fits more like a pedal-friendly full face around the cheeks, providing a “slightly loose” feel, and that is with the thicker 20mm cheek pads.

For peace of mind, I prefer having a D-ring closure system over the magnetic Fidlock used on the Trinity Carbon. Outside of that, the rest of the fit and feel has been great. The viewport works well with large framed goggles. The helmet itself wears extremely light, rightfully so as it has a 948-gram weight.

ON THE TRAIL | I’ve worn the helmet for close to 60+ trail hours at this point, including a couple not so friendly crashes. Despite cheek pads that felt to be ill-fitting, I dealt with little to no helmet shake while descending down the trail. The venting on the helmet works well, having kept my head fairly cool during the almost 90-degree days at Whistler Bike Park and equally hot days at Mt. Bachelor. The helmet wears alarmingly light, to the point where it almost does not feel safe. That’s an odd thing to say, I know, but having become accustomed to heavier helmets in the bike park, it’s strange to have less weight on your shoulders. Fortunately, I trust Kali has done their homework and has made a very safe helmet. After all, we have seen Rogatkin get up time after time from taking heavy slams. I took one while riding In Deep at Whistler Bike Park. I was somehow able to keep my head from heading the ground, likely due to the helmet’s low weight. I still gave myself a bit of whiplash in the process, but it could have been a whole lot worse with an extra 200g on my head..

I do have to give Kali props on making comfortable interior pads as well. Spending hours and days in the bike park means the helmet comes off at the end of each lap. For as long as I can remember, taking a helmet on and off all day has usually resulted in rubbing my cheeks raw. The Kali Trinity Carbon did not. Now, maybe that is because the helmet does not fit as tight around the cheeks as others, like the Fox Rampage RPC or the Bell Full-10, but it still left a positive impression.

The Wolf’s Last Word

Kali’s Trinity Carbon full-face is an extremely lightweight, DH certified helmet that doesn’t skimp on safety features. It does come with a premium $500 price tag, but what carbon full-face doesn’t these days?

Whether it is worth the price or not will depend. Do you want one of the lightest DH-rated faces on the market, that is as safe – or safer – than other options out there? Just be mindful of sizing and know that the included cheek pads may not get you the fit you want, depending on your head’s profile. 

Price: $500
Weight: 948 grams (medium)
Website: Kaliprotectives.com

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