The Gear Shed: WRSI Current Helmet
2021 WRSI Current Helmet Specs
Helmet Style: Open Face Helmet
Shell Material: ABS plastic outer shell with polyurethane inner shell
Liner Material: Removable foam padded liner
Vents: 3 on top of the helmet
Adjustments: Interconnect Retention System
Ear Coverage: Optional clip in plastic ear coverage
Visor: Small brim integral to the outer shell
Certification: CE EN 1385
Weight: M/L 1.45 LBS
MSRP: 119.95
WRSI Current Helmet Review
The WRSI Current Helmet (WRSI is an NRS brand) is probably one of the best all-around entry level whitewater helmets. The helmet was designed with a ton of safety features in mind at a reasonable price point. If you don’t know the history of the helmet, it was designed after a paddler lost his life due to a catastrophic helmet failure. His family wanted to make sure that no other family would lose a son to this kind of injury. The helmet is a classic and a common sight on most rivers with the helmet having undergone a few notable design features over the years. Overall, for what’s included in this helmet it is a great mix of safety, comfort, and value.
Ideal Uses
Although this helmet is often listed as an entry level helmet, that’s not to say it doesn’t perform admirably in tough class V conditions. The current works great as an everyday whitewater helmet for almost any river. The coverage on the sides of the helmet is a little lacking, but the back of the head coverage is great. It is decent for out of the box rafting more so than other paddle sports, because it has no ear protection and it is not a full-face helmet (2 features which are statistically a bit less important to rafters than say kayakers). Although the WRSI Current Helmet is popular for kayaking as it is easy to cross over from one sport to the other, kayakers may want to opt for a helmet with more coverage.
How is the WRSI Current Helmet in the water?
There are 2 versions of the current helmet we will have to look at each version separately since they perform very differently on the water. One thing not mentioned in this article is the color of your helmet. For more information on that topic we have a detailed article from Mark Hirst on Helmet Color.
Current Helmet
The basic current helmet offers a good amount of protection especially for the needs of rafters. The brim is just enough and is usually pretty good at keeping the waves / sun out of your eyes. The drain holes are super nice on hot days to help keep your head cool. They also help to keep your helmet from being pulled back from water hitting it.
Current Pro Helmet
The pro-version of the current helmet is a little less ideal for rafters especially boaters running higher class whitewater. The brim of the helmet can whip backwards in a big swim either throwing your neck back or pulling the helmet back if the O-brace is not aligned properly for your head. This coupled with the lack of drain holes can be really annoying when you are hit by a wave while swimming.
Since there are no drain holes you can also get overheated quickly on a hot day with this helmet especially if you choose a dark color. The other issue with the visor is when you are attempting to swim head first in a modified crawl stroke. The visor can limit your forward visibility so if you are attempting to aggressively self-rescue then you may not be able to see where you’re swimming.
On the plus side though, the helmet does come with the optional ear protection as standard with the helmet. Overall, though there is unfortunately more drawbacks that I see with the Current Pro than the basic Current design.
How tough is the Current Helmet?
Previous versions of this helmet were not that great as the paint was prone to cracking and the ABS Plastic was prone to cracking especially when it got cold. Another issue I had with the previous version was when I packed it in a checked bag on the way to France. The outer shell could not take the abuse of the baggage handlers and the helmet somehow got crushed on the way to Europe. Unfortunately the shell was not able to deform and spring back so it was completely destroyed upon arrival so I had to use borrowed commercial helmets from outfitter friends.
Fast forward to a today and NRS seems to have pretty well resolved that issue. The plastic they are currently using in the current edition of the helmet is pretty bomber. I packed it on a trip to Europe and central Asia. Not only did the helmet make it to Europe this time, but all the way to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, back to Europe, and finally home. Over 18,000 miles and 6 flights later in a checked bag it held up super well. I have taken multiple big swims in this helmet and have knocked it around a lot without any damage to the helmet.
The only downside is that some of the white plastic pieces tend to be a bit lower quality. The snaps on the liner don’t always stay put very well. I also broke one of the y adjustment connectors that sits below my ear in the middle of a rapid so I ended up having to use my hair tie to keep it in place.
Important Considerations
The O-Brace is really stiff and takes a lot of work to align properly to your head. I had to stop by my local paddling shop to get some help with having this fitted correctly.
If you are a smaller paddler like me and you don’t have the O-brace properly fitted to your head it can catch on the back of your PFD or lapels of your PFD.
The helmet may not fit perfectly out of the box for your head and may require some modifications with a fit kit to work properly. If the helmet is rocking left and right on your head you may need to add some more padding to the helmet. See our helmet modification article for more on this topic.
This helmet is designed for circle heads. Typically, if you have someone else look directly down from the top of your head it will either be shaped like a circle or an oval. Understanding what shape of head you have will help you determine if the helmet is the right shape for your head.
Your helmet should fit like a nice hug, not too tight, not too loose. If you are finding that you are getting pressure points on your head forming from your helmet then you may have an improperly sized or shaped helmet for your needs.
Sizing Guide
Is it worth the cost?
Overall, for an entry level whitewater helmet the WRSI Current Helmet is probably one of the better pieces of equipment out there for new boaters. There are helmets with a better price point or more feature out there, but if you are mainly a class II/III boater this is a fantastic helmet for most situations and will suit you well as your skills improve down the road. Helmets, like PFDs and shoes, are one of the items that are most frequently used by boaters so it helps to spend a little more money to make sure that you have the right piece of equipment for your needs and skills without breaking the bank.
