I was very young when I started to wear special corrective glasses and contact lenses are not an option due to my eye condition. This is a huge problem for me since I started riding off-trail wearing a modular helmet. My glasses would fog up quickly because backcountry riding requires great physical effort that brings lots of heat and moisture inside my helmet. After searching and testing many combinations of snocross helmets and goggles, I always ended up with the same problem, my glasses wouldn’t fit inside the goggles.
As you know, The SledMagazine.com team members attend every year the Québec City Motorized Recreational Sports Show. As I was visiting the different exhibits, I spent a long time examining the products from 509 at the Splash’N Dirt stand. To my greatest surprise, the Evolution helmet and the Aviator goggle suited perfectly with my corrective glasses. All that was left to do was to make sure that the goggle wouldn’t fog up my glasses. So, there I was, walking through the stand with the helmet on my head; I wanted to produce enough heat to get fog on my glasses. I was quite surprised that after 15 minutes of this fast-pace walking all over the place, there was no fog at all on my lenses. I thought,"I finally found the solution to the long-lasting problem".
So, after discussing with our webmaster Mr Philippe Soucy, I volunteered to test the 509 products. Thanks to Tom from 509’s trust and generosity, I received my test kit a few months later.
Right at the beginning, I liked the Evolution helmet and Aviator goggle combo with the anti-fog fan module. It is just incredible and a wonderful product ! There is absolutely no fog in glasses. Moreover, I get the largest field of vision and the best peripheral vision I ever had since the beginning of my snowmobiler career. My major problem was now completely solved. The Aviator goggle are always clean and clear. They don’t keep snow because the frame of the lens is inside the goggle. This is quite an innovation in the industry of snowmobile goggles.
However, the Evolution helmet shows some weakness under colder weather. The ventilation ports are not adjustable; we cannot stop or reduce air circulation. Another improvement would be to widen the inner foam of the helmet or the foam of the goggle in order to provide more protection against cold weather.
As an off-trail snowmobiler, I wonder why manufacturers do not produce a helmet with built-in goggle?
Otherwise, the Evolution helmet is very efficient and very comfortable. It fits all the goggle models from 509. What strikes me most is how easy it is to communicate with the helmet on my head. No need to take it off or to yell when I want to communicate with my fellow riders.
Overall, my trial is quite positive and I recommend the products from 509 to everybody who wears corrective glasses and likes to ride safely the backcountry with clear glasses.
