Tested: 7iDP Releases Project.21 Half-Shell Helmet

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Today, protection brand 7iDP is launching their newest helmet, the Project.21, or P.21. It’s so named for its vents, 21 in total, and it is, unsurprisingly, an all-round trail/enduro half shell helmet, designed for good coverage and protection, without the breathability issues of a ¾ or full face. I was able to get my hands on the new helmet, so here are some first impressions and riding notes.

The 7iDP Project.21 Helmet In a Nutshell

• Size Tested: M/L
• Weight: 403 g
• Sizes Available: XS/S, M/L, XL/XXL
• Price: $229.99

The 7iDP Project.21 helmet is available now.

Intro

My first introduction to 7iDP was through their Sam Hill signature knee pads. They have a bit of a cult following and I know several riders who absolutely swear by them. But 7iDP doesn’t just make pads, they also make helmets, and previously, their range included the Project 23 full face, the M1, a lighter weight “enduro” full face, and the M2, a “trail” half shell.

Their newest helmet, the P.21 has 21 vents, and is positioned as more of an enduro or all-mountain half shell. More coverage, more protection, all the features.

Fit

The P.21 has a pretty “deep” feeling fit; it feels like my head fits in the helmet, as opposed to the helmet resting on top of my head. My head measures 59 cm around, and the M/L P.21 fits nicely, with room in either direction on the adjustment wheel. My head is reasonably ovular, and fits Smith and Giro helmets nicely. The P.21 feels a touch rounder, with wider sides, than the Smith Payroll I reviewed recently, but it’s not a significant difference.

Technology

7iDP says this is their “safest open-face helmet” and they use a few technologies to accomplish that. First, their ConeHead tech uses interlocking layers starting with EPS foam, a middle, softer Contego layer, and then an outer layer of EPS. These layers are molded together with spike, or cone shaped protrusions between them, which 7iDP says helps dissipate impacts.

There’s also ERT (Energy Reducing Technology) pads inside the helmet. 7IDP says these pads help dissipate low-level rotational and linear impacts, and are super soft, so they help with impacts that would usually be too small for traditional padding to address. Mentally, I can’t help equating them to RockShox Buttercups, designed to handle smaller frequency impacts before they make it to the primary spring, or foam in this case.

There is no Mips or other rotational impact technology in the P.21, instead, 7iDP relies on that ERT foam.

Finally, the P.21’s visor is designed to break away in a crash.

Features and Vents

The P.21 has, unsurprisingly, 21 vents. They’re well placed, and the helmet provides a very nice combination of coverage and breathability. I was aware that it was a high-coverage helmet while wearing it, but it kept a nice amount of air moving at all times. It feels very similar to the Smith Payroll in terms of overall comfort and breathability

The rear adjustment dial is easy to access and adjust, and I appreciated the magnetic Fidlock buckle. It’s a small touch, but the more I use them, the more I genuinely feel like it’s a little more “premium” and convenient than traditional buckles.

Internally, the swappable padding is large, and well attached to the helmet shell - no thin strips of padding here. Instead, it absorbs more sweat, and takes longer to get fully saturated than I’m used to. On the flip side, once it is saturated, it takes a while to dry out.

I did miss one feature on the P.21: there’s no consideration for glasses storage on the helmet. If you want to take them off, you’ll have to stow them in your pack or pocket. That’s…fine. Lots of helmets don’t have good glasses storage, but I really appreciate it when manufacturers include this detail. It means I’m more likely to bring eye protection, which is always a good thing.

Finally, and this is probably a personal issue, I’ve found that I ride with my head down, and look up the trail with my eyes, not my entire face. As a result, I’m more aware of low visors cutting off the top of my field of view. It’s easy to adjust the P.21’s visor up, out of the way, but the actual shell of the helmet itself falls lower on my brow, and extends further out than I’m used to, to the point that I notice the edge of the helmet in the top of my peripheral vision. This probably won’t be an issue for most riders, but I did find myself having to remember to look up, so that my view of the upcoming trail wasn’t impeded.

Holograms

7iDP is releasing the P.21 in a limited holographic colorway, along with matching gloves and kneepads. The whole collection looks classy. In a world of increasingly ugly “special editions,” it’s wonderful to see something so sleek and understated. Black and silver is a timeless combo, and 7iDP executed this one well.

Pricing

The P.21 is not an "affordable" helmet. At $229.99, it's $30 more expensive than the Payroll I recently reviewed. That said, its pricing isn't absurd, and it does offer the sort of top-end features that you'd expect at this price.

What kind of rider will get along well with the 7iDP P.21?

Helmet fit is incredibly subjective, but I found the P.21 to be a very comfortable helmet, with solid coverage for higher speed applications. Would I race a DH track, or an XC course in it? No. But for everything in between, it’s a great option.