How to Store Your Helmet

With football in the off-season, it’s a good time to take a second and consider the way you store your helmet when it’s not being used.

Simply tossing your gear into a closet once the last game of the season is over is an easy, yet ill-advised habit that players fall into. Keep these equipment storage tips in mind to get better organized and keep your gear fresh in the off-season.

Storing your football helmet properly is the key to keeping it in good condition. If your helmet is stored correctly, you’re extending its lifetime by limiting the damage resulting from improper storage, as well as keeping it smelling fresh. Proper storage not only keeps the game safer for young athletes, but also saves you from having to buy replacement parts down the road.

Maintaining high-quality gear ensures fewer pieces broken, and extends the longevity of your helmet. Proper storage for a football helmet is a place that’s sheltered, temperature regulated, and has plenty of air circulation. Think of it like a toy that sits out in the sun all day, by the time you go to use it again it will have been affected by extreme temperature, hot or cold, as well as moisture and excess sunlight.

These elements can cause padding to become uncomfortable, helmet shells to crack, paint to chip or fade, and much more. It’s a lot easier to store your helmet the right way, rather than deal with the aftermath.

When you are putting away your gear for the winter, be sure to deflate any inner padding. The Riddell SpeedFlex for example, has inflation points that can be filled with air, or deflated to fit your head comfortably. At the end of each game, be sure to release any air added to the padding to avoid popping inner lining and weakening your gear.

If you wear a visor on your helmet, they can easily become scratched or dirty. Removing the visor from your helmet during the off-season is another way to keep parts of your helmet from becoming too worn or damaged. If possible, we suggest removing the visor, and keeping it with the helmet in a dust bag to decrease the chance of any scuffs or impurities. SHOC visors come with a bag made to keep your visor protected during the off-season.

After finding a place that is temperature controlled with good air ventilation, aim to find a shelf to put it on by itself. We do not recommend stacking your equipment, because good air circulation will keep the helmet fresh throughout the off season However, if you have to stack your gear, try to do so with the helmet upside down, so that the padding can stay dry and avoid any growth of mildew.

The best storage solution for your helmet is a football Helmet Hanger.

Helmet hangers can be installed to any wall surface easily, and allow your helmet good airflow, as well as a cool looking display!