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Summary
Compared to other smart helmets, Base Camp’s SF-999 helmet is relatively affordable, but still offers quite a few useful smart features. Using Bluetooth 5.3, you can connect your smartphone to play music through the built-in speakers or use the windproof microphone to make clear calls. They’re not the best speakers, but they get the job done and they’re useful while you’re riding. The helmet’s design is comfortable and well-ventilated, and offers riders bright rear lights for safety—though the turn signal announcements are a bit much.
My first introduction to Base Camp was reviewing the company’sF11 electric skateboard, and I had a blast with that fantastic product. With such a positive experience, I was excited to try the latest from Base Camp: theSF-999 smart helmet. Though I may still love the F11 skateboard more, there’s a lot to like about the SF-999 helmet.
Base Camp’s mission in creating this smart helmet is to make safety more fun. With electric bikes, scooters, and skateboards becoming more popular and affordable for the average person, it’s more important than ever to ensure everyone is being safe while riding by wearing a helmet. It’s not always fun to put on a helmet, but it’s a preventative safety measure that you’ll be thankful of in the event you ever do crash.
The SF-999 helmet is equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, built-in speakers, a microphone, and turn signal lights. I usually can’t be bothered to wear a helmet when riding around my neighborhood, even though I know I should. I found myself wanting to wear the SF-999 even on days when I wasn’t intentionally reviewing it, mainly for the integrated speakers. Yes, they’re lower-quality speakers, but they won’t fall out of my sweaty ears like my earbuds will.
There are things I wish I could change or add to Base Camp’s SF-999 for a better experience, but as it is, it’s a solid smart helmet option for those looking to spend around $100.
What’s In the Box
When I unboxed Base Camp’s SF-999 helmet, it was covered with bubble wrap and protective plastic and put inside a reusable mesh bag. The bag is mainly black, with a large blue BC printed at the bottom for Base Camp. This bag feels thick and sturdy and can be used to store the helmet when it’s not in use. There’s plenty of extra room inside, so you could even store some extra biking accessories.
In addition to the helmet and the mesh bag, there’s also a small zippered pouch that contains all the small stuff. There’s a remote control band that you can attach to your bike’s handlebars, an extra watch battery for the remote, a tiny screwdriver, a very short USB-C cable for charging the helmet, extra velcro stickers, and the SF-999 manual.
Design & Comfort: Well-Ventilated and Easily Adjustable
The SF-999 helmet is comfortable to wear over long periods of time. It’s designed with high-speed wind flow in mind, so it keeps your head cool and dry. With active vents on the outer shell and exhaust channels inside the helmet, hot air is pushed out, and cool air is welcomed in and around your head while you’re riding. Even in the blistering Texas summer heat, I felt like the ventilation system did a great job of keeping my head cool during rides.
The two chin straps connect with a buckle, and the longer strap can be tightened or loosened to adjust the fit. Then, on the back of the helmet, you’ll find Base Camp’s FR Fit system, which allows you to quickly tighten the helmet around your head and quickly release compression when you’re ready to take it off. There’s a dial at the back of the helmet that you can push in and twist to tighten the helmet. Then, you just pull up on the dial to release all that compression.
I tried on the helmet and was able to get a tight fit within seconds. Then, I gave it to someone else to try on, and despite having a different head size than me, they also achieved their perfect fit. It’s nice that the fit system gives two inches of wiggle room to play with, and at the end of a long ride, you can quickly release all that tension with one simple pull.
Smart Features: Speakers, Microphone, and Lights
The SF-999 is made smart with its Bluetooth 5.3 technology. You can pair your smartphone with the helmet to play music, make phone calls, or hear navigational directions through Google Maps through the built-in stereo speakers. The helmet’s volume works independently of your phone’s volume, so you’ll need to max out your phone’s volume to get the helmet’s full potential range. Then, to help you come across clearly during phone calls, there’s a built-in windproof microphone.
The included remote band goes on your bike’s handlebar, and then you may use it to control some helmet features without taking your hand off the handlebar grip. For music control, there are plus and minus buttons to control music volume and skip forward and backward to different tracks.
In the manual, it said holding the plus button goes to the previous track, and holding the minus button goes to the next track, but this isn’t true; instead, the reverse is true. It’s also worth noting that to actually go to the previous track, you need to press and hold the minus button twice in a row, really close together, in order to actually go to the previous track and not just restart your current track.
Base Camp’s SF-999 helmet also comes equipped with a rear light that you can turn on and off manually, and rear turn signals that you can activate using the remote. When you activate a turn signal by pressing the L or R button on the remote, you’ll hear either “Turn left beware” or “Turn right beware” over and over again until you turn it off, or until 35 seconds have passed, whichever comes first.
These turn signal announcements are designed to interrupt any music or phone calls to prioritize your safety. However, when Google Maps navigation speaks up, your music is only quieted, and it doesn’t feel any less safe to me than when the music or the person speaking on the phone completely cuts out for the built-in announcements.
The turn signal announcements and other built-in announcements (“Power on,” “Bluetooth mode,” “Device paired”) wouldn’t be as bad if you could adjust their default volume. As they are now, they’re too loud—even ear piercing—and when you’re playing music that’s quieter than the announcements, it’s a jarring difference. It sounds like the announcements are recorded with a low-quality microphone from potentially different people. Honestly, the turn signal announcements don’t even feel worth it, but more on that in the next section.
Using the Helmet: A Mostly Good Experience
One of the first things I noticed when I went for a ride wearing the SF-999 helmet was the ventilation system. In the middle of a Texas afternoon, my head somehow felt…cool. When I traded the helmet to someone else to test out during the ride home, I realized how much the helmet was helping me stay cool on my ride. It’s also nice to just have that barrier between the top of your head and the sun.
The stereo speakers aren’t the worst I’ve ever heard, but they’re certainly not the best either. Music doesn’t get distorted, and the quality is almost reminiscent of listening to someone through speakerphone. Even if you’re riding in windy conditions, the music still comes through clearly, and the person riding beside me couldn’t hear my music despite it seeming loud to me.
I don’t like constantly pushing earbuds back in while sweating a lot, and good sweat-proof earbuds with hear-through functionality can be expensive. For someone like me, the decent stereo speakers in this helmet are a better option than trying to keep my earbuds from slipping while riding an ebike at high speeds.
When my fellow rider and I realized that we couldn’t hear the music playing unless we were actively wearing the helmet, I decided to test the same idea with the turn signal announcements. I could barely hear the announcement when I was riding right next to someone, and I think I only knew that it was saying, “Turn right beware,” because I knew what to listen for. If other people around me can’t hear the turn signal announcement, then the announcement is just for the rider; and if it’s just for the rider, why can’t it just be a clicking sound like a car blinker?
Related:Why You Need a Better Helmet for Your Ebike
The phone call quality while riding is pretty good too. I tested a call with just my phone and someone else’s phone, and then with the SF-999 helmet and someone else’s phone. When you’re wearing the helmet, the person you’re talking to can sound a bit harsh coming through the studio speakers, but it’s still a nice hands-free feature. Then, your voice comes through the helmet microphone just as well as it would through a smartphone microphone.
The built-in mic is supposed to be windproof, but depending on how your head is tilted while you’re riding, a lot of wind can still get through. When you’re actively talking, the microphone does a better job of separating your voice from the wind. But when you’re just listening to the person on the other end and not saying anything, all the wind comes through.
One of my favorite features is hearing Google Maps navigational directions through the helmet’s speakers. Even if you have your phone attached to your handlebar and Google Maps pulled up, you have to look down while riding, which can feel a bit dangerous at times. Plus, if it’s hot outside, your phone could easily get overheated. If you’re playing music and have Google Maps leading you somewhere, your music will get quieter when your next direction is being read, but it won’t completely turn off like with the turn signal announcements.
Battery Life: A Great Range
I kept seeing different battery life estimates for the Base Camp SF-999, but I think it’s just because different averages depend on how you use the helmet. On the website, you’ll see an estimate of over 10 hours; in the manual, there’s an estimate of over 8 hours.
Both of these estimates can be true when you look further at the specs, which estimate 5 to 16 hours, depending on settings. If you’re using lights and music, the helmet could last you up to 5 hours. For just music, you can expect about 8 hours; and for just lights, up to 16 hours.
From what I experienced, these battery life estimates seem pretty accurate. You can view the helmet’s current battery life in your phone’s Bluetooth settings, and it looks like the battery only drops by 10% increments in the settings.
When I started specifically testing the battery, it was at 90%. It dropped to 80% after leaving the rear light on for about 15 minutes. This worried me until I left the rear light on for another 30 minutes, and then went for a 30-minute bike ride, played music, and talked on the phone—and it was still at 80% when I got home. That’s when it dawned on me that the helmet only indicates when it’s at 90%, 80%, 70%, and so on, and not specific percentages as it uses up the battery.
The built-in 1000 mAh battery takes about three hours to fully charge via a USB-C port. There’s an included USB-C cable—but it’s pretty short. You’ll either need to find a longer cable or somewhere conveniently close to a wall outlet to charge the helmet. As with many modern electronics, a charging brick isn’t included.
Should You Buy the Base Camp SF-999 Helmet?
There’s a lot to like aboutBase Camp’s SF-999 smart helmet. I prefer the lower-quality studio speakers than wearing a higher-quality pair of earbuds while I’m sweating and riding an ebike at high speeds. I love the bright rear light and Google Maps integration. The ventilation system is excellent too, and provides nice cool air around your head even when it’s insanely hot outside.
All that said, there’s room for improvement with this helmet, and it’s mostly minor things. The built-in announcements need to be quieter or recorded with a higher-quality microphone, and the turn signal announcements don’t feel necessary at all, especially when someone riding beside me couldn’t even hear them. Then, it feels strange to only have rear lights, but no front lights. If you’re someone who commutes on a bike, front turn signals are just as necessary as rear turn signals.
