The O’Neal Trailfinder is a mid-priced trail helmet that has modern looks and plenty of protection. While it offers the essentials, such as a good adjustable peak and a goggle-friendly rear section, it lacks finesse and can get a bit warm thanks to less than brilliant venting.
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The Trailfinder uses in-molding to bind the EPS foam and outer shell together, resulting in a more durable lid with better protection than if they were left separate. There is no MIPS or similar system for mitigating rotational forces, however.
The visor is a useful size and adjusts far enough to get goggles under there: the shell also features a textured rear section to hold goggle straps.
Inside there's a simple, very well-padded liner, which is washable and removable. The retention system is also simple, plus it's easily adjusted with its dial. It can be tricky to find just the right tension to balance between crushing the padding and risking it moving on your head, however – I’d rather see a little less padding for a more easily secure fit.
I found myself regularly adjusting the dial against the foam padding.
On the upside, the large pad is comfy, with no pressure points. This Small/Medium shell felt quite big, however, which is perhaps partly due to having to accommodate it all. It does at least extend a long way down the back of the skull for good protection.
It's probably also part of the reason the Trailfinder can get really warm. Those twelve big vents just don’t feel especially effective at stuffing air into the lid, and the padding at the brow definitely limits airflow into the small channels. I also found it would reach a point where it suddenly released a lot of sweat build up, which was pretty disconcerting.
I even tried dipping the peak to increase airflow, but it made no difference.
The chin strap is well padded and comfy too, but also gets a little sweaty at times. The magnetic clip for securing the ends is a neat touch, though.
At £65 the Trailfinder just isn’t quite up to par against other, cheaper lids we’ve tested of late. It gives good coverage and promises strong protection, but it's too warm, arguably too heavily-padded and too awkward to fit securely for serious trail riding use.