The Amara Cam’s trick is hidden up its shell, as it doesn’t have sleeves. It features a small, raised rail positioned just behind the central middle line of the shell, there to mount increasingly-popular cameras such as the GoPro.
It’s supplied with a small pack of plastic adaptor mounts for the major players. The most obvious one is the double-slotted version for a Hero GoPro or Swann camera. There are also mounts for pencil lights, though Kali don’t actually specify which ones. The mount clips firmly into the rail, and a 4mm Allen bolt and recessed nut allow you to make fine adjustments to the tilt.
Helmet stability is vital for reasonable pictures, and the Amara feels reassuringly still once it’s done up with the rear retention strap cinched. The camera feels stable and not too top heavy. We’d have liked the overall mount height to be a few millimetres lower, for even less sway, though our results were still good.
The helmet is a worthy cross-country/trail model in its own right, with 17 big vents in the angular-looking in-mould shell. We like the three-quarter coverage bug netting and broad absorbent straps, and if the clip-off peak was adjustable or a bit shorter we’d see up the trail a bit more to keep other riders in shot when riding eyes down. Still, a Stanley knife will see to that in five minutes…
If you like riding with a GoPro or Swann camera and you’re in the market for a bang up-to-date trail lid, this is the only name in town. Or it is until Giro brings out their version towards the end of the year, anyway.
This article was originally published in What Mountain Bike magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.