Helmet fit is highly personal. What feels great on your head might be uncomfortably narrow for me. Or whatever. So I'd take those fit complaints with a heavy grain of salt. Aside from that, the big difference is going to be weight. Like you noticed. Smith uses a material called Koroyd, which basically looks like a honeycomb, to make their helmets super light well ventilated while still providing top-tier protection. The weight makes a slight difference, a lighter helmet is simply less on your head and that's obviously more comfortable. But I wouldn't say the Mod5 is heavy either. If you want low weight, have you considered a less ... complicated helmet? Something like the Smith Code gives you the same Koroyd construction, just without the adjustable vents or hardshell construction. And it's a lot lighter. I have one personally and I'm quite happy with it. Or there's the Oakley Mod1, which I'm less familar with. Or any of the dozens of other helmets out there. They all pass the same safety certification, so it's not like you're getting better protection by spending twice as much. More on reddit.com

I'd suggest go and try it (goggles with helmet) on before buying (if you were planning to buy online). I've had a few helmets that looked great online, but then squeezed in weird places or was super heavy or something. More on reddit.com

I like owning my own helmet just so that if I have a big fall, I’ll know what the damage is or have it assessed. I don’t know how rental shops keep track of wear and tear. I also collect stickers from resorts so that’s always fun. All Oakley helmets should be compatible with Oakley goggles. Moreover, all good helmets are compatible with all good goggles. A google search should lead you to reviews of these products which answers these kind of questions. I don’t imagine that safety standards have changed in between the introduction of the two helmets so the mod3 should be sufficient. More on reddit.com

Buy a headphone compatible helmet More on reddit.com