How do people carry their helmets on planes? I'm trying to pack it in my hard-side suitcase, and it fits ok, but I'm a bit worried that somewhere on the three flights I have to take, the suitcase will take a solid blow to the lid, which is soft, and that will crush the helmet, but I would never notice.

Also, I packed a bunch of hard, but fragile stuff inside the helmet. I can't decide if that is a bad idea or not. If the helmet doesn't get crushed, it won't really matter, and if it does get crushed, the stuff inside will be the least of the problems.

I would take it as a carry on, but I have a huge backpack that weights a ton, and I have to take three flights to get to Beijing, so its going to be a bit of hassle.

So, what are other people's experiences? I'm going to be doing this trip 4-5 times this year (so 10 packings), so packing the helmet securely will be important.

Thanks for any suggestions!