A helmet fit system includes a harness, a first anchor and a second anchor secured to a helmet, a tensioning mechanism, and a cable passing from the mechanism, around the first anchor, through the harness, and around the second anchor. The tensioning mechanism is not secured to any portion of the harness. The harness may define a channel, the cable passing through the channel. The tensioning mechanism is mounted to the outer surface of a helmet on the first side of a plane of symmetry of the helmet such that the cable passes through the helmet.