Guest - Not logged in | ||||||||||||||||||
Reviews > Clothing > Hats, Caps and Visors > The Down Works Balaclava > Owner Review by Ray Estrella
The Down Works Balaclava
September 12, 2011
TESTER INFORMATION
I've been backpacking for over 30 years, all over California, Minnesota, and many western states. I hike year-round in all weather, and average 500+ miles (800+ km) per year. I make a point of using lightweight gear, and smaller volume packs. Doubting I can ever be truly UL, I try to be as light as I can yet still be comfortable. I start early and hike hard so as to enjoy the afternoons exploring/chilling. I usually take a freestanding tent and enjoy hot evening meals. If not hiking solo I am usually with my brother-in-law Dave or my twin children. The Product
Manufacturer: The Down Works Quick & Dirty, Nitty Gritty At only 3 oz (85 g), the Down Works Balaclava is a great way to extend the usefulness of a hoodless winter jacket or, as I bought it for, a hoodless sleeping bag or backpacking quilts. And it gives proof to Mom's accusation that I am a hot head… Product Description
The Down Works Balaclava (hereafter referred to as the bala) is a pretty neat piece of headgear. In the case of my bala, the shell is made of 1.3 oz polyester microfiber fabric. And like any of my custom quilts this hand-made sweet piece of work features baffled construction to eliminate cold spots. The spaces formed by the baffles have been filled with a whopping 1.13 oz (32 g) of 850+ fill goose down. For an amazing comparison my MontBell UL TEC jacket (see review) in size XL has 2.9 oz (65 g) of 800 fill. It lofts up great as is seen below. The bala does not come with a stuff sack and I have never needed or wanted to stuff it into anything. But it squishes down to about the size of a tennis ball for anyone interested. The bala is cut low at the front and back to let it drop down past the shoulders without bunching up. It also lets the bala be tucked into a jacket sealing out the cold. At the bottom of the back drop is a little nylon hang loop. When fully extended the oval face opening is roughly 6 x 8 in (15 x 20 cm). A draw cord runs around this opening culminating at a cord-lock at the bottom. By pulling the cord the opening will constrict in size to get as small an opening as I want. Field Conditions
When I first got the Down Works Balaclava I used it on some early spring snow trips in California to climb Mt San Gorgonio, and in San Jacinto State park. Camps were 9,000 to 10,000 ft (2740-3050 m) elevation and temps were between 13 and 19 F (-11 to -7 C) for lows. Observations
A couple years ago I switched all my 3-season sleep gear from sleeping bags to backpacking quilts and loved how well they worked for my side-sleeping style. I learned to always bring a light beanie or fleece balaclava along to keep my head from getting cold as the quilts have no hood like my sleeping bags had. After a year or so of using my quilts I decided I wanted to try to push quilt use into winter and decided to buy a quilt rated to 5 F (-15 C). One thing I knew was that the headgear I owned that would be warm enough for those temps would not be comfortable to sleep with on so I went in search of something better. (Clockwise from top left) The Down Works Balaclava waiting for me to go to bed in a Nemo Esprit with a 20 F (-7 C) quilt, a Bibler Fitzroy, and a MSR Hubba Hubba HP with a 5 F (-15 C) quilt. Besides use in a sleeping bag or quilt The Down Works suggests that it can be used as a hood for a jacket. While my extreme cold parkas have hoods attached I had the opportunity to beta test an electric-heat assisted down jacket that had no hood. I took the jacket on a dayhike to a local park just to stand around in -15 F (-26 C) temps for a few hours to see how the jacket handled it and wore the bala to keep my head from freezing as not even my warmest hat is good at those temps if I am not expending a lot of energy by hiking. This use also lets me use one of my lighter hoodless jackets when using my Bask Yeti half-bag for sleeping if I want. I always stuff the bala in whatever stuff sack my quilt is in. This way I always know where it is. At home the bala stays with my Arc Expedition in its cotton storage sack. The bala still looks like new with absolutely no signs of wear. I plan to use this awesome head heater for a long time to come. Ray Estrella I measure happiness with an altimeter. (And a low-temp thermometer…) This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1.5 Copyright 2011. All rights reserved. Read more gear reviews by Ray Estrella Reviews > Clothing > Hats, Caps and Visors > The Down Works Balaclava > Owner Review by Ray Estrella |