Reviews > Clothing > Hats > Psolar Balaclava > Jodi Cornelius > Long Term Report

My e-mail:bpskids@atlanticbb.net
Name: Jodi Cornelius
Age: 42
Height: 5'4"/1.6 m
Weight: 160 lbs/73 kg
Gender: Female
City: Derrick City
State: PA
Country: USA
Date: June 2, 2004
My area of the country: Northwest Pennsylvania

Weight: 2.25 oz. (64 g)
Height: 11.75 in. (30 cm)
Width: (neck) 9.25 in. (23.5 cm)
Face opening diameter: 5.5" (14 cm)
Color: Black w/ white and yellow lettering. White heat exchanger

Field Experience Summary: See my field report for more in-depth information and pictures.  I wore this balaclava almost every day through our winter months since the time I received it. Our temperatures dropped drastically and hovered in the negative numbers for 2 weeks straight before finally rising to above zero. The temperatures averaged daily from -25F/-14C to 0F/32C. 

While wearing this balaclava, I noted some things I didn't particularly care for. One was the fact that even without glasses, I felt the balaclava would be a whole lot better if they included the vapor shield attachment with the hat. Psolar sent me a vapor shield which I was very happy to receive.  The only thing I didn't  care for with that was the fact that it didn't fit my face without modifications.  However, I realize that this product has to be a "generic" shield due to the innumerable contours any given face has.  The vapor shield is made of a gray foam that is attached to the inside of the balaclava over the nose. The foam of the vapor shield is shaped to the contour of the bridge of the nose and has a cut out in the center which fits around the nose.  This can be trimmed using scissors or an x-acto knife with little difficulty.  One of the things I didn't like was the packaging which came with the vapor shield.  There were no instructions on how to install the shield.  You could tell somewhat from the picture on the package but I feel it would be better if instructions were included along with some simple modification instructions should they be needed.

I wore the balaclava during hunting season which ran the first 2 weeks of December. Although my glasses fogged up and I had to wear it under my nose, it kept my face and neck very warm. I hiked vigorously during this time in snow up to my knees and while I sweated, it did not cause my chest to hurt which is usually the case when breathing in the cold. So long as I was able to breathe through the mouth, the heat exchanger did the job.

I did some over night hikes when the temperatures got up to the low 20's F/-7 C.  I was very pleased to see how well the heat exchanger did for night-time condensation.  I sleep in a Hennessey Hammock and don't usually have much inside condensation on the hammock, but since I sleep a tad oddly (I wrap a piece of a bedsheet around my head just above my nose, covering my eyes, and then down the side of my face and under my nose, covering my mouth - I know, it's weird but hey!  It's the way that I am!) my face covering is usually drenched.  That was not the case with the balaclava.  It took care of the condensation and I had NO moisture on the cover.  I was pleased!

I found, after installing the vapor shield as is, it was too bulky for my face and the vapor shield tended to "fall down" away from my nose.  I am still not sure why it did that, but once I trimmed down the 2 humps that fit around the bridge of the nose, it stopped doing that and fit fine.  The fogging was drastically reduced and the only time I still had fogging was when I had to climb a really steep slope in the snow and kept slipping.  The constant exertion caused me to sweat more than normal and I had a problem keeping the vapor shield in place.  The fleece of the balaclava got a bit distorted which made the front of the mask slip down from my nose creating openings for the moisture to escape.  But other than that, it has been great.

The balaclava has been washed a few time in the regular laundry. However, when I finally dried it in the dryer, I removed the exchanger. I did not want to take a chance of the exchanger melting in the heat of the dryer as it is a great part of the balaclava.  The balaclava has kept its shape after the washings, although reinstallation of the heat exchanger continues to be a royal pain in the backside. I have noticed something about the heat exchanger. It's "flexible". By this I mean that the frame holding the white and clear sheets moves from side to side. This allows you to pull and push vigorously on the exchanger when installing it in the hat without fear of breaking the exchanger. However, this also tends to cause it to be very difficult to get back into the slot in which it is housed as it is a very snug fit.  Even after drying the balaclava  in the dryer, I was still able to reinstall the heat exchanger.  It still makes me a wee bit nervous, though, with all the pushing and tugging to get it back in its little sleeve.

Overall:  I highly recommend this balaclava with the vapor shield to anyone needing something a little extra when out in the cold.  It has been a privilege to test this piece of gear and I appreciate Psolar, Inc. giving us the chance to test it.

Reviews > Clothing > Hats > Psolar Balaclava > Jodi Cornelius > Long Term Report