Reviews > Clothing > Hats > Psolar Balaclava > Rick Allnutt III > Initial Report

Psolar.BX Balaclava
Initial Report by Rick Allnutt

PRODUCT INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Psolar
Year Manufactured: 2003
Manufacturer's Link: www.psolar.com
MSRP: $40
Listed Weight: NA
Measured Weight: 2.4 oz (69 gm)
Review Date: 26 November, 2003

REVIEW
Psolar's BX^® balaclava is a fleece head cover with a patented module over the mouth. It arrived in a Tyvek first class mail pouch. There was no packing to preclude an accidental crush of the plastic module in the mail. Inside, the balaclava was packed in a heat sealed plastic bag with a single paper insert noting one size fits all with several quotations from the Psolar web page. 

The web page had described the item well. When I opened the package, it was what I had expected.

The balaclava consists of three different fabrics. 

- Dense material over cheeks
- Fleece for remainder of hood
- Mesh over the mouth (module pocket)

The portion of the balaclava that covers the cheeks and chin is a very wind resistant Polartec^® fabric. The outside surface is smooth.  On the inside, this fabric is a fluffy fleece.  It is very difficult to push a breath through this fabric and it is essentially wind proof.  A Psolar.BX logo is welded/glued to the left cheek.

A different Polartec fabric is used for the remainder of the balaclava. This fleece stretches in all directions equally and is fluffy fleece on both sides.  It is easy to breathe through this material.

The website notes that Windblock^® and Aquashell™ are used in the construction. The package insert also says that PowerSretch^® [sic] provides superior fit and warmth.

The balaclava fits comfortably on my size 7 in (18 cm) head. The bottom edge reaches two finger breadths below the notch of my thyroid cartilage (Adam's apple).

The module is held in place by a pocket of fine mesh on the front and back sides of the module. The module may be removed from the rest of the mask through an opening on the left side of the mesh on the inside of the mask.  The package insert notes that the module may be removed and washed as many times as necessary. 

The module fits comfortably over my mouth, when held in place by the balaclava, without pressing on my lips. It offers no observable resistance to breathing. The module is 0.8 in (2 cm) thick and consists of a large number of thin, dimpled, plastic plates, stacked and set on edge in a contoured body. The module is of a somewhat rectangular shape, except that the lower edge is a circle segment and the shape fore and aft is also shaped as a circle segment. It looks like this:

The housing's top and bottom portions shift left and right a small amount. Where the bending occurs, there is a white color of the black plastic hinge fold which looks like material fatigue. The plastic housing seems to have been formed from one flat piece of plastic and then bent along the hinge lines around the module's plates. On the top right corner of the module housing, it appears that this corner is a latch which was used when the module was assembled. There are no directions which suggest this is an owner serviceable feature.

The module is easy to remove from its netting pouch. It is somewhat difficult to put back in that pouch, because the sharp corners of the housing easily get stuck on the netting. I find it takes about a minute to get the module back in the pouch.  After I took the module out, I could not remember which way to put it back in.  Looking at the photo on the website or on the package insert, I see the bottom edge is like a smile.  The module can be put in upside down, but it then looks like I am frowning.  

I am able to wear the balaclava over my nose, or with the edge just under my nose. Over my nose, it tends to steam up my glasses:

I will probably wear it that way for sleeping. For exercise, I may wear it with the edge under my nose:

If a shield is later available to keep my glasses from steaming up, I will try that as well. 

TEST PLAN
My intent is to use this balaclava actively hiking during the day, and while sleeping at night in cold temperatures. I believe it has considerable potential to make both activities more comfortable, warming and humidifying the air I breathe through my mouth. I will use it for a planned series of cold weather hammock experiments and also for walking or jogging whenever the temperatures drop below 10 F (-12 C) in Ohio. 

PERSONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Rick Allnutt
50 Year old male
6' 0'' (183 cm) in height
190 lbs (86 kg) in weight
Email address: ra1 (at) imrisk (dot) com
I live in Dayton, Ohio

BACKPACKING BACKGROUND
Over the last 18 months, I have gone from being a heavy-weight (2 Duluth Pack) canoe camper to a three-season base pack weight of about 9 lb (4 kg) and skin out weight of 20 lb (9 kg). I have completed four ultralite section hikes on the AT with a total mileage of nearly 200 miles (322 km). I am an ultralight hiker, a gearhead, a hammock camper, and make much of my own equipment.

Reviews > Clothing > Hats > Psolar Balaclava > Rick Allnutt III > Initial Report