Reviews > Clothing > Hats > Psolar Vapor Shield > Owner Review by Rick Allnutt

Psolar Vapor Shield™ Accessory
Owner Review by Rick Allnutt

PERSONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Rick Allnutt
50 Year old male
6' 0'' (183 cm) in height
198 lb (90 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 heavyweight (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 5 ultralight section hikes on the Appalachian Trail with a total mileage of over 200 miles (322 km). I am an ultralight hiker, a gearhead, a hammock camper, and make much of my own equipment. 

PRODUCT INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Psolar
Year Manufactured:2004
Manufacturer's Link: Psolar
MSRP: $5
Listed Weight: NA
Measured Weight: 0.25 oz (7 gm)
Review Date: 29 March 2004

REVIEW
The Vapor Shield Accessory is designed to reduce fogging problems that eyeglass wearers otherwise have when using facemask devices made by the Psolar company. My reviews of the Psolar Balaclava are here. 

The device consists of a section of open cell foam rubber.  The foam is 6 in (15 cm) long, 0.5 in (1.25 cm) thick and has a sculpted top surface whose maximum height is 1 in (2.5 cm).  The sculpted line begins as a straight ramp from each end and ends in the middle with a notch for the nose.  It looks much like this:

Along the straight line bottom surface of the foam rubber, a sticky film is applied in the factory and then covered with a strip of plastic film.  

The Vapor Shield comes with a hang tag which clearly shows how to apply the anti-fog accessory to the inside surface of the mask, inside and just below the edge of the mask's face cut-out.  I removed the plastic film, exposing the sticky surface, and then carefully applied the Vapor Shield about 0.6 in (1 cm) below the finished edge of the fabric.  Here the Vapor Shield (as later modified) is applied to the inside edge of the balaclava:

When I bent the mask into the shape of my face, I was disappointed to see that the cut-out meant for my nose almost entirely closed.  It looked like this:

When I tried using the Vapor Shield in this configuration, it was ineffective in keeping my glasses from fogging in the cold outside air.  It was clear to me that the problem was this loss of room for my nose as the device folded and rested on top of my nose.  It occurred to me that removing some of the material would result in an effective notch for my nose.  I determined to cut some of the material with a pair of scissors.  The following diagram shows how I cut the foam.  The cuts are shown as light straight lines:

With the new profile, the folded mask now has a notch for my nose, and the foam rubber closes the space between the mask and the angle between my nose and my cheek.  It looks like this on my face:

With this new shape, the Vapor Shield does effectively fill in the space between the mask and my cheek.  This keeps warm, humid air from blowing up under my glasses with each breath.  Without that humid air touching my glasses, they stay dry and transparent.  

I do have some sensation of the  vapor shield pressing in on the sides of my nose, and this makes it uncomfortable for me to breathe through my nose while the balaclava is over my nose.  

TEST CONDITIONS

The Vapor Shield has been used in the Psolar Balaclava for a number of hikes in the cold.  I have used it all night, sleeping in a hammock to keep my face and head warm in 16 F (-9 C) weather.  It gave me no pressure "hot spots," even used for this prolonged time.  I have used it backpacking in Ohio, as well as for a number of outdoor chores around my farm.   

LIKES and DISLIKES

Best: It really works, allowing me to cover my nose with the Psolar Balaclava, and keeps my glasses from steaming up. 
Worst: The foam needed to be trimmed to work on my face.  There is no suggestion by the company to make adjustments similar to what I found worked well.  I believe that most people will require a shape more like what I found, than the stock shape.  It may be that company research will find that a different profile is needed for their stock design.

Note: My Vapor Shield was supplied by the Psolar folks as part of my test of the Psolar Balaclava.  I thank them for the opportunity of working with this accessory.  For me, It increases the usefulness of the balaclava considerably. 

Reviews > Clothing > Hats > Psolar Vapor Shield > Owner Review by Rick Allnutt