Breathable & sewing is on point!
I like the way this bacalava is sewn compared to all others I own. The hood (the head covering/upper half) is sewn so that it overlaps the part that covers your face a tiny bit. You can notice this in the item photos if you zoom in on the area where the two pieces of fabric meet (which would be towards the outer corners of the wearer's eyes). Having the top piece overlap the face piece makes it easier to pull the hood back and wear the bacalava as a neck gaiter, while still keeping my lower face covered. It also makes it easier to flip the hood back up. I tend to switch my bacalavas or neck gaiters between these two styles the most. So, this is perfect for me. The way it's sewn also seems to keep the face covering from slipping down and exposing my nose (despite the mask being an overall loose fit on me). If you tend to want to keep the hood over your head, but pull the face covering down under your chin to expose your face, then you may prefer having the two pieces sewn the other way around (with the face piece overlapping the top piece... or no overlap whatsoever). But this mask can easily be worn that way, too. I just immediately noticed how the face covering doesn't constantly slide down my face with this mask compared to 3 other similar masks I own. The mask fits and functions well. I'm a female with a smaller head and a small face, but I have very thick and long hair. The mask is somewhat loose on me (all around), yet everything still stays in place. Having a lot of hair helps me fill in some excess space on the top. Otherwise, I think I'd have some problems with top slipping down or shifting. I wouldn't buy this for a child to use. This thing would definitely fit someone with an average to large head/face, or even someone with a thick beard. It has decent stretch and rebound to it, too. As I mentioned, even though it's loose on me, the face covering and hood don't slip down as much as the other similar bacalavas I own due to the way its sewn. I really appreciate this quality the most. I hate wearing my really tight mask, which ends up leaving a mark across the bridge of my nose. And it's really annoying to have to keep pulling the face covering up on my other masks when I'm trying to use my hands for other things. Another great thing about this mask is that it's VERY breathable. The face covering is kind of a layered mesh-like material (not really see-thru, just more ventilated), so it allows air to pass thru easier. The only downside about this is that cold wind can cut thru easier. But I wouldn't wear this mask in freezing, ultra windy weather anyway. It's like a mid-weight mask. It's good enough for very cold weather when wind isn't too much of a factor. If it does happen to be ultra windy, it'll keep your face warm enough for small jobs or if you can manage to turn your face away from the wind occassionally (or if you're wearing another layer to help protect your face, such as a coat that zips up high or a hood with pull strings that can cover some of your face). This mask is warm enough to keep your nose & lips from getting frost bit and to keep your face from getting chapped by mild (speed) icy winds while working outdoors. I wore it while sleeping outdoors in a tent when the weather was in the 40s. It helped keep me warm enough not to have to tuck my head into my sleeping bag all night. I was able to breathe just fine. And when it did feel kind of stuffy, it was easy and comfortable to pull the face mask down. So far, I've only washed this thing by hand and air dried it. No shrinkage. Good quality. I would highly recommend it, and I would buy it again. It's cheap enough to buy a spare or two to keep in my emergency Winter kit. Again, it's not the warmest mask out there. But it's warm enough for most outdoor tasks. If you're dealing with icy cold winds for an extended period of time (several hours) and this is going to be your only face protection, I'd opt for a thicker face mask... maybe one made of wool and lined with another layer of polyester or something. Read more
