Mountain Hardwear Hardface Stretch Convertible Balaclava

Summary

Keeps your face nice and warm!

I don't know about you, but when the temps drop, and especially when the wind is blowing, my face gets really cold. And who wants to breathe in all that chilly air? There are times when a warm beanie just won't do it all. So I bought this item for dog walking on chilly mornings and for winter hiking and camping.

It's made of "stretch fleece"; a woven outer side backed with soft fleece inside against the skin. It dries quickly when damp from sweat and condensation from your breath (and in a few hours in a warm environment after you wash it). Nothing real technical about it, but it does keep the chill off. I've used it in breezy conditions of 42-37 degrees.

The adjustable face piece that goes over the nose and mouth allows for a good range of adjustment from face showing to covered up to the eyeballs. It's thin enough to wear under a helmet and the neck portion is long enough to tuck into outerwear without riding up and out. You could also pull the whole thing down around your neck and just use as a muffler if needed. I found that it stays in place VERY well when moving my head around, so I don't have to keep pulling it up back into place.

I would say this is approriate for a lot of activities: walking, hiking, backpacking, climbing, mountaineering, ice climbing, skiing, snowboarding. In any condtions where it's too chilly to have a bare face, this will fix you up.

At a mere 2.7 oz., it's silly not to carry it in case the weather gets too cold.

It's well made, and I expect to have it and use it a long time.