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OK, I got your attention. This won't be about what you might be thinking. I love puns. We've already discussed gloves in a previous thread. Now I would like ideas on face masks. I think the fancy ones from the mountaineering suppliers call them balacavas (or is that the Greek pastry? I get confused.) I was out in the wind today as it went below zero and was reminded about my not having a really good one. The wind here can get really fierce in winter as it races over the smooth snow (today it was hitting 40 mph) and my face was aware of it.

I have two in mind, both by Outdoor Research. What I like most about them is they are black and have the big initials "OR" on the forehead. That will drive my wife crazy and she'll keep asking me, "OR what?" when I wear it. Reason enough to buy it right there. Anyway, I'm looking at the "Baffin" and the Gorilla." Seems to me the Gorilla is just a little heavier version of the same thing. The Baffin just might be good enough for me, in case I want to fly there for a winter weekend get-away or something. It can get decently cold here, like 40F below. (In metric that would convert to 40C below.) Usually I'm just dealing with zero to minus 15 on the cold end. Plus the prairie wind which rarely stops.

http://www.altrec.com/outdoor-research/baffin-balaclava
http://www.altrec.com/outdoor-research/windstopper-gorilla-balaclava?cm_sp=Baynote-_-Detailpage-_-DetailPageAlsoWantA

Wonder what the clerk at the gas station will think when I come in wearing one of those?

SO, any thoughts? The rest of my clothing matches up pretty well I think. I too just ordered some new gloves. I almost bought the Outdoor Research Alti mittens, but then came to think I would be constantly taking them off and on to plug in my monolights etc. The OR Alti gloves had mixed reviews, so I ended up buying Black Diamond guide gloves. I think it's a ski gear company and I'm not crazy about fancy ski equipment stuff--I'm just a duckhunter. They did get great reviews for both warmth and dexterity so I pulled the trigger. I now have a complete head to toe and inside to out set of warm clothes to cope with winter nights in the Dakotas, I think.

http://www.e-omc.com/catalog/products/2549/Black-Diamond-Guide-Glove-Mens.html

I've been buying everything in black, partly because it soaks up what warmth there is from the sun, and partly because at night I look like the Nikon ninja.


Kent in SD

Haven't tried either Kent, but my fave is one made of wool that doubles as a stocking cap when pulled/rolled up. No idea on the brand, but I've been using it 30 years with complete happiness. Worst conditions were -40F with 50mph wind on the Bering Sea coast one February. Absolute coldest conditions were -58F, but no wind.

I strongly prefer a neck gaiter made out of "turtle fur" - a very soft fleece. Not only keeps your neck warm but you can pull it all the way up to the bottom of your eyes if it's cold enough. REI sells a couple of variations. Unlike wool, the fleece doesn't seem to make "snotsicles". Works fine when saturated with condensed breath, too. Highly recommended. Available in black, too.

I have the gorilla balaclava. It's windproof and pretty bomber, plus I like that it can come apart in pieces. At times, I find the material a bit of effort to breath through during moderate exertion, but for just hanging out in the wind, it's great...

And...for mixed reviews...I love my alti mitts :)

Ah yes, the dreaded snotsicles. Jim S.--it was the Alti gloves that people seemed to either love or hate, not the mittens. I decided to go with gloves rather than mittens because I need the extra dexterity and most of the time it will be warmer than --20 for me. I can tape handwarmers to my wrists when its colder. (I use paper first aid tape so it doesn't stick to my fur.) I've been reading up on neck gaiters and they seem to also help keep warm air inside your coat rather than letting it get pumped out when you move.


Kent in SD

I have never paid much attention to the posts regarding cold weather gear. But I guess I should - going north to Georgia next week. So far, my cold weather gear consists of a jacket with a fleece-ish liner and wishing for it not to be too cold. Recently we had cold weather here, and I stayed in bed - the temp was 44F.

I really don't see how you northern guys do it

Buck--

Was that +44 or -44? There is a difference.


Kent in SD

Hey Kent,

Black Diamond make a lot of climbing gear - excellent company.

Both the OR ski masks are great - I forget which one I have, I've had it just over 10 years, and it's awesome.

The 'turtle' fleece is great too, but not wind proof (or even wind resistant), and for where you live, I'd think that's a big deal. When the temps are down, I tend to wear the turtle and the ski mask unless I'm really moving a lot (snowshoeing/skiing/etc) and keeping warm that way - but for standing around or sitting in a blind, I wear both.

One of my favorite pieces of cold weather gear is the Lowe Alpine Mountain Cap - it's a fleece cap lined with their proprietary water resistant shell, Triple Point Ceramic. I've had that had longer than any other piece of outdoor gear I own, and it rocks.

Cheers

Carl

Kent

-44 is an imaginary number, isn't it? It's beyond reason, beyond imagining, beyond comprehension. It doesn't get down to freezing here. I like my sub-tropical climate.

I've been out in temperatures below freezing before, but I don't like it much when its wet, or the wind is blowing. I say again, I don't know how you guys do it. My hat's off to you (but not for long lest my ears freeze)

Kent, I like the balaclava types that can be worn as a hood with face mask, as a stocking cap, as a neck gaiter (which I have really learned to like) and with or without another cap.

Carl--
You're right that it's the wind that has me crying ice cubes at times. I've been known to build snow forts on location to get out of it! Lon, I have a nice wool cap I bought from Scheels about 15 years ago that's really solid, and that's what I often wear under the hood of my parka when the wind isn't too bad. Works fine!

I just thought of a new question I'm going to start asking here when someone asks what to wear when it's "cold", but doesn't tell us what temperature they consider to be cold. My question will be: "Does the snow squeak under your boots when you walk?" Those of you who live in a place with squeaky snow know what I'm talking about and about what temperature that starts to happen.


Kent in SD

Here's another good cold question, Kent:

If you spill your coffee, does it freeze before it hits the ground?

I haven't seen that, but when my kids were younger I used to boil a cup of water in the microwave and then take it outside and toss in up into the air. It would come back down as snow.


Kent in SD

Hey Kent

An old trick - boiled water freezes faster than cold water. :)

Cheers

Carl

Hey Carl, ever tried that trick yourself? While under certain conditions that may occur (depending on initial temps and factors such as evaporation, removal of dissolved gases etc), i'll bet you a good amount that you can't demonstrate your trick for me in the field

It seems to work best when the water has been superheated in the microwave. The boiling water then sublimates from steam to solid almost instantly.


Kent in SD

Hey Stan,

What's way more amazing to me is watching a small stream flow over the ground at minus 50. A couple of creeks by McCarthy stay open year round, and it's amazing to me that any water doesn't freeze the instant it comes out of the ground at those temps. The enormous rivers like the Copper freeze over and the tiny McCarthy Creek, all 5' wide, flows on and on. Amazing stuff.

Cheers

Carl