Quick-Dry Balaclava | Wind & Dust Face Cover

A face full of dust by smoko.

Anyone who has ridden a trail bike behind someone else, run a quad down a station track or worked a windy site knows the feeling. Grit in your teeth, wind burn across the cheekbones, and a sunburnt neck you did not notice until that night.

This is a one-piece stretch balaclava in quick-dry polyester. It pulls on under a helmet or a hat, covers your head, neck, nose and mouth, and washes with the rest of your kit — so you are not throwing a disposable in the bin every day.

What It Does

Full face sun cover — the sun wise way to work outside — and two other jobs besides. It keeps the sun off your skin, cuts the wind off your face, and keeps dust and grit out of your nose and mouth. Out here the sun is the one that does the lasting damage: a hat brim misses your cheeks, your ears and the back of your neck, and this does not. The polyester knit wicks sweat instead of holding it, so it stays lighter on your face than cotton once you are working, and it is thin enough to wear under a helmet without changing the fit. Six patterns, one size.

Key Features

• Sun wise, the simple way: covers the cheeks, ears, nose and the back of the neck — the spots a hat brim misses and the ones you notice that night. Skin you have covered is skin that is not copping it.
• Washable and reusable: goes through the machine with everything else. No bin full of disposables.
• Covers nose and mouth: one piece, so there is nothing to keep pulling back up over your face.
• Fits under a helmet: thin stretch knit, so it does not change how your lid sits.
• Quick-dry polyester: wicks sweat rather than soaking it up, so it is not clammy an hour in.
• Stretches to fit: one size, 450 mm x 260 mm relaxed, and it gives a long way from there.
• Six patterns: BE01, BE02, BE03, BE10, BE11 and BE12 — pick from the pattern menu.

Limits

It is a fabric face covering and nothing more. There is no filter layer and no valve. It is not a medical mask and it is not respiratory protection, and we are not going to suggest it does the job of either. It covers your face and it washes — that is the honest description.

• Wind and dust resistant, not proof: a stretch knit slows wind and catches grit. It is not a sealed membrane and in a real blow you will still feel it.
• Not a cold-weather thermal: it is thin polyester, not wool or fleece. It takes the edge off wind chill; it will not keep you warm on its own in genuine cold.
• One size only: 450 mm x 260 mm relaxed. There is no size range, so a very large or very small head is a gamble.
• Not fire resistant: polyester melts. Do not wear it near a welder, a grinder or an open flame.
• Weight is not published: not specified by supplier.

Q & A

Will it keep the sun off?
That is one of the main reasons to wear one. Covered skin does not cop the sun the way bare skin does — same reason you put a long-sleeve shirt on out here. Sunscreen whatever is still showing.

Is this a face mask?
No. It is a fabric face covering with no filter layer. If you need a mask that does a specific job, buy one that states what it is tested to.

How many patterns are there?
Six — BE01, BE02, BE03, BE10, BE11 and BE12. Older copy on this page said seven. That was wrong; six is what you can actually order.

Will it fit under a motorbike helmet?
That is what the thin knit is for. It adds very little bulk, though a very snug lid will always feel tighter with anything underneath it.

How do I wash it?
Machine wash cold, hang dry or a cool dryer. It dries fast enough to wash it at night and wear it in the morning.

Specs

Free delivery to Australia and New Zealand. Allow 10 to 14 days from the day you order, and up to 3 weeks.