Cold Avenger facemasks Do they work?

I can’t speak to that particular product, but I have pondered this concept for decades and did sit through all those heat- and mass-exchange courses at Berkeley.

At high altitude, in winter conditions, you lose heat and moisture.  Those each take carried weight (boo!) of water, fuel and food to replenish.

I think for most weekend warriors, it would mostly enable you to push yourself harder without frost-nipping your lips or mouth.

For a more expeditionary trip (and, again, I’m speaking to the concept, not vouching for this particular bit of kit), you could potentially stay more hydrated (something only grasped in the last 30 years) and minimize your heat losses by not evaporating as much water, ultimately, from your body into the environment.

Our nasal passages already do this.  Breathing through your nose conserves more heat and moisture than breathing through your mouth.  I’ve practiced that for 40 years when I’m above 12,000 feet or so.  Or in the desert.

Looking at cold-weather species, and they all have more mass in their breathing passages to cool the outgoing breaths and warm the incoming air.  The more arctic the species, the bigger, longer breathing passages they have.  An add-on breathing tube with some mass that had great heat-exchange with one’s breath could functionally convert Homo Sapiens from a tropical species to a sub-arctic one.

Something to be aware of, though: at altitude, you also need to exchange oxygen.  Then you want minimal tidal volume in such a HX appliance.  If design only to capture and reclaim moisture and heat, one would make a long, thin tube of some conductive material. Aluminum wool in a breathing tube?  But any volume also reduces the fresh air into your lungs, so you’re trying to create a bit more heat and moisture exchange without add much more volume.

I’ve imagined schemes with two check valves and a moisture permeable membrane between the outgoing and incoming breaths so oxygen exchange took no hit but some moisture and lots of heat were recovered but it quickly gets into concerns about check valves icing up, etc.

I do have trouble seeing how it could be helpful in southern CA, except during a winter summer attempt on Mount Whitney.  Or creating a Darth Vader costume.

I’ve researched them, and the reviews are very mixed. As a year-round commuter cyclist who has ridden down to below -20 °F (-29 °C) I’d love to find something that worked well, and kept up with my aerobic needs. Anything cloth is quickly covered in frozen condensate and I can no longer breathe through it.

Luckily I’m generating so much excess heat, and the face is so well supplied with blood, that my exposed skin is fine.

The best thing I’ve found so far for exertion in extreme cold is an Airhole Facemask.

https://usa.airholefacemasks.com/

Apparently they’re making Covid masks now, too. That link doesn’t show the type I mean.

https://usa.airholefacemasks.com/collections/winter-sale

I’ve tried so many different things and the one that works to keep my glasses fog free is a cheapo buff with nose and mouth holes cut out for my exact face. The buff even goes over the tip of my nose to keep it warm! I expect it works because the direct venting creates a path for the moisture laden breath to escape quickly and the tight fitting semi-air permeable fabric releases the rest before it can escape out of the top of the buff onto my glasses.

Do you have to sew around the holes to keep it from unraveling?

If you built up silicone sealant around the mouth hole, you’d have a DIY Airhole style mask.

Casco makes, or does make, excellent fog free goggles for cross country skiers. At least one other company does too. I love the Casco ones; exellent lenses (try the amber, great in snow for seeing relief on the ground. they’re open on the bottom and sides so air comes in–esp. if you’re skiing–and clears out any fog from breath. But I’ve used these snow shoeing too.

this, for when wearing a buff in very cold temps.

Neoprene! A facemask with neoprene around the mouth and nose with 1/2 inch holes to breath works really well for me. The neoprene does not ice up as cloth (fleece, softshell, whatever) does.

I can speak to this. I have done some very cold trips (-14F) with it and I like the ColdAvenger very much. A few of my hiking partners also use them. The condensation and nose snot drips right out of the bottom vent. Great when exposed skin hurts and great keeping your  throat and lungs happy in the dry air. Works much better than a buff and a lot more comfortable than a neoprene mask.

It’s nice for sleeping too.

In cold weather I always carry a light fleece balaclava. It’s mostly for sleeping but is an emergency bitter weather gear for daytime use. (Think 16 F. August morning on the PCT north of Kennedy Meadows!)

Based on this thread, I just received a half priced Cold Avenger Expedition Balaclava (several models are on sale).  The fit is good.  It is easy to put on and remove.  It does not appear to restrict breathing. So far, it has not fogged my glasses so, maybe, it won’t cause fogging of my goggles. Perhaps by mid October it will be cold and windy enough here to give it a try.  I have a drawer full of reject face covering devices.  Perhaps this will be the one!

I’ve used one for alpine skiing and some light hiking.  It made a significant difference in how much my nose would leak in the cold and was a great improvement over traditional masks, even those with neoprene.

A downside is that it can exert pressure at the bridge of the nose, especially if wearing goggles, that can get painful if not addressed.  Since there is a wire there, possible solutions include simply removing it or adding a bit of foam.  I’ve not had significant issues with fogging, but I do recall the occasional bit.

Overall, and especially for those whose faces start to leak in the cold, I would still recommend it.

-Jeremy

I also just received my half-priced one. This is a good time to buy winter gear.

I frequent the Canadian Arctic and am always trying new face masks, mitts, vapour barrier systems, etc.

I do not recommend the cold avenger for extreme cold weather. It doesn’t prevent fogging as well as others and the bottom part around your chin will eventually ice up.

I do recommend “no fog masks” made from neoprene which are designed for open snowmobile helmets. These can be layered with various balaclavas for warmth. There are a few different companies that sell them under their respective labels, but they are mostly the same design/manufacturer.