How much does your covid mask weigh?

[Ryan Jordan]

Who makes the lightest decent mask? My HMG masks are 0.45 oz. Cheap import blue psuedo-surgical spun-poly ones (I have much less confidence in these) weigh 0.085 oz.

[Bruce Tolley]

By decent mask, you mean non N95 mask, yes?

Are we comparing disposable or re-usable, machine-washable masks?

[Nick Gatel]

Multi-use weighs zero. You probably already have a bandana in your pack :-)

[Brad Rogers]

I haven’t weighed mine, but I use a cheap surgical mask as that is what we are required to wear at work (and they issue them freely going through the gate).  Cloth masks have been highly discouraged by my job due to them reportedly being less effective.

That being said I’ve been mostly working from home during the crisis, physically going into work maybe once a week, where there are things I have to do that cannot be done from home, but I did go in and work a project for the month of April.

Sometimes I wonder if all these companies (like HMG) are taking advantage of the crisis making and selling masks, but at least it’s not 29.99 for one mask with Dyneema reinforcement panels!

 

[Matthew / BPL]

Please keep this thread on-topic. You can argue politics of masks on Facebook or in Chaff.

[Ken Thompson]

Worn weight. So zero

[Bruce Tolley]

My Outdoor Research re-usable, washable, non-N95 mask weighs 12 grams, 14 grams with the disposable filter insert.

I tried many other masks including home made but they did not fit well. The OR mask has ear loops that are adjustable and a very flexible nose wire to enable an adjustable, comfortable and relatively tight fit.

They are not cheap….

[Anonymous]

Covid masks are the newest form of condensation control.  Tent manufacturers will supply one for a 1P and two for a 2P.  Single wall tents will be all the rage from now on.  Upon waking in below freezing temps you will have ice attached to the mask for the morning cocktail.  The mask can be used to strain the creeck water nasties.  Things that make ya say, Hmmm.  I tote mine with a small biner clipped to an outside loop.  Never know when I’ll come across an infectious bear or an angry hiker complaining about being kicked off trail.  Mask and biner is 0.6 oz.  Was walking a bit lopsided at first but shifted some weight around, reorganized the pack and all is well.  Squirrel.

[W I S N E R !]

Multi-use weighs zero. You probably already have a bandana in your pack :-)

Are you an anti-consumerist or something? ; )

[W I S N E R !]

This tenugui (essentially a bandana though I like the long rectangular shape better) was given to me in Japan in 1996.  I’ve been carrying it backpacking ever since.  It’s been doing its duty during COVID too.  You don’t need to buy anything…

[MJ H]

I don’t like anything as big as a bandana around my face when it’s warm out.  When I get the chance to go out, I’ll probably just put one of the light, cloth ones we have around the house in my pocket.  It’s what I do by habit now anyway.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

I bought two from boardshortsworld.com and they weigh 8g each. They have the same prints as some dirty girl gaiters so I can flaunt my hiker trash fashion. I got the red skulls and the tie dye peace signs. I attended a mass event and I did some busking a few weeks ago and wore a mask and did not get sick so I’m happy to wear them and mine are fun and non-disposable. I found the blue surgical ones will start to fray and then you get polyester “hair” in your mouth. Blech!

[Brad W]

Cut bandanna diagonal. Weighs a few grams.

[AK Granola]

We have a local store selling cloth masks that weigh 5 grams. I have a few of those. I haven’t packed any on trips yet though; just used a buff or bandana for car shuttles, since I had those along. Mostly I won’t have them with me backpacking; the glory of having trails in abundance and almost no people on them.

[Sam Farrington]

Now is a good time to enjoy bushwacking hikes on old path and tracks vs crowded trails.
But if a mask is needed on well-used trails, the weight for a day hike would be de minimus.
For a backpacking trip, with much huffing and puffing, I’d bring at least one mask for each day, plus a spare.
I see that washable cotton masks are popular, but not with me as a number of reliable sources on PBS news shows advise the cotton ones are not as reliable as the layered polypro, and even the latter are not air tight like a dust mask, as can be seen every time the eyeglasses fog. There are masks for multi-day use that must be cleaned between uses, assuming there is access to water to do so; but the ones online are much more expensive. Assume they are for hospital use, and am glad they have them.
I modified a shop dust mask to add filters on the exhale ports; but it is only for emergencies, and the filters would need to be replaced after each use. But it is air tight. If the ports are covered, it is impossible to inhale or exhale. But it is not a gas mask, just a particle mask, used for example in cutting fiberglass or carbon fiber. In any case, doubt it would work for hiking, as the perspiration would make it very uncomfortable.

[Jerry Adams]

you can buy them from amazon – 50 for $30

too bad there aren’t CDC certified masks so we would know what works

I’ve only gone on trails with not too many people, just step aside to let someone by and maintain distance.  This isn’t the primary infection method, you need maybe 15 minutes exposure, more risky inside.

[Gary Dunckel]

When I retired, I helped myself to a box of the disposable, single-use face masks we used in our dental clinic. I now reinforce the pleats on the sides with strips of duct tape so that they will last maybe up to 2 weeks of intermittent use . One mask weighs 5.0 grams.

[R]

Fabric filter efficacy study published this April: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.0c03252

2 layers of 600 tpi cotton is as effective as a surgical mask, just as easy to breathe through, and only a few percent behind an N95.  I couldn’t find a source for this by the yard, but $35 on Amazon got me several yards worth in the form of a set of sheets and pillow cases.

A tight seal is critical.  A gap equal to just 1% of the area of the filter reduces efficacy by over 50%.

2 layers of 80 tpi cotton is <50% effective.  Looking around the web, it appears most bandanas are 68 tpi.

All this implies that a bandana worn cowboy style is not effective for preventing the spread of COVID.  If you intend to travel with a mask, you need to find something else.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

Maybe some double-sided tape would make your mask more tightly sealed.

[Sam Farrington]

Rene – what is ‘tpi’?

Thanks.

[AK Granola]

ACS nano (doing lab studies, not epidemiology studies) and PBS (a news source, not a scientific body) might not think cloth masks are good enough, but the CDC does. Better that you find a mask that you find to be comfortable so that you’ll wear it, than opt out because you’re suffocating under it. With most Americans choosing to forgo masks altogether and the predictable results occurring, maybe we should go back to the original question – what does your mask weigh – and maybe folks will find some that are comfortable enough to put on when they go out.

[AK Granola]

I’ve just ordered some masks from Jaanuu, in bulk, for my staff and family. They seem quite comfortable and lightweight; I’ll weigh one when they come in. They seem to fit closer to the sides of the face than homemade ones.

[W I S N E R !]

All this implies that a bandana worn cowboy style is not effective for preventing the spread of COVID.  If you intend to travel with a mask, you need to find something else.

Point taken. But outdoors, with plenty of space? I’m in the habit of hiking in the emptiest places I can find and stepping far off trail in the event of meeting a passing hiker. This strikes me as being sufficient but maybe I’m wrong and should be using a standard mask. (Uh oh, did I just invite the internet to tell me I’m wrong?)

In the supermarket or closed spaces though?  No, I wear N95.

[Jerry Adams]

where did you find an N95??? : )

When I’m outside and much greater than 6 feet away from anyone else I don’t wear a mask.  If I’m passing someone else, one of us steps off the trail.

If I’m momentarily closer than 6 feet that’s probably okay as long as no one sneezes

[Brad W]

Is there a mask that won’t impede breathing at 90-95% MHR?

[Author]

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