6970

I had my first Ergodyne N-Ferno 6970 Balaclava for several years now. I bought this second mask of this type 2.5 years ago (now it is 07/08/23). Keeps your face toasty in even the coldest and windiest conditions. Been outside in -15ºF w/windchill down to -30ºF (and lower) for 30 minutes or more. Face kept warm. The breather filter keeps your breath warmed up on inhale so your lungs are not hit with a blast of freezing temps. My only minor issue is that the mask tends to fit a bit tight in certain areas around the nose. It's not much of a problem (a little tightness). Aside from that, it is well worth the extra cost of not freezing your face/nose. And if it is a bit warmer out, you can remove the breath filter for when you don't need so much protection from less frigid temps. Must have for cold temps!!

I bought this to wear while riding my bike in the winter. If the temperature is 20 F or above I wear a regular balaclava but when the temperature drops below 20 F, I wanted something warmer. The heat exchanger works wonders. I used this today when the air temperature was -9 F (-28 F with the wind chill index). I wore ski goggles over the top of the N-Ferno 6970 and I tucked the neck of the balaclava into my ski jacket. With this combination of gear, I did not have any exposed skin and I could both see and breath just fine. While riding my bike I was exerting a lot of energy and breathing heavy at times (going up inclines). The heat exchanger warmed and humidified the air so my lungs never felt like they were getting blasted with cold air (the weather advisory on the radio was warning people to not breath deeply and to minimize talking if they had to be outside today). The ONLY thing I didn't like was that some of the moisture from my breath was condensing and dripping from the mask. That is a really minor problem and I don't think there is any way to avoid it. I would HIGHLY recommend this mask to anyone who rides or works outside in extreme cold.

Typically I have the following problems with Balaclava: 1. In the cold the moisture of my breath will freeze and cause the area around my mouth to be incredibly cold. 2. They have limited options as to what parts of your face they cover. 3. They cause me to fog up my goggles when I try to cover my nose as well. While the sponge area surrounding your mouth will get wet, it didn't cause me any trouble whatsoever and the fact that it protrudes a bit meant that the cold/wet parts were never actually touching my skin. While it does get a little cold around the mouth and nose, it was always significantly warmer than the outside and actually was nice as the rest of my head was pretty warm. The ability to take on and off the mouth mask was great and I often took one side off and skied down. It is not easy to access (especially to put on again) when you have a helmet on but it is good enough. The moth mask isn't an amazing fit but it was good enough and did not hurt my nose at all. Depending on how you place your goggles they will fog up, but there is definitely a way to do it where they don't. Because the sponge allows you to breath in and out normally, most of the heat from your breath will exit to the atmosphere instead of going into the goggles and fogging them up. Overall, would highly recommend this.

I live in Chicagoland and work on Cell Phone Towers in areas from Minnesota down to Missouri. This is a review from someone who works outdoors everyday in the FREEZING cold at heights where the wind chill is at least 10 degrees colder than on the ground. The biggest problem with every other Balaclava is you cannot cover your mouth and nose for long periods of time because the moisture from your breath makes the material wet. So you wind up pulling the face part up and down all day trying to protect yourself from the elements but when moisture builds up it just makes it worst. I have been looking for this Balaclava for 15 years and I can now finally keep my face warm all day in the winter. Now a couple things to note to make this work perfectly. If you have a physical job like I do the insert in the mouth portion will obstruct your breathing. So if you are planning to use this while doing something like running or climbing like me you will have to make an adjustment. You just can't get enough air if your breathing hard so i removed the foam insert (that does stop you from breathing cold air very well) and cut a dime size hole in the center and the problem was solved. Second, the hood that the mask is connected to does not stop the wind so i still use my old Balaclava on top of this one.

A little tight on my adult male 3.5%-neanderthal head. The nose-pincher at the top of the mask is weak, similar to the cheap metal strip used in disposable dust masks. This part is needed to keep breath from escaping up to the eyes, so glasses usually fog up within 15 minutes unless there's a good wind. With ski goggles that drops to 5 minutes. Frustrating. The vent in the front has what resembles a plastic brillo pad. After a half hour or more it gets pretty wet and should be aired out well. It doesn't get smelly. Thermally it's great: -10F in a steady wind for an hour with a hood and second hat and goggles, didn't even feel like I was outside, no problems other than going fog-blind. The build quality is so-so. One of the stitches around the face popped when I took it off on the 4th use. Dabbed it with hot glue so it is not unraveling. I was in need of serious heavy-use face protection and this is great in concept but it's too cheap for heavy-use.

I've started doing outdoor running in the winter and have gotten sick and/or had to do deal with my asthma, which I hardly notice expect for rare occasions and the cold seems to be one of them. Anyway, this mask is great! It's very easy to take on and off the mask part, so you can talk to people more easily or get a break from the mask. It keeps some of the air you exhale, which helps heat new cold air that you breathe in. It also heats up the plastic spongy air filter, which is another way to heat up the air as you inhale. So the air I breathe in is closer to 60 degrees than whatever insanely cold number it's at outside right now. I haven't had any problems with getting sick or asthma since I started using the mask. The only downside I can see is that if I have the mask snug on my face, then the top of the mask pushes into the bridge of my nose a little. But that is a small price to pay for staying healthy while running outside in the winter.

I work outdoors for electrical utilities during MN winters (commonly -20* or worse + windchill for those who don’t know). As I’m writing this, it’s mid-November 2025 in central MN, and I’ve been on the hunt for a solid balaclava that does its best to prevent my prescription glasses from fogging before the bitter cold hits. This is NOT it. The stitching on the balaclava was coming undone straight out of the package (had barely used it at all except to test its functionality), there were finger-size holes forming at either corner of the face attachment (where the face attachment meets velcro to secure it to sides of balaclava). The fitment was terrible (specifically on the bridge of my nose), and in my 68*-70* home, my glasses were fogging up with each breath (didn’t even bother going outside with this on - was already annoyed). I tried to use nose clamp but it didn’t help & made it even more uncomfortable. The only place I could pinch it enough to not let air out was at the tip of my nose, which made breathing hard and uncomfortable too. Another issue I had was the small fleece flap just above the heat exchanger pushing up under my eyes, or pushing against my lower eyelashes into my eyes when adjusting it to find the best fitment. Another point is that it was hard to find the fleece flap (that normally gets tucked under your jacket to keep the wind out) due to the heat exchanger flap, but that was easily remedied by taking the flap off until you were ready for it. For this to work properly, I think there’d need to be either: A. A longer/stronger nose clip that can cover more area to really cinch the flap to your nose without adding so much pressure to one small spot/area. B. You need an obscenely long nose for this to work alright; my nose is maybe slightly smaller, but it isn’t dwarfed by any means & is pretty straight with maybe a tiny baby downwards curve towards the end. You’d need a beak so it would comfortably sit lower without blocking your nasal passages. The only positive thing I have to say is that the balaclava fleece was very soft, comfy & toasty. I’d wear the base balaclava (before the face flap) for warmth in milder/less severe conditions, and (obviously) not relying on the balaclava for eyewear fog mitigation or full-face protection from snow/sleet/windchill/cold. That’s about it. The concept behind this balaclava is pretty sweet ~ in practice, it flops, and until some revisions are made, I would advise you to look elsewhere (especially if foggy eyewear is a problem for you, and especially for the price this retails at).

Excellent for working in cold weather or industrial freezer. Thin fleece is extra warm but not bulky. I did a little trimming and stitching to flare out the neckline of the hood so it can be easily tucked under the collar of my jacket. Really convenient that the face mask is separate and the hook and loop (commonly identified as Velcro) attachment is well sewn onto the hood and holds up well. The only slight downside is the condensation created, which after a while in the freezer dribbles down the outside of the mask and freezes making a icicle slobber trail. I don't care because my face is warm and I have on a waterproofed suit but it might be inconvenient to others. I have NOT had any issues with the condensation on the inside. I did put a few small stitches, from inside to outside, in the mask to pinch the neoprene together a bit around where it is cutout to show the filter type material. I had my doubts that this would be worth the price ($35 at my purchase time) but completely consider it worth it, and I'm a cheapskate.

Yes, I recommend this product !

Amazing balaclava! I was working out west in a northern project this past winter and the high winds plus cold temperatures made it a bit tough at times being outside in the elements. I tried many over the years and nothing did the job like this one. The removable mask is very convenient and definitely keeps your face warm. When wearing safety glasses and goggles I had no issues with them fogging up while working. My other balaclava would not offer me the same kindness. The material is very warm but breathable so I was never uncomfortable wearing this while working. If you did get a little warm you can easily pull off one side to let a blast of cold air hit you in the face to cool you down. Bottom line.. Buy it, you won't regret it.

I brought this for my husband who work nights outside. It is very well made and prevents the weather hitting him in the face and neck. Would recommend it

I rarely write reviews but this balaclava is well worth the money! Been using it on -31 driving a snowmobile at pretty good speed and my face stays perfectly warm. Recommend it for anyone looking for a heavy duty balaclava

Good fit (5 stars)