Anyone have experience with the REI balaclava? Is the Patagonia R1 truly the BPL favorite or did it just happen to get the most reviews? Any suggestions?

Haven't tried either of the ones you mentioned.

I have the OR Wind Pro. This thing is great for me. Doesn't choke me or make me feel like I'm in a bag. WARM. NO WIND gets through. I can hike in it and sleep in it - roll it up as a beanie. Can pull it down and make a neck gaiter but it works best as designed.

My head is my thermostat - wanna cool down I take it off - wanna take the chill off - slip it on.

http://www.altrec.com/outdoor-research/wind-pro-balaclava?&cm_mmc_o=-e1CjCW-CjCNovxjz9nvuD_CjCtff5lwgfbBEtbLwygBFnii9ini9_zkzgkzMzlCEwgL&affNT=true

I have the OR Ninjaclava and love it. I bought it off someone at BPL who didn't care for it so much, so it's obviously a preference thing.

For me, it does a great job regulating temperature, fits comfortably, and covers nearly all of my face when I need it to. It's easily convertible into a warm beanie, so I don't need to bring anything else for headwear unless we're talking extremely low temperatures.

I haven't slept in it yet, but will probably be taking an overnight in two weeks, so we'll see at that point. I'm assuming it'll be comfortable.

.

Edited by annapurna on 05/01/2010 22:20:53 MDT.

+2 on the OR Ninjaclava- it regulates perfectly as I can cover everything but my eyes, pull it under the chin without feeling as if I am being strangled, or push it up as a hat.
I wear it all winter long, mostly under a helmet.

Nate- I've slept in it many times. I usually use it to cover my mouth and nose when it hovers around 0 outside my bag, and those areas get wet. I often carry a backup and switch them out in the morning, drying the damp one under my clothing during the day.

Edited by febbom on 03/16/2010 13:12:59 MDT.

I use a Mountain Hardware Powerstretch balaclava. It weights 1.5z and has kept me warm down into the teens on backpacking trips. If it gets too warm, I pull it up off the face.

Edited by Miner on 03/16/2010 13:36:50 MDT.

an absolutely awesome piece of gear. soooooo versatile. this gets worn in such a variety of ways that i never go hiking without it.

i haven't really heard anything negative about the outdoor research ones either. i'd buy either with confidence

I like the warm when wet and low smell of wool for my face. Wool power makes a thicker merino wool balaclava than others I have found. This is the one I use:

http://www.bensbackwoods.com/servlet/Detail?no=313

"I use a Mountain Hardware Powerstretch balaclava. It weights 1.5z and has kept me warm..."

+1 down into the mid 20's in my case, but still...

HA! Wool smells a LOT more than polyester when it's wet or damp. I use wool in one place only, on my feet - and there only as part of a mix of fibers.

Low smell of wool indeed.

If I wear poly for more than a day I can't even tolerate the smell of myself... I haven't found the same for wool.

Edit: For balaclava different story...

Edited by debiant on 03/16/2010 19:41:39 MDT.

No experience with the ones mentioned but I did just get this Loki_Balaclava as a gift. It's similar to a buff and it does the hat, balaclava, neck gaiter, ear warmer switch-a-roo. It weighs 2 oz as well.