Wanting to buy a polar wrap? Read!

[Barleydog]

Picked up a new Exchanger Mask "Polar wrap" on a Cabela's internet special.  Think they had a ton of the camo models that they probably needed to vacate from thier shelves, so I bought one.  
A Polar wrap is a neoprene facemask that will capture heat from each exhaled breath.  You then proceed to inhale cold outside air that is preheated before it enters the body.  In reality this system works, but there are several drawbacks!
I had to put the polor wrap to the test by removing snow with the ATV in -15 degree temps here in Alaska.  
If any of you have ever been in the military and donned a gas mask, performed any style of hazzardous waste removal, or worn a constricting air filter while working around dangerous vapors, you will know what it's like to breath through this mask.  I can only tell you it's the closest thing you can get to an asthma simulator!  The Polar wrap is extremely restrictive in the amount of air you can inhale.  I never liked wearing gas masks, and after 1 hour of driving the ATV around this thing came off!
Let me back up and first tell you that the initial "smell" wafting from the mask, (straight out of the package), is an overpowering combination of mothballs, creosote, and (sp)formeldahyde!  This thing stunk and it didn't get better with wear niether.
If you wear glasses, the heat exchange system does not work!  The nose piece is flimsy neoprene which allowed air to escape to your lenses, even when adjusted in several directions.  The mask is extremely tight fitting and is not form fit like I had thought.  Your nose and lips are constricted pretty tight.
The small port that you actually breath through is only a 1X1 1/2" rectangle cut into the mask which is tough to hit if your mask shifts or you decide to talk.  You cannot breath through any other portion of the mask, so either develope bird lips or you can practice by breathing through a straw that has a mothball soaked cotton ball taped to the end of it!  The material that makes up the patented "heat exchanger" is (this is no bull) a copper brillo pad!!!  That's it, a copper brillo! 50 bucks for this!  Cheesy piece of "shrimp" was the first words out of my mouth.
In my best judgment this system is not worth the hassel and certainly not worth the money!  Save your money and make your own polar wrap system for a couple bucks.  Buy a scarf, sew a copper brillo pad into it's middle, and wear it proudly knowing you just saved some hard earned cash.  -Barleydog

 

[bigredonice]

thanks for the info, i will make sure not to buy one...

with this cold weather, i have been wearing a $2 walmart baclava (thin face mask thingy), along with a fleece or carhartt hat, and have yet to get cold.

of course then again, i have been blessed with some serious natural insulation

[big_buddah]

Barleydog don't feel bad I bought one to. I feel the same way about you but the way you said it had me laughing so hard I do not feel to bad now for buying it.

[Barleydog]

Bigredonice- Stick with the balacava!  Great choice...

Buddah- The power of advertisment got us hook, line, and in this case "stinker."  

[rgfixit]

I have a couple of those long fleece hoods that I use. They're long enough to fold the bottom 8" up and use it as a facemask when it's extreme. Very Comfy!

Hope your mask went back to Cabelas with a letter...they're pretty good about making things right when you're dissatisfied.

RG

[skulldugary]

Thanks I'll save my money,and stick to taking a couple of ski masks with me instead,when one gets iced over from breathing and freezes I'll change to another one..............

[hollis]

Well,....I guess thats what makes the "world go round",..that we can disagree,...I LIKE mine,...the odor thing,..well I noticed it too,..but soaking it it warm Cheer for a few minutes and then rinsing it a few times solved mine,...I do that anyway after using it for a while,...I consider it a TOOL,..not the end all or be all of cold weather living,..I agree you can't use it for much exertion type things,..its good for sitting around like ice fishing or a duck blind etc... just hiking much and you labor breathing cause it does restrict a bit...I don't find that it bothers me sitting around or winter camping (sleeping) When there is deep cold (below -15 below) it really burns my lungs ,..also you  lose a LOT  of heat from breathing,..after you cover up the rest of your body well,..about 70%. I have sat long hours in a blind and started to shiver,..after putting on the Polar Wrap I stop shivering and feel much warmer.  
As far as making one,..well I understand they use nearly pure copper that DOES look like a brillo pad (which is a copper alloy) and it does tranfer heat pretty well,..just because its simple I don't hold that against it,..could I make one,...maybe,..for 50 bucks?,..no,..for the hours that it would take me I could work and pay for it a couple of times and mine wouldn't probably work as well and certainly  wouldn't look as nice,..as far as glasses,..well I don't wear them but It didn't fog up my sun glasses,.(maybe the sun being out helped)...and for very deep cold I wear double layer ski goggles and it for sure doesn't  on them So to me I think its been very worthwhile. The other nite it was -10 here and a windchill of -35. I had the Polar Wrap on,..a thinsulate hat with ear flaps that wrapped under your chin,..ski goggles, a thinsulate snow suit, polypro underwear,.a fleece pull over and mickymouse boots,..I sat out for two hours and thought that I feel as comfortable as in my living room (wife keeps it 74-76..)