OK, it might seem a little trivial to do a gear review on something as small as a mask, but I have to spread the love on this thing.  I recently picked one of these up ($20) for a day of skiing where the thermometer started out at negative four degrees and it worked beautifully.

I hate fleece masks or dickies that press against my face, get all wet and soggy, and fog up my goggles.  The Seirus Softshell Bandana is an improvement on all those fronts.  The biggest difference between the bandanna and other masks is that the bandanna doesn’t tuck into your coat which pulls a mask against your face and forces your exhaled air up through your goggles.  Let the bandanna hang freely outside of your coat and all that air has somewhere to go. Pull the bandanna up over your nose and it hangs out over your face so the moist fleece is not pressed directly against your mouth and chin all day.  But if it does get a little soggy, just give it a run under a hand dryer and you’re back in action.

Purists might prefer a classic cotton bandanna, but I have no shame here.  I only need a mask if it’s really cold, and in that case I want something with softshell on the outside and warm, wicking fleece on the inside.  You can use the cotton one to style up your outfit in the spring.