Modifying my balaclava

Balaclavas all seem to have the same problem. It doesn't matter how well vented they are, your exhaled breath has nowhere to go but up into your sunglasses, fogging them up. Recently, I got a new balaclava from Cannondale. It's brand new, and not even available on their website yet. I got it from a rep, and it retails for either $40 or $50. So I thought "It must be good".  The big difference, mainly, is that the part that covers your face is a flap of sorts, so you can easily tuck it under your chin if you want some fresh air on your face, etc. The flap looks to be well vented, and everything fits my face well. HOWEVER...just like the $10 balaclava that I have from Target...it fogs my glasses.

If you've ever watched a surgeon, or a doctor performing a procedure, even though they are wearing masks their glasses are fog-free. I get a new N95 mask from work every year at my annual physical, so I've got a few lying around. They have a thin metal strip covered by a piece of foam padding that you "mold" around the bridge of your nose that prevents your exhalation from going up into your eyes. I figured that was the answer to my problems.

So here's what I did: I cut the metal strip out of the N95 mask (along with the foam padding), and glued it to my brand new (expensive) balaclava using a hot glue gun. You'll see in the last picture how well the mask part molds to my nose/face now. I rode for 2.5 hrs today in 35 degrees, and had no problems with fogging. I actually had to move the flap down for portions of the ride because my face was getting hot! What a change that was!

^ There's the metal strip that I cut out of the N95 mask

^ There it is sitting on the nose area of my balaclava, before I glued it

^ And with the foam glued over top of it now

^ The finished product.