This is a vapro airtrim heat exchanger mask. I've found it to be invaluable for extreme cold weather hiking, but I'm not satisfied with the fit or the durability
How would you go about making your own version of this which could be cheaper and more durable with a custom fit?
I was thinking craft foam, plastic snap rivets, and a plastic scouring pad for a heat exchanger. Then again, the airtrim heat exchanger is made of corrugated plastic and maybe paper? (Correct me if I'm wrong) Wound into a cartridge, so maybe the corrugated plastic from one of those election lawn signs and some corrugated cardboard - again I'm not sure if they use paper or some plastic fabric.
Also, I think whatever homemade design will require a nose clip, which could be made from one of those ace bandage metal clips.
Or maybe there's a better alternative that you prefer? Let's make this a general cold weather face covering thread too - I really want to hear what works for you.
If you can't afford a $20 buff, then you have bigger concerns.
I used that on my first try and it worked okay, but it fogged up my goggles and isn't a good heat exchanger. Plus it freezes and restricts breathing more than I'd like.
These get soaking wet with condensation and snot.
Grow a beard.
heh, i havnt been clean shaven since 2011, a couple days ago a random old man tapped me on the shoulder at the supermarket and asked if i was a member of the communist party
>ehh, no? not at alls
>your beards looking a little red!
fricking hilarious, yes, im ginger, i cant fricking wait to be old enough to not give a frick like that
only a few years til your 18th, big boy, you got this
This.
Sadly testosterone levels in young men are so low now that realistically most cannot grow a big beard.
Beards are soi.
Neoprene half-face mask or USGI abomination to upset the chuds.
Yeah neoprene is a solid choice, though not so comfy as airtrim. The theory behind the heat exchanger is that it improves respiration efficiency and thermal efficiency - and i thought it worked when I hiked Washington in 0f 60mph wind and still venting heat
For me it's these. Saved my face from getting iced out by the cold and wind chill when I was driving strykers through Snoqualmie pass in the winter.
bretty sure I've seen people make ghetto versions with foam dixie cups before
Thanks, i hadn't thought of that! Man that'll freak out the normies
I just wrap a scarf around my face.
What is the heat exchanger? Just a two opposing check valves and then the intake and exhaust run parallel to trade heat?
It's just a plastic radiator. Warms up when you exhale, warms air when you inhale. Technically any face covering will exchange some heat, but some more efficiently (i.e. not at the expense of airflow) than others
Come home, white man
Really gets the ol noggin joggin
I have a smartwool balaclava that I love using in cold weather. I wore it when I used to bike commute in below 0F weather in Michigan and it always kept my face warm while still allowing me to breathe well enough to bike comfortably.
Just stay inside
the ones used fro retroffiting houses uses a ceramic heat exchanger, what is in the pic looks like it wouldnt have enough mass to work properly
anyway you can jerryrigging one of this to a mask, i am no doctor but i think they are used for something like what you want https://aliexpress.com/item/1005003275984659.html?
https://aliexpress.com/item/1005004966347915.html?
My man. Great tip. I think that's the exact material that's in the airtrim filter.
Just got back from Mt Washington. I used the airtrim intermittently. It wasn't that chilly, so i didn't need it often, but it would often help me to avoid layering up, so i feel it does keep me warmer overall and i like it, just still don't like the fragility and the cost.
Ceramic would be a nice sturdy medium
>how would you make this
By putting on a scarf
What’s extreme cold? Im outside all the time in -20f or less, and i cant imagine putting some shit like this on my face. Fur hat or hood, some kind of natural fiber to put in front of your face temporarily like a scarf sometimes to block the wind maybe.
Trapping moisture against your face is always worse than just having an exposed face, take a note from eskimos.
The idea is the moisture is held by the heat exchange core, it retains the heat of your exhale by preheating the inhale. The moisture has a bunch of latent heat since it is a vapor. They use the same idea for fresh air ventilation in modern high efficiency buildings, they call them energy recovery ventilators
You can say all that shit online but reality still proves you wrong.
Wouldn't that just cause mold to fester and grow as a result of constant moisture?
NTA but absolutely; it would be like wearing a petri dish on your face.
Funnily enough modern buildings are also full of mold.
That's only relevant if the house is 90% covered in mold and you're breathing it in non-stop
btw don't forget to mask up and get the jab!
Goof
At -20f?
If the air coming out of your lungs is -20 then you may need medical attention
The moisture in the filter isn't going to stay at body temp for very long when it's -20F outside.
If your face diaper isn't staying warm then it doesn't work
It looks like a bit of foam with a shoelace on it
bRump
3D Printing Nerd did some videos on YouTube early in the pandemic when we were going through mask mania on how to use your phone camera to make a 3D scan of your face and then use that to 3D print a custom fitted mask. Several other channels made similar videos.
https://www.youtube.com/@3DPrintingNerd/search?query=mask
Or you could adjust the seal and the straps.