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45NRTH Baklava Balaclava

We’ve been blessed with an extended visit from the Polar Vortex over the last ten days and I’ve been fortunate to have logged some time in temps below zero. That led me on a search for my trusty balaclava. I looked everywhere and came up empty. So I shopped around to see what I could get my hands on quickly. QBP had one of these 45NRTH Baklava balaclavas in stock, so I decided to give it a try.

The Baklava’s extra face covering has a bendable guide sewn into it that deflects your exhalation downward. It may not look particularly cool, but it functions rather nicely. This is one of those pieces of clothing artillery that comes into play when the temps drop to around zero and it pays to cover as much skin as possible. It’s a challenge to have my nose and mouth covered without fogging up my glasses. Covering the nose and mouth also tends to restrict the amount of air that I can suck into my lungs. The Baklava’s moldable movable face band remedied both of those issues.

Photo by Bethany Raven

The Baklava is made from a Merino wool blend and has wind/water-resistant panels. The Baklava is thin so it will fit under most helmets with no issues. The Baklava comes in 2 sizes. I purchased the L/XL size and it fits comfortably on my rather planetary melon-head. The fabric doesn’t seem to have very much stretch so the fit (if anything) is a little loose. That makes getting the openings a little more difficult to get sorted out, but once you get everything positioned, it works pretty well. The best thing about the Baklava is how it balances face coverage while managing moist exhaled air.

Darth Gnomes – photo by JP Mull

45NRTH came up with something of a better mousetrap with the Baklava. I even like the play on words with the Greek dessert and the correct nomenclature for such a head-covering. The only real clinker in this little balaclava love song is the $65 price tag. But I would say that it’s money well spent if it saves my face from getting frostbite. YMMV

The Baklava by 45NRTH ears 4 out of 5 Flaming Gnomes

For more information about Baklava visit a Greek Bakery near you or visit – 45nrth.com

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