Buying Seirus Innovation Balaclava

Seirus makes quality products, and this is no exception.

This balaclava is made out of the same plush fleece as the Seirus Neck-up (which I have reviewed on Amazon), which means the fabric is very soft and will not irritate your skin, and is also warm and breathable.

For winter running in the Northeast, this balaclava works great. It takes the place of three items--hat, ear warmers and neckwarmer (though sometimes I prefer to use separate items depending on the temperature). The fleece keeps me warm even in subfreezing temperatures, and in really bitter cold weather (when the wind chill gives a "real feel" of close to zero), I can easily pull the hood of a jacket over this balaclava to stay extra warm. Also, I have run with 25 MPH winds blowing into my face and a real feel of zero, and my face and ears still stay warm with this product. Of course I do pull this over my mouth and nose in bitter cold weather, and it easily stays in place even with vigorous running.

Although this fits snugly over my ears, I am still able to wear my earbuds comfortably so that I can listen to music when I run, and the snug fit keeps the earbuds from loosening up or falling out, as sometimes happens when I just wear a hat.

IMPORTANT: This product comes in three sizes, but it runs very small. I usually wear a medium hat, but had to return the small/medium and ordered the large/extra large, which to me feels just right and not large at all. Therefore, unless you have a really small head, I suggest that you order the largest size. The small/medium was painful to pull up over my nose because it pressed so tight, and generally felt uncomfortable.

Bottom line: This is a quality product that works well to keep you warm in the winter when running. I recommend it.

Update Jan. 9, 2010: I recently purchased the Seirus Ultra Clava (which I have reviewed on Amazon) for activities like skiing and snowshoeing, though you can also use it for running. It costs twice as much as this product, but is warmer because it has a windproof exterior shell. However, I prefer this product for running because it does not have any vent holes (and therefore all the air I breathe in is warmed ), though that is a matter of personal preference.Get more detail about Seirus Innovation Balaclava.