I picked this product up at REI about 2 weeks ago after a lot of research into different balaclavas, neck gaitors, face masks, caps, etc. There were two major selling points: 1. It's actually windproof. By that, I mean you can put your mouth up against it with your hand on the other side, blow, and you won't feel a thing. 2. The face-mask part pulls down very easily, and back up easily. This last part is handy when I'm out cycling in the cold - makes it easy to get a drink.

I use it mainly while riding to and from work on my bicycle in the mornings. The trip is 16 miles one-way. The mouth cover does get a little soggy, but not bad at all considering how hard I'm breathing through it for about 50 minutes with a heart rate around 170bpm. The coldest ride I used it on was when the ambient temperature outside was 24 degrees. With 20mph winds from cycling, that puts the "real feel" temperature close to 0. Even then, it kept the chill out and held the warmth in. And, for the record, I'm a big baby when it comes to the cold.

The fit is great and snug and has a nice fleece-like liner. My one complaint is that the neck portion in the front could be longer. Once my helmet is on and buckled, the bunching around the chin strap (unavoidable) pulls it up from covering the whole neck. No big deal though.

Glasses still fog a bit when I stop, but I think that's inevitable with any kind of face warmer.

Bottom line: if you cycle or workout in cold weather, this is a high-quality and well-priced balaclava.