Last week I was given a Merino Wool Hinged Balaclava to review. I love it – it may just be my favorite cycling balaclava ever! After all the research I did to find the best cycling balaclava, it seems like the best one of all just turned up in my mail! And I have a great coupon offer for readers on this one (see bottom of this post).
The first thing I liked about this cycling balaclava was the material: the merino wool is so soft and light. It’s hard to get Mrs. Average Joe Cyclist to wear a cycling balaclava, but when she felt how soft this one is, she wanted it!
Second, I like that this cycling balaclava is so stretchy that you can easily change it from a neck warmer, to a part-face balaclava, to a full-face balaclava. Here is Mrs. Average Joe Cyclist modelling the three positions in which you can wear this balaclava:
Related Post: How to Choose the Best Cycling Balaclava
There is a lot of attention to detail with this cycling balaclava – it is very well made. It even has little holes for your headphones! But these holes are not exposed if not in use – the design is very clever.
Breathability: As noted in our complete guide to how to choose the best cycling balaclava, it is essential that you can breathe easily while wearing your cycling balaclava, as cyclists often have breathe quite heavily. This balaclava does not have any special features for breathing, such as webbed bits that go over the nose. However, it has two effective mechanisms for breathing:
- When it is worn in the neck-only or below-the-chin configuration, it is of course easy to breathe.
- With the mouth and nose covered, on a strenuous ride, I had no problem breathing. The merino wool layer covering your face is easy to breathe through.
Neck coverage: Also as noted in my post on the 7 best cycling balaclavas, one of the most important things to check for in a balaclava is that it covers your whole neck and can be tucked into your jacket. This balaclava has the necessary length, so your neck will be kept warm.
Recommended use: This is a light balaclava. I would say it is probably best suited to be a spring or fall balaclava, rather than a sub-freezing balaclava.
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