dust masks for the playa

waltsnipe · Post by **waltsnipe** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 7:52 am

After years of trying to use those crappy disposable dusk masks from the drug store, I finally stumbled on a link to a company in England (Respro) who makes serious masks for urban commuters and off-road racers. A little pricey, but I bought the "Sportsta" model and have used it with great success on the playa the last few years. It fits around your head with a strong velcro attachment, and replaceable filters are avialable (though one filter seems fine for a week on the playa, in my experience). It makes going out in the dust storms no big deal (along with the goggles I got from the military surplus store).

That mask was recently "liberated" from me, so I went back to the Respro website and they have a new one called the "Techno Gold" that claims better breathability with increased dust filtration. Even though the Sportsta worked fine, I just ordered the Techno Gold and we'll see how it goes.

I don't have any affiliation with this company, but just thought I'd pass on something that has really upgraded my playa experience when the winds blow hard.....

I ended up ordering mine straight from the Respro website. At the English cycling websites, it was hard to tell whether you were getting the old Techno or the new upgraded Techno Gold.

Tiara · Post by **Tiara** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:22 pm

Personally, I've gotten along just fine for over 4+ years on the playa at BM and other times by pulling a handkerchief over my nose or using disposable masks that cost less than a dollar each. I've got a fancy respirator like you're describing that I take along every year, but that i've never taken out of the packaging it was delivered in.

waltsnipe · Post by **waltsnipe** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 4:14 pm

Give it a shot.....it won't make you less of a playa hardcore

Tiara · Post by **Tiara** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 4:20 pm

Has nothing to do with being hardcore or not. I'd use it in a sustained emergency type situation. But dust storms generally die down soon after they start, and then I'd have to carry the thing around until I was back at my camp. It's too bulky for me to want to carry around all the time "just in case".

R1Z · Post by **R1Z** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 7:16 pm

What do you think of these?? A little over a buck apiece in a box of 20, and they fold flat to fit a pocket. I thought I'd use one or two and gift the other 18.

http://www.allheart.com/3m1870.html

NIOSH approved as a Type N95 respirator to meet OSHA requirements and CDC guidelines for TB exposure control. Tests conducted by NIOSH in accordance with 42 CFR 84. Can be used during laser surgery, electrocautery and other procedures using powered medical instruments to help reduce wearer exposure to airborne particles (plume, smoke) generated during these procedures.

Features:

NIOSH - certified N95 respirator. High fluid resistant masks pass ASTM highest level of 160mm Hg for fluid and splash resistance
Fluid resistant to help reduce potential exposure of the wearer to the spray, spatter and aerosol of blood and body fluids
>99% BFE1 to help reduce patient contamination caused by exhaled microorganisms
3M offers training materials and services to help meet OSHA training regulations for the use of respirators
They do not contain either natural rubber latex or dry natural rubber as components in the products or packaging
Fits most face sizes and head shapes, allowing standardization to a single respirator for use in the facility
Hypoallergenic to reduce chance of allergic reaction
NIOSH certified tested against a 0.3 micron particle (mass median aerodynamic diameter) per 42 CFR 84
Box of 20

1 - Bacterial Filtration Efficiency (BFE) determined by the modified Greene and Vesley test method.

Suggested Applications:

TB exposure control
Laser and electrocautery surgery

tisha2 · Post by **tisha2** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 5:15 am

i brought the cheapo throwaways my first year and hated them. and, yes - the uber-masks always seemed like they'd be a pain in the arse to drag around.

nowadays i just keep a strip of cloth round my neck/hat just in case, and on bad dust days i get it wet. that traps more dust, and lets me breath in moisture - good fer the dried out lungs. plus it's washable and reusable!

sputnik · Post by **sputnik** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 8:39 am

Tisha learned from the cowboys.

waltsnipe · Post by **waltsnipe** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 7:44 am

I'm not sure we're talking about the same masks.....The Respro mask I had (and the new Techno is essentially the same except for an upgraded filter) will wad up and fit in the palm of your hand (or in your pocket). It's a stretchy synthetic strip with a velcro attachment at the back, and two quarter size hard filters in the middle. Nothing bulky about it. Its small size and light weight is why it's so comfortable too, I think.

I can remember years like '03 where it seemed like the dust never stopped blowing, or last year early and late in the week. With this mask on, it really didn't seem to matter that the dust was blowing, even all day or night (except that you had to tilt it up to sip Guinness.....they haven't worked that into the filter yet).

R1Z · Post by **R1Z** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 7:06 pm

I think you're allowed to drink Guinness through a straw.

waltsnipe · Post by **waltsnipe** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 7:18 pm

On those dusty nights, sometimes my thumb strays from covering the top of the can, so that after a while the muddy consistency wouldn't go through a straw, regretably. It must be chewed

robbidobbs · Post by **robbidobbs** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 9:26 pm

waltsnipe wrote: I can remember years like '03 where it seemed like the dust never stopped blowing, or last year early and late in the week. With this mask on, it really didn't seem to matter that the dust was blowing, even all day or night (except that you had to tilt it up to sip Guinness.....they haven't worked that into the filter yet).

Yep, there's a mousetrap just invented that when the mouse triggers the trap, the door goes down, a tiny pellet of cynide drops into a water vessel. The mouse then is gassed to death.

That's what I think of your foo-foo hi-tech dust masks.
CRIPES! Just use a cotton bandana.

And 03 weren't shit compared to '99 or even 01.
nyah

waltsnipe · Post by **waltsnipe** » Sun Apr 23, 2006 7:09 am

I thought this particular thread was supposed to be about helpful hints, not playa egos trying to show how "hard" they are.

waltsnipe (who was here in '99 and '01, by the way)

Zulegoona · Post by **Zulegoona** » Sun Apr 23, 2006 8:32 am

There is a real school of thought that the cotton or linen cloth approach used by the nomadic peoples of the middle east for thousands of years actually work better and are more comfortable than dust masks ,.. I use the paper myself and carry extras and pull out a new one regularly.

Rockdad · Post by **Rockdad** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 12:09 pm

Respro bandit very cool and great for chemical attacks too! charcol filter..

Sunburn · Post by **Sunburn** » Wed May 03, 2006 6:29 am

the only thing that got "liberated" was my sanity

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Wed May 03, 2006 10:01 am

Sunburn wrote:the only thing that got "liberated" was my sanity

Were you using it?

Sunburn · Post by **Sunburn** » Wed May 03, 2006 10:10 am

only a warped version of it... course, warped is relative... as is normal... but I'm borrowing another more effecitive version of sanity lent by a friend.... and the only side effect is a jonesing for pot roast...

safetythird · Post by **safetythird** » Mon May 08, 2006 1:01 pm

Rockdad wrote:Respro bandit very cool and great for chemical attacks too! charcol filter..

<-- 2 years of use and no reason to look for something different. I highly recommend them.

S3