It’s usually a good idea to put on a face mask when riding bicycles or motorcycles around the city. With smoke, dust, and a whole load of pollutants just whirling about, crowded city streets aren’t the kind of places to find air that’s even moderately fresh, after all. And while a standard face mask should get the job done, outdoor apparel company, jaMO Threads, thinks the Inversion Gaiter 2.0 will help a whole lot better.
No, it’s not the kind of gaiter you use to cover your lower legs. Instead, it’s, basically, a modified neck warmer that the outfit is calling a gaiter for whatever reason they saw fit. Maybe they were making fun of someone whose face looks like a calf or a shin. Or something.
The Inversion Gaiter 2.0 is actually the second version of the outfit’s air-filtering face masks. This time around, they’re incorporating a removable filter, so you can simply pop in a fresh one after the current filter lives out its useful existence. It uses an active carbon filter, by the way, that’s been tested to a 99.99 percent filtration efficiency, so it’s going to get rid of nearly every single pollutant and particulate you’ll encounter throughout the day.
The active carbon filter is, actually, just one-fifth of the mask’s actual filtration system, which makes this quite the potent barrier against air pollutants. On top of the active carbon filter sits an outer microfiber barrier, an inner particulate filter, and an inner microfiber barrier, all of which sit under the face mask fabric and its integrated exhaust valves. Yes, the darn thing comes with dual valves to ensure you can breathe in a natural manner even while your nose sits under a five-layer filtration system.
Construction is a lightweight and breathable polyester fabric for the Inversion Gaiter 2.0 to ensure it can be worn in both warm and cold weather. It should also serve as a suitable neck warmer for the cold winter months, giving you a way to easily keep the cold breeze out while playing in the now.
Ear straps secure the mask onto your face, allowing you to ride bicycles, hike, and otherwise create a ruckus in the outdoors without losing your face mask to a strong gust of wind. It uses a soft material for the straps that, the outfit claims, should be very comfortable, allowing you to wear it for extended periods without any irritation.
Aside from keeping pollutants out during commutes, the Inversion Gaiter 2.0 should also serve as an excellent garment for wearing during air travel (all that recycled air just sounds kind of gross), viral outbreaks (maybe it will keep out the T-virus or something), or when you don’t want anyone to recognize you for any reason whatsoever. Granted, you probably have bigger problems than air pollution in that situation, but it sure is nice this thing can help.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the Inversion Gaiter 2.0. It’s available in four colors (black, blue with splatters, coal pit, and red), with pledges to reserve a unit starting at $28.