Customer Reviews Outdoor Research Essential Face Mask Kit

I wear this daily. It's comfortable, stylish, and as far as I can tell, is effective. Unfortunately, the filters have a way of getting loose. The fatigue color is really nice, comparable to OD/Ranger Green.

I wear this daily. It's comfortable, stylish, and as far as I can tell, is effective. Unfortunately, the filters have a way of getting loose.

I have tried like 10 different masks as a teacher and this has been the best fitting one for my fat, round face. The bendable nose clamp is the game changer plus the shape of the mask at the top where it goes over your nose and cheeks. The soft ear adjustment rubber pieces are great too! Without the filter, this mask is super breathable. My suggestions; there is a seam right at the bridge of Tull your nose. It rubs all day on my nose. Simply adding a piece of fabric over it will alleviate that! The filter; I tried to use it one day and it was coming apart after an hour of use. Might be partially to stubble from my beard, but I can't use it. The filter itself is bulky and irritates the skin. It moves too easily inside the mask and I was constantly taking the mask off to adjust the filter while talking and teaching. I stopped using it after day 1. Not sure how effective the mask is now since the material is fairly thin and lightweight. Suggestion; put another layer of fabric to completely cover the filter! It's so lightweight that it would still be super breathable. Leave one end open so the filter can be inserted but behind fabric will make it much better. This mask is so close to perfect! Fix the seam over the nose bridge and put the filter behind fabric and it will be PERFECT!

Filter can bunch, would have been a 5. Best mask I've tried

I have bought 4 of these and they've become my daily / only mask I wear, even though I feel like I have dozens of different kinds/brands at this point. It fits perfectly, the material is really strong and soft, and the design just feels super high quality. Only complaint is the filters (which I do not use all the time) are not easy to use/put in.

Primarily flying. More comfortable than an N95 and appears to be effective.

for flying especially instead of an N95 mask. More comfortable and appears to effective with internal added filter.

I added 2 pieces of male velcro to inside of mask ends and now holds in place perfectly.

This item has been great. Love the green color!! We also ordered a black one that came broken- the rubber adjuster piece. But this one has been good. All seals were open on our order... since they came direct f to I'm OR, not a HUGE deal, but this should rectified. The point of a seal to make buyer feel like a product is safe during Covid is kind of disheartening. My husband is a first responder and many of the others at his work also love and wear these. Others reported their seals had also popped open when they had ordered them. Would give 5 stars if another in the order hadn't come broken and the seal issue. For whatever it's worth, I would like to see them in more than 3 colors... so each family member could have their own color.

This item has been great. Love the green color!! We also ordered a black one that came broken- the rubber adjuster piece. But this one has been good. All seals were open on our order... since they came direct f to I'm OR, not a HUGE deal, but this should rectified. The point of a seal to make buyer feel like a product is safe during Covid is kind of disheartening. My husband is a first responder and many of the others at his work also love and wear these. Others reported their seals- had also popped open when they had ordered them. Would give 5 stars if another in the order hadn't come broken and the seal issue. For whatever it's worth, I would like to see them in more than 3 colors... so each family member could have their own color.

I very much like the mask fit, and it seems very good quality. I also like the filters. If there is a downside it would be the price; it's a bit high I think. For this price it should come with at least a dozen filters. Yes I would recommend this.

Comfortable and can add the filter

I am using this for normal "about-town" use, not while while exercising. It seems to cover my mouth and nose well. I go kayaking, and wear it at launch sites. I put it in my life jacket while on the water, in case I need to get close to somebody. The filter is probably not useful when wet, so I don't use it then, but the mask has 2 layers of fabric even without the filter, so I think it still provides some protection.

Overall a great looking mask (as much as one can look good). Fit is great. Like the nose clamp at the top. Has a really good fit. The con is the filter. It's probably the worst filter of any mask I've used. It moves around a lot and pops out pretty easily. I'm actually pretty shocked given I love all my OR products and they are very thoughtful in design. This falls very flat. I still use it but it's just more of an annoyance thing.

This was my go-to mask. Felt good on my face, fit well and was easy to use. It was so good that it was stolen when my car was prowled at a trailhead.

Comfortable, good fit. I really like being able to add disposable filtration. The claimed specs are impressive, but. . . I'd really like to see independent testing of effectiveness. Can't give 5 stars without that.

The mask fits well all around but the filter system needs to be fixed. The filter slips and does not stay in place.

I have tried masks from various companies, including Tom Bihn, Athleta, Space Mask, Eva Varro and Casetify. I also have bought multiple Outdoor Research masks and they are my go-to choice after half a year of "auditions." Outdoor Research has by far the very best fit on the market. Assuming you fit the noise wire correctly (I have a very thin bridge and have to really pinch it in) and get the ear loops right, the mask should stay in place and also should not pull down when you speak or even stretch your jaw. I have had issues with other masks pulling down off the nose the minute you speak; this is not the case here. The fit is as good as you are going to get without looking as if you are wearing a sleeping bag on your face. The OR masks are also very lightweight, breathable and comfortable. I feel quite secure wearing them and I have them in my car, at my front door, and in my backpack. The only downside is the filter. It requires a careful placement and if you remove the mask, you must set it back in again. I have clumsily tried to place it back while wearing nitrile gloves (this didn't work) and I have had to place it back after yawning and unseating it from the edge pockets. Since I often take the mask off and on, I have to reseat the filter each time. However, I do want to point out that other manufacturer's masks using PM filters have slots too large for the filters, causing them to slip down below the nose and rendering them ineffective. After struggling with other mask filters, I am happier with OR filters even as I hope OR can modify this somehow. Overall, though, my favorite mask and mask supplier. Order with confidence!

Love the make and fit but feel it is a bit pricy for a single mask (with 3 inserts) and the cost of replacement inserts seems exorbitant. Should be able to buy larger quantities at an economy of scale.

Definitely a good choice for a mask! I really like how lightweight it feels while still doing a good job of protecting against germs w/ the filter. Also, the fit is great because the loops don't hurt my ears when I'm wearing it for an extended amount of time. I mainly use it for workouts and I can actually see my feet, unlike other masks. On the other hand, the filter does make it slightly hard to breathe during workouts which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. Overall a good mask for daily activities and recreational activities!

It is a mask and a decent one. The filter does not fit well and it was hard to figure out how to fit it. The fabric is nice and seems well made

All day everyday outside in the hot sun of AZ. It fits better than others I tried. The material is soft but durable. I like that it has a metal nose strip. It would be great if it were lighter weight. I don't use the filter inserts.

Easy to breath through, and I love the adjustable ear loops and nose wire. I have had a really hard time finding masks that fit my face and don't immediately fog my glasses. Fogging is low with this one. Bonus that it is the only mask I've tried that is machine washable. I don't love the feel of the fabric, but the design is great.

Happy with the shape and overall design. No problems with filters as others described (be sure to watch the video). One major flaw is that the nosepiece wire is very malleable, but not at all springy. The nosepiece loses its shape after wearing for a few minutes and gaps open up, causing glasses to fog up and bypassing the filter of the mask.

The fit and breathability of this mask is better than most others I've tried, and the longer than average nose wire is great for wearing with glasses. I agree with all the other reviewers about the filter coming out too easily, but there's a simple solution. Double sided "fashion tape" keeps the filter in place, but easy to remove when you need to replace the filter. OR should include this in the kit.