If you head outdoors in the city or have to travel, one thing is clear: You should be wearing a face mask. But instead of a disposable mask you should invest into a reuseable face mask. For yourself, and for the environment. Short on money? Then check out how I made a mask from an old T-Shirt, without sewing!
Disclosure: I bought the Maloja face masks from my own money and have no relationship with them. There are Affiliate links in this article which are marked with an ∞ Infinity Sign 😊 You can use these AT NO EXTRA COST TO YOU but I get a small provision from the company. As you know: I’m keepin’ it real and tell you how it is - I maintain full editorial control of the content published on Hiking in Finland. Read the Transparency Disclaimer for more information on blogger transparency and affiliate links.
As Chris wrote: “We all are, or at least should be, wearing Face Masks when out in Public.” Right when this Pandemic kicked off Face Masks were hard to get by, and back in April I made from an old T-Shirt face masks for the whole family. This was super easy as the only thing one needed was a ruler, a pencil and scissors. I followed this simple Video for those, and shortly later had four re-useable face masks which could be washed.
The DIY face mask from an old Patagonia T-Shirt has served me well over the past six months when I went grocery shopping. But in anticipation of an upcoming trip to Germany & Luxembourg I decided I need to make a smarter impression on the Airport staff, and so I ordered for the whole family the ∞ reuseable Face masks from Maloja.
It fits well over my beard, is easy to take off for eating or drinking, all without touching the front of the mask.
The Maloja mask is Made in Europe, and has three layers: An inner and outer layer of a breathable functional fabric (Polyester), which is comfortable on the skin and allows me to breath normally. Between these two layers is a fleece insert which acts as a droplet filter. Finally, it has a Polygiene ViralOff finish, which reduces viruses by 99% in two hours [Source]. The mask has an adjustable nose bow and elastic straps for easily securing it around your head and neck. Also with my short beard it closes completely around the face and you can wear glasses and hearing aids with it, as the straps don’t interfere with these. The face mask is washable at 40 - 60 °C, although the effect of ViralOff slightly wears off after approx. 20 washes.
The best thing about the Maloja Face Masks is that they were made with people in mind who want to do sports. Mainly indoor sports, in a gym, where you can maybe not practice social distancing very well. I found them really breathable indeed, and like Chris in his article I will always now carry one when I go outdoors, as in cold wind or when it snows it also keep the face warm, while allowing me to breath comfortably!
The Maloja face masks come either in a ∞ uni colour which then cost around 10€ for one or with ∞ different prints which then cost between 13 and 16€ depending on where you buy them. There’s also a ∞ kids mask available. I bought our masks at Camu, but also ∞ Bergzeit and ∞ Bergfreunde have them and send them fast & cheap around the globe. With two of these I now feel ready to travel south!
If you enjoyed this article join the Patreon tribe (and get great discount codes from partners!) or buy me a coffee - I work Full-Time on Hiking in Finland to bring you inspiring trip reports, in-depth gear reviews and the latest news from the outdoors. You also could subscribe to the rarer-than-ever Newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube for more outdoorsy updates!