Comfortable Eye and Face Protection

[drewroud]

For the longest time I have played cqb with a full face mask and just a cap. After a while, they stopped doing chrono checks, so I got a helmet to help protect my face. This helmet + my face mask is pretty uncomfortable, and I have to wear a cap backwards to cover the space between the helmet and the face mask. It fogs up a lot.

I am looking to ditch the paintball style face mask and get something that looks better, will fog up less, and is more comfortable. I am thinking about going the goggles + lower mesh face mask. I don't know to much about the brands, and I know a lot of players go this way. Would this protect my whole face? It looks like lower mesh face masks cover up the nose.

So fire away and tell me what works and what I should avoid from. My budget is about 50 for both.

[Hound]

Issued ESS NVG goggles are 12-15$ at surplus stores. I also wear a partol cap. It does the job great. For face protection i wear a black balaclava. But ive also heard a lot of guys like the metal mesh ones.


This is the best photo i can find of me with face protection. I dont wear it that often. Even though i should.

ESS NVG:
www.esseyepro.com/Profile-NVG_1_detail.html
Look for those at surplus stores. I got my pair for 12$, plus 2 tinted lenses and clear ones for another 5$.

[Impulse]

I haven't had much luck finding a half-mask that fits reasonably well with goggles.

I like helmets too... figuring out how to combine the three is definitely an exercise.



This video might offer a solution if you don't mind hacking up a mask.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuGMz1bhIFY

Pretty cool M4 there Hound...

[Squirrel]

www.evike.com/product_info.php?cPath=30_744&products_id=33668

I have one of these. After you bend it to the contour of your face, it is pretty comfortable.

[Brush]

I use a Mich 2000 helmet, mesh lower half mask, and a balaclava with either my ESS NVG or Smith Optics OTW Turbo Fans. This set up is comfortable and I hardly notice the lower half mask, it sits on my goggles just right. I have a gen2 lower half mask but it doesn’t work with my style helmet. My nephew uses it with his Bravo PJ helmet and ESS goggles but doesn’t like the extra strap that goes over the head. Depending on your helmet, I'd go with the ESS NVG's and lower half mask.

[TheEnd]

I wear ESS NVG goggles with the smallest mesh face mask (the one without the ear cups). After spending a while setting it up it is absolutely perfect for me and it is worlds better than any other mask I have used. Some people just can't get the masks and goggles to work for them. One of my team mates has tried everything he can to make it work and it's just not comfortable for him. Just something worth noting.

My ESS goggles have never given me fog issues so I have gotten pretty lucky there. I have no secrets, they just don't fog outside of extreme humidity. I have seen the NVG goggles go really cheap at gun and knife shows.

The real key to the mesh masks is bending them to your face. I am able to shoulder my M4 and look through the EoTech without any sort of riser or neck strain. I bent the mesh mask so that there is a dip where the buffer tube goes on each side. I can shoot left or right and the buffer tube will naturally sit into the dip. I recently took a pretty big hit to the face from a butt stock (person fell into me) and it knocked my nose area out of whack. That mesh sucks when it grates against your skin. I rock a pretty thick beard so having the sides pressed against my face doesn't bother me. If you don't have a beard it might cheese grate your face. Grow a beard and you should be fine.

Little bit of a warning, when the bb's hit the mesh they sometimes explode which can startle you. If the mesh is pressed up against bare skin and the bb hits that spot it can hurt a bit.

[Gunny87]

I'm currently using a TMC v1 mesh face mask (Same as Brush, and TheEnd) with ESS Turbofan NVG goggles and an Emerson FAST Ballistic Helmet.

It's definitely the most optimum solution that I've used to date for a full face and head set up. The v1 mesh face mask covers your nose, front of your face and chin. This still allows me to use my replica Comtac II headset and I put the mic boom outside of my mask. Then it allows for me to still have my face protected but also allows me to breathe and communicate clearly using comms.

It's a little bit of a tight fit using the ESS turbofans with the v1 mesh mask and helmet, but if you used just plain ESS NVG goggles like TheEnd then you probably wouldn't have it being a tight fit like mine.

But as TheEnd mentioned, the key to the face mask is bending it to make it fit your face.

[Da Vinci - Да Винчи]

I've been running the Striker V1 (Same as pretty much everyone else has listed) with ESS NVG's, and a helmet/baseball cap. I've never gotten the mask to be perfect, but the modifying video has given me some hope. Right now it's too long and pushes against my face, but it still keeps my teeth and beautiful complexion intact.