# Face masks



## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

What do yall stock and why? Protection from the smoke of forest fires? Sickness? How do you choose which rating to use? And why carry one in a get home bag?

These things come in many different styles. From the cheapest materials that are basically just paper all the way up to respirators and gas masks. I started picking some up after the ebola scare. They are the 3m 8511 N95 masks just like the ones we use at work. Here's a pic.









I've been thinking of picking up a couple of the professional ones like painters use with the removable filters. My main use would be protection in case some horrible outbreak starts up again. Would these be of any use for that? Or is a gas mask the best bet?

Side note: if an outbreak were to occur this would be the last layer of protection. It's obviously much better to avoid people in the first place and use common sense hygene if there's an outbreak.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

In order to be safe the mask should cover your nose, mouth,and eyes. Those are the first place that viruses will enter your body. That type of mask limits your vision too much to use for prolonged periods and a mask, unused, needs to be sealed so that it will not pick up and store the viruses from which you are trying to protect yourself.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

I read once that masks are best used on the sick, to keep coughs, sneezes, etc from spreading disease. I just can't see how this could work for someone with the flu, who needs to constantly blow his nose.

I store a box of N95s anyway.

I wore replaceable filter half-masks a lot during my career. They are uncomfortably hot, get wet inside, restrict vision, and are hard to wear with spectacles. I hated them. Full face respirators were much, much worse.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

This is all I've got.

View attachment 11186


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

Slippy said:


> This is all I've got.
> 
> View attachment 11186


Is that you, Slippy? Looks like he slipped on his face.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

Hockey can be a rough game.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

I have both N95 for dust storms and smoke from wild fires, and N99 for virus protection. I was going to go with a pro mask that used replaceable filters like Arklatex but decide on the disposables just because they were disposable. If I have to wear one, I can toss it before entering my house.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

I am stocking the N99. I don't have full gas masks. Not sure they would be practical.


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## tango (Apr 12, 2013)

If you have facial hair, beard, goatee, the mask may not seal properly.
Check it out .


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Duct tape.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Dust and medical masks have their place. So do the plentyfull russian surplus gas masks which are very cheap.


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## PatriotFlamethrower (Jan 10, 2015)

We have an abundance of full-face Israeli-made masks with an abundance of NBC filters (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical). This is about the best you can get, unless you go to an SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus). We also have child-sized full-face masks.

Every Israeli citizen is issued their own full-face mask and filters. We got surplus masks and filters on e-Bay, and they were very reasonable. They are very well-made.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

Good question so I did a little research. While N99 and N100 masks filter more out many hospitals use N95 masks for basic biologic safety. I'd suspect that N95 would handle most solid particles such as radioactive dust ect.

Considering the price difference between the different levels of protection on Amazon I think I'll order a few boxes of the N95s which cost much less than the N99s cost. I think biological attacks by ISIS ect. are a real threat and since hospitals generally use N95s I'd consider it to be a sufficient option considering the pricing differences. I think for $50 it's better to have eighty N95s than to only have twelve N99s.

What I'm getting Amazon.com: 3M 1860 N95 RESPIRATOR AND SURGICAL MASK Box of 20: Health & Personal Care

Most of these masks are plugged after less than a day and a biological attack would last much longer than a day so I'd want at least 10 masks per person.


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## GTGallop (Nov 11, 2012)

paraquack said:


> I have both N95 for dust storms and smoke from wild fires, and N99 for virus protection. I was going to go with a pro mask that used replaceable filters like Arklatex but decide on the disposables just because they were disposable. If I have to wear one, I can toss it before entering my house.


Exactly what I was going to say. With our dust storms, an N-95 is good to have. Not as good as a shmagh (or how ever you spell it) but almost and my wife will wear a N-95 but she wont shmagh up.


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## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

tango said:


> If you have facial hair, beard, goatee, the mask may not seal properly.
> Check it out .


petroleum jelly my friend, petroleum jelly


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

I keep a gas mask for tear gas situations. N95s would be good for many outbreaks.

CBRN situations we are screwed anyway. 95% of the stuff that is available and durable (outdoors type situation) isn't designed for extended expisure. Military style gear is only designed to keep you alive long enough to finish your mission, or maybe until help arrives and you can be decontaminated


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## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

I keep a supply of N95 masks, goggles, hazmat suits and a Finnish Gas Mask for each of my family members for an oh shit moment. Whether it be teargas environment or a pandemic. If its a pandemic we plan on keeping the fort down but incase one more family member has to leave for god knows what. We are then prepared.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

GTGallop said:


> Exactly what I was going to say. With our dust storms, an N-95 is good to have. Not as good as a shmagh (or how ever you spell it) but almost and my wife will wear a N-95 but she wont shmagh up.


Care to back that claim up? I am curious how a shemagh is better than an N95.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

Any reason to carry one in a ghb?


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## GTGallop (Nov 11, 2012)

Arklatex said:


> Care to back that claim up? I am curious how a shemagh is better than an N95.


The Shemagh wraps around your whole head keeping sand and dust out of your ears and hair and from going down the neck of your shirt - the N-95 does not.
The Shemagh can be moistened a little and provides for some evaporative cooling - the N-95 does not.
The Shemagh forms to your face (well, at least my face) helping to seal out the dust - the N-95 does too but not as well
The Shemagh can be pulled over your eyes if you are going to hunker down for a bit - - the N-95 does not, unless you wear two of them ;-)
I often have a beard, Shemagh's are beard friendly. N-95's are not.

True the disposable N-95 masks are made of a better filtration material but the execution is poor. The fitment leaks air in and exhaling fogs my eye-pro.


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## Tanya49! (Jun 20, 2020)

My mask with valve.


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