Light weight, but warm, can be worn under a hood or another hat. Perfect for a cold day of fishing!

Minus33 makes some great gear, all of it being made from merino wool. Their thin weight shirts are my go to shirts for cycling, even in the Summer. Yes, wool can be worn then. Certainly breathes as well or better than the modern breathable jerseys. I think better, actually. I use the same lightweight, long sleeve shirts for my Winter commutes (in layers), and stay nice and warm down to 20F.

I ordered the balaclava knowing it would be the same soft wool material as their other products, but in a lightweight form. It has yet to dissapoint me, with enough stretch to allow for covering and uncovering of my nose and mouth, as conditions warrant. It fits my big noggin comfortably under a cycling helmet. Mind you, it does not completely block the wind, so if you need something with wind proof properties, I suggest looking at some other brands, such as the Pearl Izumi PRO line. It allows enough cold through the material to pull off some of the sweat during rides, even working well up into the 50s. I am prone to painfully cold ears, and it works perfectly for that.

As for stretching it out, I have not had that issue as of yet. My solution will be to take it in the shower when I return home from my commute, hand washing it as I do my other wool bits. Then squeeze out the water and hang it to drip dry. It is machine washable, but my thinking is why not take advantage of the shower.

Anyway, highly recommended. Just know that it will lead some wind through, so for very cold temperatures, another layer or wind blocking balaclava may better fit your needs.

DOESN'T WORK GREAT WITH GLASSES
I used these so far in 30° with an MTB helmet and it worked better than expected. It's very soft and comfortable. As mentioned in the reviews, it's very thing but somehow still works at keeping warm. If you have glasses though, it does create a big gap between your face and the mask. This could be fixed by having a hole for glasses frames.

I recently bought this balaclava for bear, deer, and elk seasons where I was tired of playing around with a neck gaiter. I was originally looking at other companies but I didn't want something that was too bulky, and I really like the color choices that Minus33 had so I figured that I would give them a shot. Also, I really hate when products brand their logos on every square inch or make them some loud color so everyone knows what you are wearing and you seem like a billboard. I like high quality, low key items, and this one fit that bill.

When the balaclava arrived, I was really surprised by how thin it was. That did initially worry me because I thought that 'midweight' would have been a little thicker, but I figured that I would give it a go this last weekend in a camping/hunting outing where temperatures were between 22F-48F.

The balaclava performed awesome to my surprise. It is thin enough to allow you to breathe well, wear hats and glasses with - without getting in the way or being uncomfortable at all. In fact, after about 45 min, I didn't realize it was on my face. It did not obstruct my view or breathing, it kept my face warm and dry, and there is enough give in the fabric that you can pull it down under your chin to eat, drink, smoke, or whatever and it didn't seem to stretch out.

The most important test was inside the tent. At night my face usually starts getting cold at some point and I wake up and then try to cover my face with a bag or roll a hat down on my face which inevitably comes off and then it a never ending cycle. With this, I slept all night with it and even tossing and turning kept it on pretty straight. This was a real winner.

I would have given this product 5 stars if it was made in the USA and not China. The stitching is good, the color that I got (forest green) was great with other products, and the material feels excellent on the skin. If you are in the market for a lightweight, comfortable, affordable, and warm balaclava, add this one to your list and give it a try.

No much to say.
- Fit for my average sized head was/is perfect.
- Seams are all stitched without flaws.
- As soft as merino wool gets. I've bought many merino wool clothes from many manufactures. This is as good as it gets. There's really no best with merino wool, it reaches a peak and that's it. Softer would be a possum fur and merino wool mixture as an example.
- If you don't know what midweight means I'll explain. Light weight thickness means wind passed easily through, but is a great for a base layer that breathes, but isn't good as a stand alone. Expedition/heavy weight blocks most wind and doesn't breath too well. Midweight blocks light wind and insulates without an added layer, but is great for taking off the edge in mid-30's while still breathing and staying dry.

All in all this is about as good as it gets. Other companies can do the same, but can't do better. Hope that helps.